Make the most nourishing Instant Pot Chicken Soup using vegetables and a whole chicken! It makes bone broth in the process and becomes SO nutritious and comforting.
Alright, guys. Just a small update: we are still living in an Airbnb for the entire month of February so I’m really lacking in food photography props and my favorite plates that I like to use. It’s all good, because the place we are staying at is really nice and has good lighting (which is extremely important to me). We are trying to find a place to live next month so hopefully it’ll work out soon. I’m actually much less stressed out about the whole situation than I thought I would be, and I will provide you with more details soon (fingers crossed!).
In the mean time, I hope you understand if my photos are less than stellar. I’m doing my best with what I have!
As promised, this is my 2nd Instant Pot recipe of the week and it’s a good one. I love a good chicken soup and it’s so healing and comforting when you are feeling sick or down. I first made this Instant Pot chicken soup on a whim and didn’t measure any of the ingredients, and it turned out absolutely fantastic, so I had to make it again to share it with you!
This recipe uses a whole chicken, and I love that because you end up making bone broth while cooking it, so you have a really nutrient-dense soup at the end of it. And it all comes together a little over one hour!
And yes, we have most of our crap in storage right now, but I had to bring my Instant Pot with me, OF COURSE. I use it at least 3-4x a week so it’s a must!
It’s currently cold season so if you are feeling under the weather or in need of some comfort, I hope you make this nourishing Instant Pot chicken soup to boost your immunity and fight off the bugs. It also freezes really well so you can make it ahead of time to pull out on a cold day. It’s basically a hug in a bowl!
Instant Pot Chicken Soup (Paleo, Whole30, AIP, Keto)
Ingredients
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 large carrots or 3 small, chopped
- 1 1/2 cup green beans chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 inch ginger minced
- 4 lb whole chicken preferably pasture raised
- 2 tsp sea salt plus more to taste
- Cracked black pepper to taste (omit for AIP)
- 5 cups water
- Chopped green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Place onion, carrots, green beans, garlic, and ginger in the Instant Pot.
- Lay the chicken over the vegetables.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Pour water over everything.
- Close the lid of the Instant Pot, then set it to "Soup" on high pressure of 30 minutes.
- Once the soup is finished, the Instant Pot will beep a few times. Wait about 30 minutes for the pressure to go down naturally until you can open the lid.
- Take out the chicken and debone. You can save the bones to make bone broth.
- Shred the meat and place back in the Instant Pot. Stir.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve with chopped green onions sprinkled on top.
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Can I use chicken drumsticks for this recipe? What adjustment should I make?
Yes, definitely! You don’t have to adjust the cooking time. Just use 3-4 lbs of drumsticks.
I just made this. I changed it up a little by adding celery on top of the chicken with some fresh thyme, parsley, and oregano and omitting the green beans and ginger. I added about a tablespoon of soup base too when I added the water too. But this is a great jumping off point for you to tweak to make your favorite chicken soup. The broth was very rich and flavorful. I recommend leaving the carrots in pretty large chunks, like 1 inch long, so they don’t get too mushy. But thanks for this recipe. The chicken was perfect and the broth is a winner!
So glad you liked it!
Is this with a whole cooked chicken? Or raw & it cooks in a half hour?
Yup, whole raw chicken. That’s what’s so amazing about the Instant Pot!
I have a question about making bone broth from the chicken bones. Shouldn’t the bones be raw vs. cooked? Thanks.
You can use cooked bones to make bone broth. It may not be as potent but it’ll still release the same beneficial nutrients. Some even reuse raw bones use for bone broth to make a second batch.
Do I need to take the skin off the chicken first?
You can if you want. That’s my favorite part so I keep it on on mine.
Can the chicken be frozen?
Yes, but I would add 10 minutes to the cooking time.
This was SO comforting and delicious. Thank you!
I’m looking forward to trying this, thank you! It gives the nutritional info but doesn’t give the serving size. What is the serving size, please?
Thanks so much! There’s no specific serving size because every soup yields a different amount from the size of the vegetables, chicken, and the how much fat content the chicken has. The nutrition info is based on the assumption that there are 8 servings, so you can just divide the soup into 8 equal portions after to you make it for a single serving.
Hola. I love this recipe but when I wait 30 mins of natural release post cooking, then press the realease seal it takes another 3 0 mins. You don’t mention this bit. How long does your NR take or do you just turn the power off?
Thanks for all your recipes xx
Hi Marina, I mention that it takes about 30 minutes for the pressure to naturally release, although the time may be different every time. If the lid doesn’t open easily after waiting, you can quick release pressure, or wait about 5 minutes more until the pressure to release fully.
BTW I’m still cooking this recipe and absolutely love it. Today it was still naturally releasing at 44 minutes so I did a quick release and it took another 10 mins.
I was just looking but can’t see, can this be frozen?
Thanks so much, and yes, it freezes really well! Just separate into portions and freeze in airtight containers.
Do the vegetables turn into mush?
No, they just cook through until soft like in any soup.
would it be possible to add wild rice to the instant pot prior to cooking?
I never tried, but I don’t see why not. Just add it in with the rest of the ingredients!
What can be used instead of green beans to make it AIP?
You can use any greens that you like, like kale, cabbage, or even broccoli.
My first time cooking a whole chicken, but it came out wonderfully in the instant pot following your recipe. Thanks!
Yay! I’m so glad! Thank you.
Maybe a silly questions, do I need to remove giblets from chicken before cooking?
Yes!