Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

04/10/2024 / foodfestadventures

This homemade Instant Pot chicken noodle soup is ready in 30 minutes. This from scratch recipe is loaded tender chicken thighs, fresh veggies, and al dente noodles swimming in a flavorful broth. You’ll sauté veggies in the chicken brown bits to build tons of flavor!

Craving another easy soup? Try Instant Pot Greek Lemon Chicken Soup or Instant Pot Lasagna Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients and Brand I Love
Step-by-Step Instructions
Expert Tips
FAQs and Reader Comments
What Else to Add to this Soup
Storage Tips
More Soup Recipes
Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Sometimes you just want a warm and cozy bowl of soup. Maybe you’re under the weather or you’re just craving a cup of soup to go with the cold temps. Either way, this instant pot chicken noodle soup recipe will make you feel all the warm and cozy feels.

We love Instant Pot recipes because they build a ton of flavor in a fraction of the time. This means you don’t have to simmer soup all day to get intense flavors, pressure cooking does the work for you. Here are a few more reasons to make this recipe ASAP.

New to the Instant Pot? I love this beginner’s guide to using your Instant Pot.

Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Hearty soup, but light at the same time
Nourishing and healing
Classic flavors in a shorter amount of time.
Use up leftover shredded chicken or buy a rotisserie chicken for a shortcut.
It’s an easy recipe to cook up on a weeknight and store all week for lunches, just like whole30 zuppa toscana.
The fresh herbs take the flavor to another level.
There’s deep flavor in the broth by searing the chicken first—just like in this lemon chicken orzo recipe.

Ingredients and Brand I Love

Here are the simple ingredients for this pressure cooker chicken noodle soup. Most are pantry staples and easy to find in grocery stores. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.

Chicken: We’re using chicken thighs for added flavor from the dark meat, but boneless skinless chicken breasts work as well. You can use bone-in or boneless chicken meat. I haven’t tried it, but you could also use a whole chicken cut up into pieces. (If you’re in search of more chicken recipes, we have plenty the whole family will love.)
Noodles: We used egg noodles in this recipe. These Gluten-Free Amish egg noodles from Double Yolk are my favorite!
Vegetables: This recipe calls for a classic mirepoix of celery carrots, and onions. Th delicious trinity that makes up so many classic soups, like gluten-free chicken and dumplings.
Broth: The base of the soup is made with chicken broth or chicken stock. This provides the soup with its characteristic flavor. See the tips below for the most flavorful chicken broth. (And easily check if your chicken broth is bad.)
Seasonings: Common seasonings used in chicken noodle soup include garlic, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper. These ingredients help to enhance the flavor of the soup.
Herbs: The mixture of fresh parsley and thyme makes all the difference in adding extra flavor. Don’t skip these!

Step-by-Step Instructions

This visual walkthrough will help you see the recipe at each step. Just want it all at once? Skip to the recipe card below!

Cook Chicken

Set Instant Pot to the saute setting and sear in olive oil with the smooth side down and for 3-4 minutes. Flip and sear the other side.

Success Tip! The chicken doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through. Just enough to get a sear for flavor.

Saute Veggies

Drizzle a little more olive oil in the bottom then add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes.

Did you know? Cooking the mirepoux in the brown bits of the chicken (aka fond) adds a ton of flavor to the soup.

Pressure Cook

Press cancel to stop the saute setting then add the rest of the ingredients, except for the noodles. Place the chicken thighs back in the broth.

Close lid and pressure (manual) cook on high pressure for 8 minutes (10 for bone-in chicken thighs). Natural release (do nothing) for 5 minutes then turn the valve from sealing to venting to release the remaining steam/pressure.

Shred Chicken

Carefully remove the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board and turn the soup back to the saute setting to bring it to a boil. While it’s heating, shred the chicken with two forks. You could also cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Cook Noodles

Add the uncooked pasta and boil for 5-7 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Stir in the shredded chicken and parsley.

Success tip: keep an eye on the noodles so they don’t overcook and turn mushy.

Expert Tips

I love this 6-quart Instant Pot because this makes a large batch of soup.
Sear the chicken first to create ‘fond’ (brown bits).
Use pre-sliced veggies or frozen mirepoix to save time.
Don’t skip sauteing the veggies, especially in the fond.
Don’t skip the fresh herbs.
Save extra salt for the end. The soup reduces as it cooks and if you salt too soon, it may end up over seasoned.

FAQs and Reader Comments

Can I use frozen chicken?

Pressure cook frozen chicken breasts for 12 minutes with a 10 minute natural release.

Do I really need that much broth?

This makes a large batch and the noodles soak up some of the broth, so yes, it’s needed! See recipe card to cut the recipe in half.

When to add pre-cooked chicken

Add pre-cooked chicken at the end after you pressure cook the broth and veggies. Same as directed in the recipe as written!

Can I make this without an Instant Pot?

Yes! You can use a large stock pot or Dutch oven instead. Follow the instructions to sear the chicken, but cook it all the way through to 165°F. Saute the veggies and simmer it in the broth for 30 minutes. Cook the noodles in the broth and add the chicken as directed!

Do you have to cook noodles before adding them to chicken soup?

No, the egg noodles in this recipe cook perfectly in the Instant Pot with the rest of the ingredients.

Can I use chicken bouillon?

You can add 1 chicken bouillon cube per every 4 cups of broth! You can swap this for chicken broth if you don’t have any on hand.

Can I make this in the slow cooker?

Crockpot chicken noodle soup is an easy meal as well if you have the extra time. The ingredients are the same as in this instant pot recipe, but the chicken and base of the soup cook for 6-8 hours before adding the noodles which cook until al dente, about 20-30 minutes.

What Else to Add to this Soup

For a creamy chicken noodle soup, stir in a splash of heavy cream (or a vegan substitute for heavy cream) at the end.
For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free egg noodles. I love Double Yolk egg noodles.
Use rotisserie chicken or leftover shredded chicken to make this even faster. Stir it in at the end as directed.

Storage Tips

To store this soup, let it cool to room temperature and transfer it to an airtight container. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Freezer tip! Consider portioning it out into individual servings before freezing. This makes it easier to reheat and enjoy without having to thaw and reheat the entire batch.

Reheat: When you’re ready to reheat the cozy soup, simply transfer it to a pot and warm it up on the stovetop over medium heat. You can also reheat it in the microwave, stirring occasionally, until heated through. You may need to increase the amount of broth to thin it out as the noodles will absorb moisture.

If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!

More Soup Recipes

Healthy slow cooker chicken tortilla soup
Creamy chicken gnocchi soup.
Instant Pot taco soup
Instant Pot lasagna soup

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

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This homemade healthy instant pot chicken noodle soup will be warm and ready on your table in under 30 minutes. Made with chicken thighs, veggies and even gluten free noodles, this is the best recipe you will find. You can even use frozen chicken!

Course DinnerCuisine AmericanDiet Gluten Free, Low CalorieKeyword chicken soup, instant pot, soup

Prep Time 10 minutes minutesCook Time 30 minutes minutesTotal Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings
Calories 372kcal
Author Molly Thompson

Equipment

6-Quart Instant Pot

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 1/2 pounds chicken thighs bone-in or boneless (Note 1 chicken breasts)
2 cups celery sliced (3-4 stalks)
2 cups carrots peeled and sliced (3-4 large carrots)
1 tablespoon thyme fresh chopped
8-10 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (or chicken bone broth)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8-10 ounces Egg noodles gluten-free if needed (Note 2)
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Instructions

Turn the Instant Pot to the saute setting and drizzle olive oil in the bottom. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and seasn both sides of the thighs with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, place the chicken thighs smooth side down and sear on both sides for 3-4 minutes. It shouldn’t be cooked all the way through. Remove the chicken to a cutting board or plate.
Drizzle a little more olive oil in the bottom then add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook for 3-5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
Press cancel to stop the saute setting then add the rest of the ingredients, except for the noodles, too the instant pot. Place the chicken thighs back in the broth, making sure they’re fully submerged. Close the lid and make sure the valve is set to the sealing position.
Press pressure (manual) cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Cook for 10 minutes if you’re using bone-in chicken thighs. It will take about 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure then will start counting down. Natural release (do nothing) for 5 minutes then turn the valve from sealing to venting to release the remaining pressure.
Carefully remove the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board and turn the soup back to the saute setting to bring it to a boil. While it’s heating, shred the chicken with two forks. You could also cut it into bite-sized pieces.
Add the uncooked pasta to the soup when it begins to boil and cook the noodles for 5-7 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Double-check the package directions for exact timing. The noodles will continue to cook in the soup so be careful not to overcook them. Stir in the shredded chicken and parsley. Serve right away with more fresh parsley, thyme, and fresh black pepper

Video

Notes

Note 1. Bone-In. Add 2 minutes of cook time if you’re using bone-in chicken thighs. For chicken breasts, reduce the cook time by 2 minutes (6 minutes total).
Note 2. Gluten-Free Egg Noodles. We used these Double Yolk Gluten-Free Egg Noodles and they held up well in the soup. Gluten-free noodles can be mushy, so keep that in mind when deciding on the brand. You can cook the noodles separately and stir them into the soup before serving to ensure they’re al dente. You can also make my gluten-free egg noodles with a few simple ingredients.
Frozen chicken breasts: cook on high pressure for 13 minutes.
Storage: To store this soup, let it cool to room temperature and transfer it to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheat: transfer it to a pot and warm it up on the stovetop over medium heat. Reheat individual servings in the microwave until heated through. Add more broth as needed because the noodles will soak up some of the moisture over time.

Nutrition

The post Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup appeared first on What Molly Made.

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Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients and Brand I Love