Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup

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Soup season is in full effect and I could not be more excited! There's nothing better than a hot bowl of soup when it's rainy or snowing outside. Dip a crusty Sourdough dinner roll right in the soup and you have a delicious, family friendly dinner everyone will love!

Don't miss out on these other comforting soups that are easy to make and full of flavor!

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Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It's full of warm, comforting flavors! When you have a cold, or it's cold outside, you need some chicken soup! Add a little bit of turmeric and the warming spice it takes the comfort to the next level!
• The Instant Pot does all the hard work! Add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot and walk away. Let the pressure and heat from the Instant Pot create that long, slow cooked flavor!
• It's a fast, weeknight dinner idea! Serve this soup with a roll or a grilled cheese for a filling meal. No need to babysit this soup either, set and forget the soup in the Instant Pot!

What Type of Rice To Use

Brown or white rice work best in this soup. A wild rice and brown rice blend is delicious too. Don't use a rice that is parboiled, as it will become overcooked under the pressure of the Instant Pot cooking.

If you would like to use white rice instead of brown rice, simply reduce the cooking time for 20 minutes to 15 minutes. White rice cooks faster than brown rice does.

Make sure you rinse the rice before adding it to the Instant Pot. The easiest way to do that is to add the rice to a fine mesh strainer and run water over the rice. Rinse for 20-30 seconds. This rinses away any grit or dust that may have gotten into the container or in the packaging process.

Ingredients You'll Need

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast- depending on how big your chicken breast is, use one large or two medium breasts.
• Onions- just one
• Carrots- Two medium or three small carrots
• Celery- Two stalks
• Spices- Turmeric gives the soup it's yellow tint and warm taste. Garlic powder and Italian seasoning add flavor to the soup.
• Chicken Broth- Use low sodium so you can control the amount of salt that goes into the soup.

Let's Make Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup!

Wash, peel, and chop the celery, onions, and carrots into small pieces. Turn the Instant Pot on "Saute" and add the olive oil, carrots, onions, and celery. Saute for five minutes, until the vegetables soften and the onions become translucent. While the vegetables cook, place the rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse the rice under cold water for 20-30 seconds.

After the vegetables have been sautéed, add the chicken breast, spices, rice, and broth to the Instant Pot. Seal the Instant Pot and cook on "HIGH" for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 10 minutes.

Once the natural release is done, release any leftover pressure. When releasing the pressure manually, be careful as the broth can come up the pressure release valve and spatter hot soup.

Take the chicken breast out of the soup and shred it on a cutting board with two forks. Chopping the chicken with a knife is a good option as well. Add the chicken back to the soup, taste the soup and season with more salt and pepper if necessary, and enjoy!

Making This Soup on the Stovetop

To make this soup on the stove, heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil, chopped onions, chopped celery, and chopped carrots. Saute for 5 minutes until the vegetables have softened.

Once the vegetables are softened, add the chicken, rice, broth, and seasonings. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the rice and chicken do not stick to the bottom. Season with salt and pepper and serve!

Making This Soup in a Slow Cooker

To make this chicken and rice soup in the slow cooker instead of the Instant Pot, add the onions, carrots, celery, chicken breasts, seasonings, and chicken broth to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

After the cooking time is done, add the rice to the soup. Cook on high for 1 more hour. Once the rice is cooked, remove the chicken breasts and shred them. Add the chicken breasts back to the slow cooker and serve!

Tips and Tricks

• A 6 quart Instant Pot or larger is recommended. Anything smaller than 6 quart will be too small to make this soup.
• Don't have chicken breasts? Try chicken thighs instead. Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs as you don't want to be fishing out bones from the soup. If you have leftover meat, feel free to use that! Leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, or leftover rotisserie chicken can be used instead.
• To serve this soup, top with fresh chopped parsley and a crusty roll, or a grilled cheese.
• This soup will last in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. As the rice sits, it tends to bulk up. To reheat, add a touch more chicken broth to loosen the soup and reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, or on the stovetop for 5 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I freeze this soup?I would not recommend freezing this soup. The rice will swell and take over much of the soup. It's best to be eaten as soon as it is cooked.

Is this soup gluten free?Yes! Rice is naturally gluten free, and since we are not adding any type of flour to this soup, it's gluten free!

Can this soup be made vegan?Sure! A vegetable and rice soup would be delicious! Omit the chicken and instead of using chicken broth, use vegetable broth. The cooking time would remain the same.

Other Recipes To Try

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