Only 10 minutes of active prep time for this comforting Chicken and Rice Soup! It's a breeze to make in the Instant Pot. 241 calories and 5 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe {Instant Pot}
Chicken and rice soup is one of those meals that I crave when the temperatures drop or when one of the season's pesky colds or coughs takes hold. No matter how much hand washing and Vitamin C popping we do, at least one virus manages to sweep through the family each year. Homemade soup recipes are the best tonic as soon as the sneezing and sniffling starts.
Out comes the Instant Pot for some chicken rice soup love! And why do I like making this soup in the Instant Pot as opposed to using the stovetop?
Two words...chopping chicken. We all have those tasks in the kitchen that we despise, right? One of mine is cutting up chicken to be sautéed. It's a completely irrational pet peeve and usually I just suck it up and do it anyways, but if I have an option to avoid it, I'm definitely taking the easy route!
Putting the chicken breasts in whole (then shredding) and having the option to use frozen chicken breasts (more on that in a moment) makes my life a whole lot easier. Plus, it means I can make this soup for dinner, even if I haven't remembered to defrost some chicken breasts earlier in the day.
How to make chicken and rice soup in the Instant Pot:
- Either frozen or defrosted chicken breasts can be used in this creamy chicken and rice soup. If using frozen chicken, it will take slightly longer for the Instant Pot to come to pressure.
- Start by using the Saute mode on your Instant Pot to soften the onions, carrots and celery. Next, add the garlic and herbs.
- Pour in the chicken broth, and add the chicken breasts and rice before sealing your pressure cooker and setting it to HIGH pressure.
- Once the cooking time is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then use the quick release.
- Shred the chicken, stir in the parsley, season well with salt and pepper, and serve it up!
Do you cook rice before adding to soup?
- Nope! The uncooked rice is added at the same time as the broth and raw chicken breasts.
- This is a huge timesaver, especially since this recipe calls for brown rice. If you had to cook the brown rice ahead of time, that would require an additional 40 minutes or so. Another win for pressure cookers!
- Brown rice and chicken breasts have very similar cooking times when prepared in the Instant Pot, so the timing works out perfectly. I suggest sticking to brown rice in this recipe because white rice would become very overcooked.
- As the brown rice cooks and releases its starches, it produces a wonderfully creamy texture in this soup. Creamy without the cream!
Other healthy Instant Pot soups:
Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes {Cookin' Canuck}
Vegan Instant Pot Mushroom Soup {Cookin' Canuck}
Instant Pot Lebanese Chicken Soup {The Lemon Bowl}
Chicken Tortilla Soup {Add a Pinch}
Printable Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ yellow onion chopped
- 1 large carrot cut into thin half-circles
- 1 large stalk celery diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
- 5 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¾ cup brown rice uncooked
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- ¼ cup minced flat-leaf parsley
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Saute mode. Heat the olive oil, then add the onion, carrot and celery. Saute the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic, thyme and rosemary. Cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the chicken broth and stir to combine.
- Add the chicken breasts, brown rice, salt and pepper to the Instant Pot.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot, close the steam vent and set to HIGH pressure using the manual setting. Set the time to 13 minutes. It will take the Instant Pot about 15 minutes to reach pressure.
- Once the time is expired, use natural release for 10 minutes, then quick release.
- Transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board, shred with 2 forks, then transfer back to the Instant Pot. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
shelly Ann douglas
Delicious! Warm and delightful. I only had 1/2 one chicken, which was already cubed and it turned out perfect. I did 10 min cook time since I had less chicken than the recipe called for. I reduced broth and kept the same amount of carrots and celery.
Shannon
How do you calculate macros? Mine are coming out very different.
Dara
This macros for this particular recipe was calculated using the Sparks calculator, which isn't online anymore. However, you should use whatever calculator you trust most. Also, macros will vary considerably, depending on which broth you use.
Sarah
Enjoyed this soup very much! Great flavor balance. I did use white rice but cooked less time because I also used a rotisserie chicken, which made it come together so quickly!
paula
This soup is delicious. I love the brown rice because it doesn’t get mushy. This recipe is a keeper!
kristin
Can I use jasmine rice?
Dara
Hi Kristin, brown jasmine rice works well in this recipe. If you are thinking of using white jasmine rice, please note that white rice takes significantly less time to cook in comparison to brown rice. It would be quite mushy by the end of the 12-minute cooking time (necessary for the chicken). If you prefer to use white jasmine rice, I suggest cooking it separately on the stovetop, then stirring it into the finished soup. I hope that helps!
Kasey B
Delicious...a favorite of our family
Kasey Barilari
How funny is it that I’m also Kasey B reading this recipe
Kevin
This is the easiest & best chicken and rice soup I’ve ever tasted! Thank you
Kristi Hassell
Made this today with chicken tenderloins and white rice. I started to make the rice separate, but I've been sick and didn't want to make the effort. The rice was overcooked and thick, but I liked it. The thickened soup was so much more comforting than a broth type. Also, since I used tenderloins, i cookedbit for 12 min. Thanks for the recipe.
David Michael Lepine
Will this also work with drumsticks? i have liek 6 of them marinated in chicken stock and i'd love to use them.. reminds me of my mother
Dara
Hi David, I haven't tested this recipe using chicken drumsticks, or any chicken on the bone. I'd imagine it would be fine, but I recommend removing the skin from the drumsticks first.
Johnna
I am planning on putting the chicken breast and chopped veggies in a freezer bag and storing in the freezer, and then dumping into instant pot and adding the rice, broth, seasonings. If I do this, do I need to increase cooking time? The recipe mentions we can use frozen chicken, but do I need increase the instant pot pressure time from 13 minutes?
Dara
Hi Johnna, when using frozen chicken breasts, you don't need to increase the cook time. However, it will take longer for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. I haven't tried skipping the sauté step for the veggies, but I'd imagine it will still turn out okay. Hope you enjoy the soup!