Instant Pot Chicken & Rice Soup

In our house, chicken and rice recipes are abundant. There are so many ways to make it, and yet still be different each time. This recipe I came up with on the fly since I was running short on time, and Lady Bug was home with me after her adenoidectomy. I needed something that was easy to swallow with her sore throat, and was also nutritious. That’s where this Instant Pot Chicken & Rice soup hit the spot!

Since receiving my Instant Pot* for Christmas, I’ve been trying to use it more and more. I purposely have added more Instant Pot meals to our meal plan since February, and I try to make at least one Instant Pot meal each week. But reality is, there are some weeks we end up using it 3 or 4 times throughout the week! The funny thing is, I was so unsure of it when I first got it, and the more I use it, the more I fall in love with it!

What I really love about this recipe, is the same thing that I love about all frugal recipes. You can easily substitute for things you have on hand rather than making it exactly by the book! Maybe this is why I’m not the best baker?

For example, rather than using vegetable oil, I used sunflower seed oil. I used a bag of shredded carrots from Aldi in place of peeling and slicing larger carrots. Can we say winning for reduced prep time? There was no rhyme or reason for these changes, it’s just what I had on hand!

So if you don’t have some of the ingredients, and have suitable substitutions, don’t be afraid to go for it and use the things that you do have on hand! The soup will be equally as simple and delicious.

I also decided to make the rice before hand, and then add it to the soup later for two reasons. First, I had to leave the house for after-school pick ups and we wouldn’t be back for a few hours. I didn’t want the rice to soak up all the broth while we were gone. And second, because I had to leave and Lady Bug was home with me, I didn’t have time to babysit the Instant Pot and make sure it didn’t get a burn notice while cooking the rice. It’s happened before, and honestly it’s not something I’m a fan of cleaning up.

Beyond that, it’s actually really easy to make! If you’re unsure on using your Instant Pot just yet, this is the perfect beginner recipe to help you learn some more functions it has to offer.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 T butter
1 medium onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup shredded carrots – I had these on hand, but you could also take 2 or 3 carrots, peel them and slice them.
2 frozen chicken breasts
5 cups chicken broth, divided
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon herbs de provence
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Set your Instant Pot to Saute mode, and set the timer for 10 minutes. Add the oil and butter, allowing them to melt. Add the veggies, sauteeing until translucent {this took the 10 minutes on my Instant Pot}.
Add in frozen chicken breasts, chicken broth, parsley, herbs de provence, salt and pepper.
Put the lid on your Instant Pot. Make sure the lid is set to sealing, not venting.
Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook on High for 10 minutes. I have the Instant Pot Ultra*, and it comes with the Pressure Cook setting, and it remembers my timer settings from the previous use of that mode. But if yours doesn’t: use the manual setting, set the pressure to High, and the timer to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook your rice according to package directions. I like using chicken broth to cook the rice in.
When the cook time on the Instant Pot is done, allow it to natural release for 10 minutes, then quick release.
Carefully open the Instant Pot, and use tongs to remove the chicken. Shred the chicken, and add back to the Instant Pot.
Add the cooked rice to the soup, and serve.