This Instant Pot chicken soup, made with a whole chicken, has a rich and flavorful broth with juicy meat, healthy vegetables and noodles. It’s a bowl of comforting soup that tastes like it’s been simmering on the stovetop for hours. Both delicious and satisfying, this soup will soothe any cold and warm you up during the fall and winter seasons!
When cold and flu season come, I have a freezer full of pre-made soups like my Vietnamese chicken porridge and Instant pot pho bo soup stashed away, which I can quickly defrost and heat in the event any of my boys come down with the slightest symptoms of a cold. My whole chicken soup made in the pressure cooker could not be any easier to make, it’s such a healthy and nourishing soup to give to your family when they're feeling under the weather.
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Ingredients & Notes
Whole chicken - This recipes uses a 3 to 4 pound chicken.
Herbs - Keep it simple with just bay leaf and Italian seasoning. The Italian seasoning blend has all the herbs you need to boost the flavor of the soup!
Vegetables - Celery and carrots are classic in a chicken soup, but feel free to substitute other root vegetables like potatoes for the carrots, or hearty leafy veggies like kale for the celery.
Chicken broth - Adding chicken broth along with water will produce a deeper flavor, however you can choose to use water if you are looking for lower sodium.
Egg noodles - I’m using wide egg noodles, they hold up really well in the broth and have a lot more of a bite!
How long to cook a whole chicken in the Instant Pot?
For the Instant Pot, a rule of thumb for me is to cook about 6 minutes per pound of fully defrosted whole chicken meat.
Why cook a whole chicken for soup?
Using a whole chicken to make broth and soup has many great benefits and it tastes so much better to! Here are just some of the few reasons you should try it!
1). Flavor - The delicious and savory flavors come from the bone, skin and connective tissues. The instant pot does a great job breaking down the chicken and extracting all these parts to achieve a rich and nutrient dense broth.
2). Health Benefits : The collagen from the chicken is amazing! It’s so healthy for your skin, hair, nails and joints. Not to mention, the nutrients that come from protein, vitamins and minerals are infused into the broth to help you feel better quickly when sick.
3). Cost saving: Often times buying a whole chicken may be cheaper than buying cut up individual meat. You get so much more meat from the chicken to make other meals like sandwiches or a Asian chicken salad with leftovers.
Equipment
Instant Pot -For this recipe, I'm using a 6 quart Instant Pot DUO. Make sure your instant pot is able to fit a whole chicken, otherwise, you may need to break down the chicken to make it fit.
Instructions
1. Press the saute and "more" function, when it reads "HOT" add the oil. Then saute the onion, carrots and celery for 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and herbs and saute for about 1 minute.
3. Push the vegetables and herbs to the sides, making room for the chicken. Place the whole chicken in the middle of the pot. *Make sure to check the cavity of the chicken for a bag of giblets. Take out the bag, if you like giblets, add it to the pot to cook.
4. Add the chicken broth and water and set the Instant Pot on manual-high for 25 minutes. The pot will take about 30 minutes to pressurize.
5. Optional: Cook the noodles on the stovetop to save time, otherwise, you can add it to the Instant Pot after the soup is done cooking. To cook the noodles in the Instant Pot, press the saute mode, then add the noodles and cook it for 8 to 10 minutes (or follow the recommended cooking time on the package).
6. Carefully take out the chicken and shred it into bite size pieces, return the meat back to the pot. Then skim any fat off the top of the broth.
7. Serve and enjoy the soup immediately!
Pro Tips
- Caution, the chicken will be hot when it's done cooking, wait until it's cooled down enough to handle.
- To decrease the Instant Pot pressuring time, you can boil the chicken broth and water before adding it to the pot.
- If you’re in a crunch for time and cannot wait for a natural release, wait 10 minutes on natural release then do a manual release.
- If you choose to do a manual release, make sure the counter top is clear and has space for the steam to release, it may get messy.
- Do not overfill the water over the max line!
Frequently Asked Questions
Noodles can be cooked with chicken soup. If you plan to freeze the soup, then it is recommended to cook the noodles separately.
Egg noodles work best.
Yes, with anything you can overcook meat in a pressure cooker. Overcooking the chicken will result in dry meat.
To prevent the noodles from being soggy, do not overcook them or cook the noodles separately from the soup. Egg noodles will soak up the broth if they sit for too long.
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Instant Pot Whole Chicken Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 pounds whole chicken
- 7 ounces egg noodles, extra wide about 3 cups
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning mix
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups celery, sliced 3 stalks
- 2 cups carrots, sliced 3 carrots
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- parsley, chopped optional garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- On the Instant Pot, press the saute and more function. When it reads HOT, add the oil and saute the onion, carrots and celery until it becomes tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and saute for an additional 1 minute.
- Using a cooking spoon, push the vegetables to the side of the pot and place the chicken in the middle of the pot.
- Pour in the chicken broth and water, give it a quick mix.
- Close the lid and turn the pressure release valve into the sealing position (upwards). Pressure cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.
- Once the Instant Pot cycle is done cooking, allow for a natural release. If you're in a crunch for time, wait 10 minutes on natural release and then do a manual release by carefully turning the pressure valve downwards.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, carefully remove it from the pot and shred the meat. Discard the bones and return the meat to the soup.
- Taste the soup and add more salt or pepper to taste.
- To cook the egg noodles, press the saute function then add the noodles and cook uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes (or according to the package time). Optional: Cook the noodles on the stovetop (while the soup is cooking) to save time.
- Turn off the instant pot, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with optional chopped parsley.
Notes
- Caution, the cooked chicken will be very hot and may fall apart when handling.
- To decrease the Instant Pot pressuring time, you can boil the chicken broth and water before adding it to the pot.
- If you choose to do a manual release, make sure the counter top is clear and has space for the steam to release, it may get messy.
- Do not overfill the water over the max line!
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