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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. Plus, this soup is gluten-free, keto, paleo, and Whole30!
What Makes This Recipe Great
I love a good chicken soup, and it’s so healing and comforting when you feel sick or down. I first made this Instant Pot Chicken Soup recipe 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 protein-packed, nutrient-dense soup at the end of it. And it all comes together a little over one hour!
This soup is perfect when you’re feeling under the weather or need some comfort. I hope you make this nourishing 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!
Watch a Short Video of This Recipe
Ingredient Notes
- Veggies: Onion, carrots, and green beans. You can also use celery instead of green beans.
- Garlic cloves
- Ginger
- Whole Chicken: I used a 4lb whole chicken because I love the mix of white and dark meat. If you prefer one or the other, feel free to use all chicken breasts or chicken thighs. If you don’t prefer bone-in chicken, choose boneless options.
- Sea salt
- Crushed black pepper
- Water
- Chopped green onions: For garnish.
Step-by-Step 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 for 30 minutes. Ensure the valve on your pressure cooker is set to the sealing position.
- Once the soup is finished, the Instant Pot will beep a few times. Wait about 30 minutes for the pressure to release 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 it back in the Instant Pot. Stir.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve with chopped green onions sprinkled on top.
Expert Tips
- Feel free to add additional ingredients to this soup recipe if desired, but keep in mind that depending on which vegetables or starches you add, it will no longer be keto, Paleo, whole 30, etc.
- Some options for additional ingredients include celery, potatoes, cooked rice, fresh herbs (thyme, bay leaf, rosemary) for additional flavor, and more.
- Since we’re using a whole chicken, the leftover bones are perfect for making homemade chicken broth using this recipe.
- This isn’t a chicken “noodle” soup, but it’s quite easy to turn this into an Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup recipe by adding a package of wide egg noodles (or noodles of choice). After you remove the chicken to de-bone shred, turn the Instant Pot on to SAUTE, then once it starts boiling, add about 6 oz noodles for 6-7 minutes until al dente. Turn off the Instant Pot, add the chicken back in, and stir together before serving.
Storage Tips
- Store leftover instant pot chicken soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or over the stovetop.
- To freeze, let the soup cool completely, then pour it into a freezer-safe, airtight container for up to 3-4 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up in the microwave or over the stovetop.
Recipe FAQs
For this recipe, the actual cook time is 30 minutes on soup mode. However, keep in mind that it does take time for the Instant Pot to come to pressure and then 30 minutes of natural pressure release after it’s done cooking.
Chicken gets chewy and rubbery when it is overcooked. For this reason, be careful not to overcook the chicken.
More Soup Recipes
Easy Leftover Turkey Rice Soup
Creamy Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup
30-Minute Dak Juk (Korean Rice Porridge)
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Instant Pot Chicken Soup Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 large carrots , or 3 small, chopped
- 2 cups green beans, chopped into 1 inch pieces OR 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 4 lb whole chicken, giblets removed
- 2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
- Cracked black pepper, to taste (omit for AIP)
- 6 cups water
- Chopped green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Place onion, carrots, green beans, garlic, and ginger in the Instant Pot.1 large onion, 2 large carrots, 2 cups green beans, 4 garlic cloves, 1 inch ginger
- Lay the chicken over the vegetables.4 lb whole chicken
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.2 tsp sea salt, Cracked black pepper
- Pour water over everything.6 cups water
- 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. *Check Notes if you want to add noodles.
- 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.Chopped green onions, for garnish
Notes
Expert Tips
- Feel free to add additional ingredients to this soup recipe if desired, but keep in mind that depending on which vegetables or starches you add, it will no longer be keto, Paleo, whole 30, etc.
- Some options for additional ingredients include celery, potatoes, cooked rice, fresh herbs (thyme, bay leaf, rosemary) for additional flavor, and more.
- Since we’re using a whole chicken, the leftover bones are perfect for making homemade chicken broth using this recipe.
- *This isn’t a chicken “noodle” soup, but it’s quite easy to turn this into an Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup recipe by adding a package of wide egg noodles (or noodles of choice). After you remove the chicken to de-bone shred, turn the Instant Pot on to SAUTE, then once it starts boiling, add 6 oz of noodles for 6-7 minutes until al dente. Turn off the Instant Pot, add the chicken back in, and stir together before serving.
Storage Tips
- Store leftover instant pot chicken soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or over the stovetop.
- To freeze, let the soup cool completely, then pour it into a freezer-safe, airtight container for up to 3-4 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up in the microwave or over the stovetop.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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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!
Do the vegetables turn into mush?
No, they just cook through until soft like in any soup.
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.
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.
This was SO comforting and delicious. Thank you!
Can the chicken be frozen?
Yes, but I would add 10 minutes to the cooking time.
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.
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.
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!
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.