Pressure Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup
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You know the old wives tale about the healing properties of chicken soup? Last winter my husband and I caught a very serious case of bronchitis. We were so weak and dehydrated that I had to call my daughter and ask her to help us. Later that day she returned with this magical Chicken and Rice Soup she had quickly made in her Instant Pot pressure cooker.
The next day we were back to our old selves. Was it the chicken soup? I don’t know, but there’s nothing like a simple Chicken and Rice Soup to help someone recovering from illness.
It’s also ideal for chilly Fall evenings. Or hot Summer evenings. Or anytime you need comfort food.
Before I became a raving lunatic super fan about my Instant Pot Pressure Cooker I used to make an old-fashioned chicken soup from scratch. It was delicious, but there was one problem: I had to get out my stock pot (which I never use anymore thanks to my IP) and boil a chicken for a few hours. Not the end of the world, but not an end-of-the-day meal, either.
Well, those days are over. This recipe is simple and doesn’t require babysitting a stockpot all day. It can be made in a fraction of the time and still produce the same home cooked flavor you’d get from simmering on the stove all day.
Pressure Cooker Rice
The key to making this fabulous recipe quickly is found in the process which begins with making rice.
The rice will need to be cooked separately before making the soup. I like to make both the rice and soup in the pressure cooker. This requires a little planning ahead; but the pressure cooker makes the process simple and easy. I use the rice cooking time to chop up the veggies for the soup. About the time I’m finished chopping, the rice is done. I release the pressure, and set the rice aside in a bowl.
The entire process takes about 15 minutes. You can make this ahead of time and store in the fridge; or make it on the same day you plan to serve your soup. It’s really that simple.
Personally, I like to make a large batch of rice. I’ll use some for Beans and Rice or Chicken Fried Rice. It really doesn’t take much more time to make a large batch. The recipe below makes the right amount of rice to add to the Chicken Soup.
Perfect Pressure Cooker Rice
Ingredients
- 1 C. Organic White Rice
- 1.5 C. Chicken Broth or Filtered Water
- 1/2 t. Salt
Instructions
- Add Rice to pressure cooker pot.
- Add Chicken Broth or Filtered Water to pressure cooker pot. Make sure it covers rice.
- Lock the lid in place, select High Pressure, and set the cook time for 8 minutes. Press Start.
- When the timer beeps, allow rice to naturally depressurize.
- Once the valve drops, open the lid, and put rice in a separate bowl.
- Set aside until soup is finished.
Chicken Soup
The key to making this soup super-delicious-you-want-to-lick-the-bowl good is using bone broth to make the rice. You can use water and your soup will be wonderful; but using a rich, flavorful bone broth in place of water will add a ton more flavor to the soup.
Remember the old days before you had an Instant Pot pressure cooker? You would make Chicken Soup in a slow cooker and the veggies would turn to mush and the chicken meat would practically disintegrate.
The other option would be to cook the soup on the stove for several hours and boil away most of the liquid. Neither option produced perfect Chicken Soup.
Well, that’s not the case with this recipe. Using the pressure cooker perfectly cooks the veggies. They are neither undercooked or overcooked. The same is true with the chicken. It will be tender and full of flavor. Not mushy and disintegrated.
Pressure Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Whole 3 lb. Chicken (giblets removed)
- 1 T. Butter
- 1 C. Chopped Onion
- 1 C. Chopped Celery
- 1 C. Sliced Carrots
- 3 Cloves Chopped Garlic
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 Sprig of Fresh Thyme or 1/4 t. of dried (optional, but fabulous if you love that thyme-y flavor)
- Filtered Water
- Salt and Pepper
- Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Select the Saute setting. Add Butter and vegetables to the pressure cooker pot. Cook about 3 minutes or until softened.
- Turn off Saute.
- Add in Whole Chicken.
- Cover with enough water until it reaches the 10 C. mark on the pot liner.
- Lock the lid in place, select High Pressure, and set cook time for 25 minutes. Press Start.
- When the timer beeps, turn off pressure cooker. Allow to naturally depressurize or do a quick release.
- Once the valve has dropped, open the lid, and remove chicken. Allow chicken to cool in a separate bowl.
- Turn on the Saute function and set it to Low.
- Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprig.
- Debone chicken and cut into small pieces. Add chicken back into the soup.
- Add in the cooked rice. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
Notes
This recipe is a great make-ahead meal. If you plan to make a batch and freeze, I don't recommend freezing the rice with the soup. Freeze the soup and rice separately then add together when reheating.
Another option would be to replace the rice with spiral pasta. This will need to be prepared separately on the stove.
If you’re still saving up to buy an Instant Pot pressure cooker, feel free to use this recipe on the stove top or in a slow cooker. It will require paying a little more attention during the cooking process, but the flavor will be the same.
And sewing friends, I bet you can guess what I’ll be doing while this cooks away in my Instant Pot.
Bon Appétit
