If you’re looking for a hearty meal that’ll only take minutes to throw together, this quick and easy instant pot chicken rice soup is the perfect recipe for you! Basically, throw all the ingredients right into your instant pot or pressure cooker and let it do all the work for you. This soup makes enough for an entire family. You might even have some extra for leftovers or to stash in your freezer for a cold dreary day! And even better, it’s just as good for you as it is delicious. It’s comforting, wholesome, and sure to fill you up. Yet, it remains light and silky from a secret ingredient that thickens the broth without any added dairy or cream!
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📋 About the Recipe
The combination of chicken and wild rice is a match made in heaven! And, this instant pot chicken rice soup showcases the best features of the pair. With rich creamy broth, hearty nutritious vegetables, and nutty flavor from the rice, you’ll have a healthy and delicious meal in minutes. From sauteeing the vegetables to cooking the chicken until it is tender enough to shred with a fork, the instant pot truly does it all!
As for the secret ingredient that makes the broth luscious and creamy? Eggs! Instead of using cream, flour, or cornstarch to thicken this soup, whisk together a few eggs in a separate bowl, temper them with a little broth so they don’t scramble, and add the mix to the rest of the soup. You’ll be left with a decadently smooth broth that’s healthy and can hold up to the heavier chicken and vegetables.
Make this instant pot chicken soup as a fast weeknight dinner or for meal prep earlier in the week. Utilize the leftovers as a quick and easy lunch the next day or freeze it for later on. No matter when you choose to devour it, it is sure to warm your soul and please your entire family.
Looking for more healthy family friendly dinner ideas? Try these!
- Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup
- Balsamic Glazed Steak and Veggie Bowls
- Creamy Thai Peanut Spaghetti Squash with Sesame Chicken
- Air Fryer Almond Chicken in Honey Soy Sauce
- Instant Pot Peach Chicken and Basil
🛒 Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- The cook time for this recipe was developed specifically for wild rice. I don’t advise using a wild rice blend because the different grains cook at uneven times, causing the rice to get mushy. If you want to substitute the wild rice with uncooked brown rice, adjust the cooking time to 13 minutes with a 10 minute natural release. After the 10 minutes are up, do a quick release.
- The eggs are a great dairy-free way to thicken the broth and make it taste a little richer. If you want, you can omit the eggs, but the broth will be thinner and less creamy.
📓 Instructions
Chop and prepare all the vegetables.
Put the instant pot on the saute setting and lightly drizzle the bottom of the pot with some olive oil. Saute the onion, celery, and carrot for about 5 minutes until the onions become tender.
Add the garlic and mushrooms. Give it a stir to prevent it all from sticking.
Top the veggie mixture with the wild rice, chicken breasts, thyme, bay leaf, oregano, salt, and pepper. Gently stir again. Then, pour in the chicken broth and water.
Cover the instant pot and cook it on high pressure in the “sealing” setting for 35 minutes. After the time is up, allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then do a quick release by carefully moving the lever to the “venting” position with a kitchen towel to block the steam.
Once the pressure is fully released, remove the lid. Carefully pull out the bay leaf and chicken breasts. Throw away the bay leaf and place the chicken in a separate dish. Shred the chicken with two forks.
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Slowly whisk in a small ladle of hot soup broth to temper the eggs. This process warms them without cooking or scrambling them. Once the broth is incorporated into the eggs, add the mixture into the rest of the soup. Mix it in to make the broth smooth and creamy.
Top the soup off with the frozen peas (they will defrost in the soup), as well as the lemon juice and shredded chicken. Then adjust the salt and pepper to your taste, serve in individual bowls, and enjoy!
Check out the how-to steps in this web story!
🔍 FAQs
Wild rice is a long black grain. Though it technically isn’t a “rice,” it is commonly referred to as such. Typically, it is denser and chewier than white or brown rice and has an earthy, nutty flavor. Additionally, it is full of vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, protein, and fiber.
Yes! You do not need to precook rice for many soup recipes. However, keep in mind that the rice will soak up a good amount of the soup broth. You may need to adjust the liquids in the recipe to account for their absorption. This instant pot recipe already accounts for this.
Yes! You can cook rice and meat at the same time in an instant pot, but again, make sure to be mindful of the amount of liquid absorbed by the rice. You want the chicken to remain juicy, while the rice becomes fluffy and tender. This recipe already accounts for both, as well as any remaining broth to keep it a soupy consistency.
Yes! The chicken will still cook even if it’s overlapping. For this recipe, you don’t need to worry too much about seasoning the chicken, but if you stack the chicken for other recipes, make sure to season them evenly. You don’t want to stack the chicken and create pockets of heavy seasoning sandwiched between the chicken breasts.
💭 One More Tip
You can store this chicken soup in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It also freezes really well. Allow the soup to cool completely, ladle it into freezer-safe airtight containers, and store it in the freezer for up to 4 to 6 months. To reheat, place the soup in the refrigerator overnight to defrost, then place it in a soup pot to warm through just before eating.
🍴 Related Recipes
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Rice Soup
Equipment
- instant pot or pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- 3 carrots chopped
- olive oil for drizzling
- 1 cup white or brown mushrooms sliced and halved
- 6 to 8 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup wild rice uncooked (see notes)
- 2 chicken breasts whole
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth (1 quart)
- 2 cups water
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 lemon juiced
Instructions
- Chop and prepare all the vegetables.
- Put the instant pot on the saute setting and lightly drizzle the bottom of the pot with some olive oil. Saute the onion, celery, and carrot for about 5 minutes until the onions become tender.
- Add the garlic and mushrooms. Give it a stir to prevent it all from sticking.
- Top the veggie mixture with the wild rice, chicken breasts, thyme, bay leaf, oregano, salt, and pepper. Gently stir again. Then, pour in the chicken broth and water.
- Cover the instant pot and cook it on high pressure in the “sealing” setting for 35 minutes.
- After the time is up, allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then do a quick release by carefully moving the lever to the “venting” position with a kitchen towel to block the steam.
- Once the pressure is fully released, remove the lid. Carefully pull out the bay leaf and chicken breasts. Throw away the bay leaf and place the chicken in a separate dish. Shred the chicken with two forks.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Slowly whisk in a small ladle of hot soup broth to temper the eggs. This process warms them without cooking or scrambling them. Once the broth is incorporated into the eggs, add the mixture into the rest of the soup. Mix it in to make the broth smooth and creamy.
- Top the soup off with the frozen peas (they will defrost in the soup), as well as the lemon juice and shredded chicken. Then, adjust the salt and pepper to your taste, serve in individual bowls, and enjoy!
Notes
- The cook time for this recipe was developed specifically for wild rice. I don’t advise using a wild rice blend because the different grains cook at uneven times, causing the rice to get mushy. If you want to substitute the wild rice with uncooked brown rice, adjust the cooking time to 13 minutes with a 10 minute natural release. After the 10 minutes are up, do a quick release.
- The eggs are a great dairy-free way to thicken the broth and make it taste a little richer. If you want, you can omit the eggs, but the broth will be thinner and less creamy.
- You can store this chicken soup in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It also freezes really well. Allow the soup to cool completely, ladle it into freezer-safe airtight containers, and store it in the freezer for up to 4 to 6 months. To reheat, place the soup in the refrigerator overnight to defrost, then place it in a soup pot to warm through just before eating.
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Laura
Winter is the perfect time for this soup! I’ve been searching for more instant pot recipes and this definitely was a hit.
Take the notes seriously, I used a rice blend and it definitely cooked just as mentioned it would, a little mushy (still super tasty!)
Alana Lieberman
Thanks for giving it a try, Laura! Sorry your rice blend turned out mushy, but I'm glad the flavor still worked out! I definitely suggest using only wild rice in the future 🙂