Chicken and Rice Soup {Instant Pot} (2024)

Published: Sep 24, 2018 · Modified: Mar 4, 2021 by Dara · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 138 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Rate this Recipe

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}

Printable Recipe

Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup

Chicken and Rice Soup is one of our favorite comfort meals and it comes together so easily in the Instant Pot! 241 calories and 5 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP

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
½ 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.
See Also
Gluten Free Edible Cookie Dough Recipe - 2 ways!
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

Weight Watchers Points: 5 (Freestyle SmartPoints), 6 (Points+)

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

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.

More Chicken & Turkey

Turkey Rice Soup Recipe
Red Curry with Ground Turkey
Chicken Orzo Soup Recipe
One Pot Southwest Chicken

Reader Interactions

Comments

4.73 from 247 votes (189 ratings without comment)

Amanda
October 21, 2024 at 4:30 pm

I’ve been making this recipe for over a year now and it’s is on regular rotation at my house. My 3 year old absolutely loves it! The only issue I’ve had is a couple of times the rice didn’t cook all the way. Not sure what happened those few times because all the other times it’s perfect.
Reply
Happycooking
May 26, 2024 at 8:00 pm
Would this recipe work using the instant pot as a slow cooker instead? If so, how much time would you recommend?
Reply
Mark
May 26, 2024 at 3:01 pm

That was so easy and tasty it will go into my bi-weekly rotation. I used what I had on hand so I had to substitute a lb of small chicken thighs for the breasts. Cooking them frozen with the skin probably added a little extra fat and calories but it was delicious. I also had no fresh parsley so I added a couple of cups of baby greens with the stems removed to brighten the flavor. The brown rice was perfect and the soup was creamy.
Reply

« Older Comments