Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe - quick and easy soup with chicken, rice and vegetables, that cooks in 4 minutes. One of the easiest and healthy soups you can make in your pressure cooker.
This soup is perfect comfort food, just like my Instant Pot Beef Stew and the Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice.
Cooking soups in the Instant Pot is in my weekly routine. Some of my favorite include Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup, Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup and the creamy Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar soup. Now, I have another recipe in the collection: the Chicken and Rice soup. It's even faster to make!
INSTANT POT CHICKEN AND RICE SOUP
This Instant Pot Chicken and Rice soup is so easy to make. With cooking time being only 4 minutes, you can have a delicious lunch or light dinner ready fast. The leftovers the next day are perfect too!
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT CHICKEN AND RICE SOUP?
- Start by cutting the chicken breast into bite size pieces. Chop onion, carrots and celery.
- Make sure the stainless steel insert is in your Instant Pot. Press "saute" setting and let the IP heat up for 2 minutes. Add oil and let it heat up.
- Add chopped onion, carrot, celery and minced garlic. Sautee for 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken and saute for 2 minutes. When the chicken starts to turn white, add seasoning. Cook until chicken is almost cooked.
- Add rice and stir well. Add liquids and stir. Close lid, set valve to "sealing" position. Make sure the Instant Pot is set to cook on HIGH pressure. Press the "manual" or "pressure cook" button. Set timer to 4 minutes. It will take about 7 minutes for the IP to come to pressure.
- When the timer is done, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then flip the valve to "venting" position to release remaining pressure.
- Open the lid carefully away from your face. Stir. Serve with chopped parsley.
HOW TO MAKE SURE THE SOUP IS FLAVORFUL?
To ensure that the soup is not bland but flavorful, I recommend adding dry seasoning (herb mix, like poultry mix or Italian seasoning) to sauteeing vegetables and chicken. The dry herbs will become fragrant, they will stick to the chicken and add a lot of flavor. You don't want dry herbs floating on top of the soup. Adding them to the chicken is the best way to activate them.
CAN I USE BROWN RICE IN THIS RECIPE?
Absolutely! You can use white, Jasmin or brown rice in this recipe. Brown rice will require longer cooking time (12 minutes). In that case, you can use whole chicken breast or thighs (1 lb total), sear it with vegetables and seasoning, then add rice and liquids. Cook for 12 minutes on HIGH pressure. Jasmin rice requires only 4 minutes of cooking, so the instructions remain the same as for the white rice.
CAN I USE FROZEN CHICKEN IN THIS RECIPE?
Yes, you can place frozen chicken breast or thighs after sauteing the vegetables. Frozen chicken does not saute well, so skip that step. If using frozen chicken, you will need to increase the cooking time to 12 minutes. That means the white long grain rice will overcook. I recommend using brown rice (since it requires longer cooking time) if you are using frozen chicken.
MORE INSTANT POT RECIPES:
Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps
More Healthy Instant Pot Recipe
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes.
To learn more about the Instant Pot, check out my Guide for Beginners. If you experienced the “burn” message while using your IP, check out my Instant Pot Burn Message post to learn how to fix the issue and prevent it in the first place.
If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment!
INSTANT POT CHICKEN AND RICE SOUP RECIPE:
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 celery stalks
- 2 carrots
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning or dried thyme
- 1/2 cup white long-grain rice see note
- 2.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
- 2.3 cups water
Instructions
- Start by cutting the chicken breast into bite size pieces. Chop onion, carrots and celery.
- Make sure the stainless steel insert is in your Instant Pot. Press "saute" setting and let the IP heat up for 2 minutes. Add oil and let it heat up.
- Add chopped onion, carrot, celery and minced garlic. Sautee for 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken and saute for 2 minutes. When the chicken starts to turn white, add seasoning. Cook until chicken is almost cooked. Press "cancel/off" button.
- Add rice and stir well. Add liquids and stir. Close lid, set valve to "sealing" position. Make sure the Instant Pot is set to cook on HIGH pressure. Press the "manual" or "pressure cook" button. Set timer to 4 minutes. It will take about 7 minutes for the IP to come to pressure.
- When the timer is done, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then flip the valve to "venting" position to release remaining pressure.
- Open the lid carefully away from your face. Stir. Serve with chopped parsley.
Carla says
I have made this recipe several times now! Sometimes I use chicken broth I have made by cooking a whole chicken in the IP first. I have made this with whole frozen chicken breast and cut up raw chicken. I add more liquid because I like more liquid in my soup. I once added more celery thinking it would be healthier and have a higher water content, but the celery flavor was surprisingly overpowering. This recipe is in my Tried and True Recipes folder!
Monica says
I don’t have chicken broth or stock but I do have buillion cubes. Any suggestions on how to measure that out?
Anna says
Hi Monica! No worries! Dissolve two cubes in 2 and 1/2 cups of water. That should work!
Kari says
Absolutely delicious! I didn't change a thing. I love how easy and tasty it came out. It was as if I put it in the slow cooker all afternoon. Perfect for a fall Sunday football day.
Skip Johnson says
I think your instructions need to include rinsing the rice before adding it to the instant pot.
Leanne P says
This was absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing! All the way from Australia! It was a hit with the whole family… including my 4 year old picky eater! Loved it and will definitely make again. Super easy esp with 2 kids under 4. Yum yum yum!!!
Ken says
Travel a lot for work made the soup tonight in a hotel room ( kitchenette equipped) came out great in the instant pot mini. I can take leftovers tomorrow for lunch.
Looking for recipes for what I’m calling pandemic cooking. No restaurant at limited capacity wants to burn a tAble of one. Soup was great and hearty
Anna says
Sounds perfect, Ken! Thank you for trying my recipe!
Martie says
Love this recipe! This has become my go-to recipe for taking a meal to someone else who needs the TLC. The soup, with some homemade rolls and it's a full meal.
I add more carrots and celery and I use CANNED chicken (12.5 oz size). Just fork shred it. I also add more broth/water to compensate for more veggies.
Jennifer Foley says
My daughter made this tonight and it was absolutely delish! Will definitely make again.
Renee says
Just made this recipe and it was wonderful! I tweaked the dry mixture because I doubled the recipe so I was worried it might not pack enough flavor. I added a ground chicken bouillon cube in the mixture of salt, pepper, thyme, terragon and Italian seasoning, and threw in a bay leaf with the liquid, and a spoonful of better than bouillon. Also- tried Goya Cannilla long grain rice and cooked for 7 minutes. Fantastic!
Kathy says
I'd like to double this but not sure if I should exactly double the liquid or just add a smaller amount of extra liquid. I'm a newbie but loving this way of cooking.
Mary Ellen says
THIS will now be my go-to chicken rice soup recipe! It was perfection!
Cynthia H says
Used chicken thighs (more flavor) and celery seed (out of celery) and homemade chicken scrap stock. Yummy!
Anna says
Thank you, Cynthia!
Sunny Haynes says
I made this for my husband who is making some healthy lifestyle changes and it was a hit! A serving was enough to satisfy him for the night and he actually complimented it! The quick-release did take a long time for mine as well, but that didn't affect the taste!
Anna says
I am so glad it was a hit! Thank you so much, Sunny!
Ewa says
My neighbor was ill and I thought I'd make her some soup. It was fantastic! Couldn't believe how much flavor it had.
Laurel says
Good taste, easy recipe. I didn’t have celery (which my husband hates anyways) so I subbed about 3-4 oz quartered mushrooms. It made a lot of rice so I might bring down to 1/3 cup or even 1/4. I would also let it natural release a bit longer, as it sputtered an threw out broth a lot. I had to stop and start the quick release a few times before it stopped sputtering.
john says
Hi can i use brown rice and what type
Lynda McCormick says
I have this in my instant pot right now. My husband and I are in the throes of influenza A! This sounds like it will hit the spot for us today. I will be adding some lemon juice like someone suggested.
Annie says
Teenage son is battling a lingering cold. This was yummy and quick. I'll admit that I added spinach right before serving. I do that often, as I love to add greens to soups as they wilt quickly and I can make sure my family is eating them, LOL.
Anna says
Hi Annie! I am so glad the soup was a hit! I hope your son feels better soon!
Bria says
Do you have to precook the chicken?
Anna says
Hi Bria! I always do but you can just add it raw and let the IP cook the soup.
Darlene says
Thanks for the hint. I must confess, I would never have thought of doing that. I generally have baby spinach on hand and always end up having to throw out what I couldn't eat. I will begin adding it to my soups just like you do. Thanks again for the hint. I can hardly wait to try this soup and adding my spinach.
Aimee says
Maybe the recipe exactly as it should be… After I naturally release the pressure for five minutes I flipped the valve and let it release and it released for an additional four minutes. Does this happen to anyone else? Should it take that long ?
Lynda McCormick says
That does seem like an awful long time afterwards. I think it took less than a minute for mine.
Sue says
I just made this. Confess that I added more chicken than recipe called for and used brown rice. I probably used more liquid because I could have used more rice. Anyway..... it is great.
Anna says
Thank you so much, Sue!
Jed says
This was a crowd pleaser for me and the kids. We added lemon to give it a nice sour bite. I will also be adding more [brown] rice next time and cut the cooking time to 10 minutes as an experiment
Anna says
Thank you for trying the recipe, Jed!
james gilliam says
can you freeze this soup for later
Anna says
Hi James! Absolutely! Make sure to cool it completely before placing in a freezer-safe container.
Tania says
I have made this recipe about 5 times now and the end result is delicious every time. My husband has always mentioned how Campbell's chicken and rice soup is his favorite (he never liked it homemade) but now he says this recipe is his all time favorite. Guess I found the winning recipe. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing! No more canned soup in this house!!
jen says
Hi! If i use cooked chicken in this would I add it in before cooking everything or after?
Anna says
Hi Jen! You can add it before or after. It really doesn't matter.
Snejana says
I was so excited about this soup. Not sure where I went wrong, but there was no broth left - it was a stew LOL
cici says
Me too...there was very little broth and I wasn't a fan.
Jan says
Did you use long cooking rice. No instant here. Plus you have to add 2 1/2 cups of stock. I added 2 1/2 c water and powdered bouillon AND 2 1/3 cups of water on top of that.
Charlotte says
Do u double everything when doubling recipe?? Making it for company tonight.
Anna says
Hi Charlotte! Double the ingredients. Cooking time stays the same. I hope this helps!
Alex N says
First time making this recipe, it was simple and very tasty! Perfect comfort soup for a cold night. Thanks for the easy directions.
Anna says
Thank you so much, Alex! I am glad you like the soup!
Nicole says
Can I cook in the morning then set to “keep warm” so it stews and ready to go when we get back from work/school?
Stevie says
Can this also be made in a 3 quart mini instant pot? Thanks!!
Chelsea says
I made this and mine came out more mushy...almost like a porridge. It’s still good, I’m just wondering how you get the rice to not be so mushy.
Chianna says
Do you know if I can use frozen chicken in this recipe? I forgot to take the chicken out again 🤦🏻♀️
Anna says
Hi Chianna! If you use frozen chicken, the Instant Pot will take longer to come to pressure and you will have to increase the cooking time by a few minutes. This will cause the rice to be overcooked.
Mrs.S says
If you double the recipe, do need to double the liquid?
Shannon says
I love this soup! So easy to make, especially when you are not feeling well..which is when I enjoy soup the most. Thank you !
Anna says
Thank you so much, Shannon! I am so glad you love the soup!
Richard Smith says
would you happen to know the additional cook time if I doubled this recipe?
Anna says
Hi Richard! If you double the recipe, the cook time stays the same. The Instant Pot will take a little bit longer to come to pressure. Let me know how it goes and how you like the soup!
Olivia says
Should the rice be cooked before I put it into the pot?
Anna says
Hi Olivia! No need to cook it before adding. It will cook in the soup. Hope it helps!
Jill Bellows says
My family loved this! I made it tonight exactly as it was written and it was so good. But I also love that it’s a great base recipe. It could be so many things depending on different veggies, proteins or spices I have laying around. It’s a recipe that I feel like I could play with without totally screwing it up 😊.
Kat says
Hey. Has anyone tried adding cream?
Anna says
Hi Kat! If you want the soup creamy, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of heavy cream of a mix of cornstarch and half and half. Hope this helps!
Beatriz Rosado says
Explain to me the liquids conversion. 2.5 cups? Is that 2 1/2 cups?
Thnx!
Anna says
Yep, you need 2 and 1/2 cups.
Jacque Hastert says
One of my favorite soups to buy! Now I can make this in my Instant Pot. Making this for dinner tonight!
Natalie says
I made this soup for lunch today and all three kiddos loved it! I had no leftovers! That's huge! Thank you for the recipe.
Erin says
Looks like a perfect weeknight dinner! Yum!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thanks, Erin!
Catalina says
This soup looks so hearty and comforting! Perfect for this season!
Chrissie Baker says
I love this recipe so much. I made it last night and my kids loved it!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
That's wonderful! Thank you, Chrissie!
Kimberly says
This is EXACTLY what I need to make for dinner during this cold, snowy spell!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Yes! It's perfect comfort food!
Dee says
This looks fantastic and delicious! I love how it's easy to make
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thanks, Dee!
Kim says
I'll have to try this!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
I hope you love it!
Toni says
I loved it! Really delicious and comforting!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thank you, Toni!
Kristyn says
I wish I had a bowl of this right now! It looks so delicious & I love all those ingredients!!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thanks, Kristyn!
Courtney O'Dell says
Such an easy and hearty soup - perfect for a busy weeknight!
Steph says
Love this recipe! It was super easy to make and the flavor was incredible!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
I am so glad it was a hit! Thanks, Steph!