Instant Pot Chicken & Rice Soup is a quick soup made with chicken, rice, and vegetables, and seasoned with thyme and rosemary. This is one of the simplest and nutritious soups you can make in your pressure cooker.
Cooking this soup in the Instant Pot is a breeze. It saves time and work, allowing you to have a delicious meal on the table in no time. It’s definitely on of our go to soups for chilly days. Making a big pot of this soup guarantees you’ll have left overs to take to work the next day!
You can add or change ingredients to fit your preferences and dietary requirements. For example, you can use different vegetables, switch out the white rice for brown rice, or add more spices and herbs to make it even more flavorful.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Butter – Butter will give a rich flavor to the soup. I always use salted butter.
- Onion and celery – This is the base of all good soups. It helps build tremendous flavor.
- Mushrooms – I use button mushrooms, roughly chopped.
- All-Purpose Flour – Make sure to sift the flour before adding it to prevent lumps.
- Garlic – Always use fresh garlic that has not been kept in the refrigerator for a long period of time.
- Chicken Broth – When I make homemade soups and stews, I use low-sodium broths to have more control over the salt levels in the final dish.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts – To save cooking time, cut in half lengthwise.
- Long Grain White Rice – My favorite for this recipe is long grain white, but you can use brown rice or wild rice. The cook time will vary. See instructions below.
- Seasonings: The seasonings I use for this soup are salt & ground black pepper, Dried Thyme, and dried rosemary.
- Cream or Half and Half – This will give the soup a nice creamy texture as well as some extra fat. For a creamier result, use heavy cream.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken & Rice Soup
Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot. When it gets hot, add the butter and let that melt. Then add the onion, celery, and mushrooms. Sauté the vegetables for about 3 minutes.
Add the flour and whisk it into the butter in the inner pot so it forms a paste. Add the garlic and let it cook for about a minute, no longer or you risk burning the garlic, which produces a very bitter taste.
Turn off sauté mode. Pour in the chicken broth and whisk to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add in the chicken, rice, salt, thyme, rosemary, and black pepper.
Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set the vent to sealing (if that’s necessary for your model). Press the pressure cook or manual button and set to cook for 8 minutes on high pressure.
When the time is up, allow a 10-minute natural release before releasing the remaining pressure and removing the lid. Often, 10 minutes is all it needs to complete release pressure on it’s own.
Transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board and shred them with a fork. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
Pour in the cream or half and half. Taste the soup and season it to your preference with additional salt, if necessary. This is where you can also add additional spices or seasonings, if you want to. Maybe add some red pepper flakes to spice it up.
Let the soup rest on the Keep Warm setting for 5 minutes before serving so the rice can continue to soak up some of the flavors.
A Note About Rice
You can use a different type of rice, if desired, but the cooking time will need to be adjusted. For brown rice, cook for 12 minutes on high pressure. For wild rice, pre-cook the rice in the Instant Pot for 28 minutes, then cook the soup as stated in the recipe for 3 minutes on high pressure. Add the pre-cooked rice to the soup after the natural release.
Additional Helpful Tips
- If your chicken breasts are quite thick, cut them into two pieces, lengthwise to allow them to cook more quickly. You want it to be cooked through in 8 minutes. The cooking time will be longer for thicker chicken or frozen chicken.
- Rinse the rice before adding it to the Instant Pot to remove any excess starch.
- For a spicier version of the soup, consider adding a pinch of red pepper flakes or some sliced jalapenos to the soup after cooking.
- Any leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 6 days. When reheating, you can add a bit more water or chicken stock, as the rice might have absorbed a lot of the liquid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use brown rice for this soup?
Yes, you can use brown rice for this soup. However, you may need to adjust the cooking time and the amount of liquid, as brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice. If using brown rice, set the cook time to 12 minutes instead of 8.
Can I add additional vegetables to the soup?
Yes, you can add additional vegetables to the soup, such as chopped carrots, bell peppers, corn, or sweet potatoes.
Can I make this soup ahead of time?
Yes, you can make this soup ahead of time. Simply store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer and reheat the soup when you’re ready to eat.
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Instant Pot Chicken & Rice Soup
Note: Made in a 6-qt Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter
- 3/4 cup (120 g) onion finely chopped
- 3/4 cup (76 g) celery chopped
- 8 mushrooms roughly chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon (4 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups (946 ml) chicken broth
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast cut in half lengthwise
- 1/2 cup (93 g) long grain white rice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (9 g) salt
- 1 teaspoon (1 g) dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup (59 ml) cream or half and half
Instructions
- Press Saute button on Instant Pot. When hot, add butter and melt. Add onion, celery and mushrooms. Saute for 3 minutes.
- Add the flour and whisk together. Add garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the chicken broth and stir to remove any browned bits from the bottom. Turn off Saute Mode.
- Add the chicken, rice, salt, thyme, rosemary, and black pepper.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set vent to sealing (if necessary for your model). Press the pressure cook or manual button and set to cook for 8 minutes on high pressure. When done, allow for a 10 minute natural release of pressure before releasing the remaining pressure and removing the lid.
- Transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board and shred with a fork. Return to the pot.
- Pour in the cream or half and half. Season to taste with additional salt if necessary.
- Rest for 5 minutes on Keep Warm before serving.
Notes
- You can use a different type of rice, if desired, but the cooking time will need to be adjusted. For brown rice, cook for 12 minutes on high pressure. For wild rice, pre-cook the rice in the Instant Pot for 28 minutes, then cook the soup as stated in the recipe for 3 minutes on high pressure. Add the pre-cooked rice to the soup after the natural release.
Nutrition
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Laura is a passionate home cook and the owner of A Pressure Cooker Kitchen. She is dedicated to helping people create delicious Instant Pot meals with ease. Laura is an expert at developing recipes that can be prepared quickly and easily using a pressure cooker.
Can you omit the cream and flour?
Hi Regan, you can leave both items out but it will change the texture and consistency of the soup.