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}
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
- 1/2 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.
Jesse
My mom got sick for thanksgiving so I am going to make this soup for her. Can I add more chicken broth to make it easier for her to swallow?
Dara
Absolutely! Just be sure not to overfill your Instant Pot. I hope your mum feels better soon!
Amber
Very delicious, comforting, and nutritious. It really hit the spot on a November day. I loved using frozen chicken, as it made it that much easier for me. Thank you for the recipe!
Elena
This is so delicious! Great comfort food for a cold day! I have frozen chicken breasts in the freezer. Have you tried it with frozen instead of fresh?
Dara
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Elena! Yes, you can use frozen chicken breasts. Just make sure that the breasts are not stuck together when adding them to the Instant Pot. Because of the temperature of the chicken, it will take the Instant Pot a bit longer to come to pressure.
Marcia
I made this today for the first time & it was absolutely delicious! I’ll definitely be making it again & again. Thank you so much for sharing it!
Dara
So glad to hear it, Marcia! Thank you for commenting.
Frances
Great recipe, never made chicken and rice soup before and I do think I like it more then a noodle one. A twist I have done is using some left over chicken breast, good chicken broth, some herbs, and cooked a bit of basmati rice–to make a quick soup for one or two, using your template as a guide. That worked well too. Nice comforting soup.
Liz
I’ve been using this recipe for years — it’s a Soup Season staple! I also follow you on Instagram and have to say, I just love your recipes.
Thank you!
Dara
Thanks you so much, Liz! Your comment made my day.
Erin
This looks great! Do you rinse your rice before adding it into the pot? Also, I’m not a huge fan of rosemary or thyme (weird, I know)… any suggestions for herb replacements?
Dara
Hi Erin, I rinse my rice when I remember to. 🙂 It turns out either way. For herbs, you could try something like oregano and tarragon, or use an Herbes de Provence mixture, which includes both of those herbs (it also includes thyme and rosemary, but the amount of each is less in the spice mixture).
Michelle
Delicious! My family was unfortunately hit with covid, and we wanted something a little different than chicken noodle soup. We loved the chicken and rice! I may actually never make chicken noodle again after having this! Super easy, quick, and delicious. Thank you for this comfort food recipe!
Dara
Ugh, I’m so sorry your family got sick. Hopefully everyone’s on the mend. But I’m thrilled to know that the soup was a hit. 🙂
Brigitta
If you don’t have brown rice you can do a jasmine rice and just double the liquid and add some more salt and pepper to taste. Also, I precooked and shredded my chicken and the slightly drier texture of the chicken was a really nice contrast to the rice.
Stephani
Can I leave it in the IP after its done on warm for a few hours?
Dara
Hi Stephani, I have never actually done this, so am not certain. My understanding is that the “Keep Warm” setting, with the lid on, maintains the food at a temperature above 140 degrees F, which is what’s typically recommended for food safety. However, you may find that the rice gets a bit mushy. If the rice absorbs too much of the broth while resting, stir in extra broth and check the seasonings before serving.
Claudia
Perfect ratios and love the brown rice instead of egg noodles. My new go-to chicken soup recipe to replace the all-day stovetop method. Thanks!
Dara
I’m so glad you love it as much as I do! 🙂
Amy
Can I freeze this
Dara
Yes, it can be frozen. However, the texture of frozen rice is a bit mushier than rice that hasn’t been frozen. The overall taste will still be really good, but the texture will be a little different.
Colleen Thompson
Wonderful, flavorful, healthy recipe. I used a 1.5 lb. fresh bone-in chicken breast (after removing the skin), so I increased the cooking time to 15 minutes, and it was perfect. Will definitely make again, and I believe I’ll stick with a skinless bone-in breast or possibly thighs for this.
Natasha
Would it be ok to use already diced chicken breast(uncooked) instead of whole breast? Wasn’t sure if the cooking time because of the rice would make the chicken cube overcooked. Would there be any adjustments to time if that’s ok? Thank you!
Dara
Hi Natasha, I have never tried it that way, but would be worried that the chicken would dry out. However, if you reduced the cooking time, the rice wouldn’t be cooked through properly.
Amanda
Hi, I am wondering how I can alternate this recipe using chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. Is this possible?? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Dara
Hi Amanda, chicken thighs should work well. Be sure to use skinless thighs. You’ll get slightly more tender meat if you use bone-in thighs (because of the cooking time needed for the rice), but you should still be able to get away with boneless (I haven’t tried it myself, so just guessing). If using bone-in thighs, use more than 1 pound to account for the weight of the bones so that you end up with enough meat. I hope that helps.