Let Me Tell You About This Chicken Soup…

Alright, pull up a chair because this isn’t one of those recipes that starts with “just five ingredients” or promises some mythical 10-minute meal—I mean, it’s fast for soup, but I’ve never mastered the art of not making a mess somehow. Anyway, Instant Pot Chicken soup is what I make when the temperature drops and my socks are soggy (figuratively… usually) or one of the kids is sniffling. I distinctly remember the first time I tried it. Ran out of onions, used a shallot, panicked, and ended up with something so tasty even my picky brother asked for seconds. Still, I always end up with carrot peels everywhere. If you figure out how to avoid that, do let me know.

Why I Keep Coming Back to This One

I make this Instant Pot chicken soup when time’s tight but I want to feel extra domestic—like I’m doing something really wholesome without having to babysit a pot on the stove. My family always asks, “You’re making your soup, right? Not that weird packet stuff?” (As if I’d cheat… well, hardly ever.) Actually, the best part: You can pull things together from whatever’s lurking in the vegetable drawer. Once, I forgot the celery entirely and nobody even noticed. I always roll my eyes at recipes that require bouquet garni or something fancy; honestly, I’m just glad the stock cubes actually dissolve this time (a previous batch still had floaty bits…oops).

Here’s What You’ll Need (But Honestly, Improvise!)

Chicken: 2-3 skinless thighs or breasts. I sometimes use a mix, or just whatever’s on hand. (Rotisserie leftovers? Toss ’em in.)
Carrots: A couple (or three if they’re tiny). Sometimes I swap in parsnips—don’t tell my kids though.
Celery: Two stalks, or skip it if you, like me, forget—no one complains.
Onion: One large, or a shallot if you’re out; I’ve even used those prechopped frozen mixes in a pinch. My grandmother swore by Vidalia, but any old onion works.
Garlic: 3 cloves. Or one massive one if you love garlic. Jarred minced? Go on, I won’t tell.
Broth: 6 cups chicken stock (from a carton, homemade, or water plus bouillon—whatever your pantry can summon).
Herbs: A handful of fresh parsley or a teaspoon dried. Thyme or dill is nice. I once tried rosemary, and it took over the whole pot, so…your call!
Noodles (optional): About a cup. Or rice. Sometimes I forget ’em completely, and soup is still soup.
Salt & pepper: To taste. Some days, heavy on the pepper if we’re under the weather.

How I Throw It All Together (No Perfection Required)

Chop your onion, carrots, and celery (if using—again, all is forgiven if you skip). Toss ’em in the Instant Pot. No need to be precious about the dice; rustic looks hearty, right?
Smash and roughly chop garlic. This is where I try to avoid getting garlic peels under my nails, and fail, but hey, flavor first.
Add the chicken pieces right on top. Sometimes I even brown them beforehand right in the pot using the sauté setting; sometimes, life’s too short, so I don’t.
Pour over broth. At this point, things will look a bit… swampy? Don’t worry, it sorts itself out.
Toss in herbs, salt, and pepper. You can measure, but do you really want to wash another spoon?
Put the lid on, set to Sealing (forgot that step once—big mess), and cook on Manual/Pressure Cook for 12 minutes if using thigh meat; a smidge less for breast. It’ll take a few minutes to come to pressure, so this is when I usually clear a spot on the counter or scroll through baking fails for a laugh.
Let it release naturally for about 10 mins, then flip the valve to Venting. Warning: it’s a noisy little beast, so stand back.
If you want noodles, now’s the time: reopen, add uncooked noodles (a handful or two) and use sauté mode—let it burble for another 5-7 minutes till they’re soft. Or don’t. Actually, last time I added leftover cooked rice, which saved even more time.
Take out the chicken (probably falling apart by now) with tongs, shred it on a plate (careful, it’s lava-hot); then toss it back in.
Taste, adjust salt and pepper (this is my favorite step, obviously), and finish with chopped parsley if you’re feeling fancy.

Some Notes I’ve Gathered—With Soup-Stained Pages

Chicken breast *can* go a bit stringy if you overcook; thighs seem more forgiving, though sometimes I can only find breast on offer.
The flavor improves a day later, in my humble opinion—but my family’s yet to leave leftovers long enough to test that thoroughly.
Don’t stress if you don’t have fresh herbs; dried totally works. Actually, I think soup’s one of the only things where that’s true.

Let’s Talk About Variations (Some Good, Some Regrettable)

Once I used sweet potato instead of carrot—came out sweeter than I liked, but maybe you’ll love it.
Lemon juice stirred in at the end is delightful, especially if someone’s got the sniffles. Not much, like, half a lemon maybe.
My mate Nick tried tossing in leftover corn… I didn’t love the texture, but he swears by it. Willing to call that one optional!

What If You Don’t Have an Instant Pot?

Honestly, a big heavy pot on the stove works fine if you simmer everything for about 40-ish minutes (lid slightly ajar is best). Just keep an eye on the liquid since it can vanish quicker than you’d expect. I’ve even tried a slow cooker once; set it in the morning, forgot about it, came back to melt-in-your-mouth chicken—no complaints there, except the house smelt like soup well into the night. Oh, and if you’re curious about how the Instant Pot compares, I found Serious Eats’ guide to pressure cookers super handy.

Keeping It For Later (Not That It Stays Long)

Leftovers? Technically they keep fine in a lidded container, in the fridge, up to 3 days. I also freeze in old yoghurt tubs (eco points), good for a month or two, though noodles do go a bit squishy. But really, it rarely stands a chance of making it past day two in my house. Related: discovered these tips for food storage the other day—surprisingly useful!

This Is How We Serve It (Feel Free To Ignore Me)

Most nights, I plop a crusty bread loaf onto the table and call it dinner. My youngest dunks crackers straight in the bowl—which is technically soup sabotage, but I have bigger fish to fry. If I’m feeling posh, I’ll scatter a bit of lemon zest and extra fresh parsley on top. Once, we tried it with a dollop of Greek yogurt—surprisingly lush.

What I Wish I Knew When I Started

Don’t rush the pressure release; I tried quick release once and soup volcanoed everywhere. Now I force myself to count down those slow minutes.
Adding noodles at the start? Learn from my mushy mistakes—noodles plumped up and absorbed everything before I had a chance to serve it.

Frequently Asked Soup Questions (Yes, I Get These!)

Can I make this vegetarian? Yep, just leave out the chicken and use veggie broth. Sometimes I throw in some chickpeas for extra oomph. Actually, I think it works better with loads of mushrooms.
Do I have to sauté first? Nah, but it does add a bit of depth. When I’m in a rush, I skip it and nobody’s ever called me out.
What about bone-in chicken? Oh, for sure! Bone-in pieces make things extra rich. Just fish the bones out before serving. Mind your teeth!
Can I double the recipe? Yes but—watch your Instant Pot’s max line. It’s easy to go overboard (did that last winter; ended up ladling out some broth before sealing it, what a faff).
Why does my soup taste bland? Could be the broth. I once accidentally used water thinking I’d added bouillon. Oops. Season at the end, and a glug of lemon works wonders.

Oh, and if you want to jazz up your soup even further, try adding a spoon of miso or a dash of soy—sounds weird, but it works. I picked this up here at The Kitchn, actually, and never looked back.

(If you made it this far, you really deserve a steaming bowl of soup… and perhaps a day off dish duty.)