Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (Instant Pot)
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Making chicken and wild rice soup in the Instant Pot is a great use for leftover cooked chicken! This easy soup recipe is a snap to make for a delicious and hearty meal on busy nights.
After a long or busy day, the last thing most of us want to do is cook. But, as good parents, we still need to put a meal on the table, right?
That’s where this chicken and wild rice soup recipe comes in. The best part of this recipe is the electric pressure cooker; it reduces the cooking time, so you can get food on the table faster.
Instant download of our tips to cook the best chicken!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
In addition to being quick and easy to make, I think it tastes like Panera’s chicken and wild rice soup. Sans the bread bowl, of course.
It’s perfectly cozy and comforting on a cold day, just like Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings. Pure comfort foods at their best!
If you like to meal prep for the week, this recipe is a great one to add to the rotation. It reheats well and tastes fantastic the next day, and you can freeze soup for up to 3 months!
This Instant Pot chicken and rice soup recipe is anything but ordinary. It’s gluten-free because the recipe doesn’t call for all-purpose flour. It’s filling without being heavy.
Better yet, it transforms leftover chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken into something extraordinary. The wild rice is perfectly tender and the meat is flavorful and moist. Every bite is better than the last!
Happy Kitchen Secrets
Here are my important mom-tested cooking tips for making the Instant Pot chicken and rice soup recipe. I have made this soup countless times to save you from a failed attempt.
- To ensure even cooking, try to cut all the vegetables close to the same size. Be sure to save the scraps to make vegetable stock later!
- Be sure to rinse the wild rice in a strainer until the water runs clear before cooking.
- When the cooking time is over, let the Instant Pot naturally release the steam for 10 minutes (This is called a Natural Pressure Release or NPR).
- Wait until after cooking to season with salt and pepper. The saltiness of different broths and Italian seasoning blends can vary quite a bit. Plus, the rice will absorb a good amount of the liquid, which can affect the saltiness of the soup.
Ingredients
This recipe is incredibly simple and forgiving. You can swap chicken for turkey (perfect for Thanksgiving leftovers!) use other vegetables, and/or substitute a different type of rice.
Substitutions
- If you want to use raw chicken breasts or thighs, that’s fine! You won’t have to make any changes to the cooking time. Just use boneless skinless meat, and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Then sauté it in the Instant Pot along with the vegetables.
- Chicken broth, chicken stock, and vegetable broth can be used interchangeably.
- The Italian seasoning is easy to make, but you can use a store-bought blend if you want.
Want some other uses for leftover chicken? You can substitute it for raw chicken in my recipes for Apple Chicken Salad and Mexican Chicken Casserole.
How to Make Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Scroll to the recipe card for the full step by step instructions! ⬇️
Start by cutting your chicken into bite-sized pieces that can easily fit on a spoon. You can save even more time by using cooked diced or shredded chicken from a previous meal or a rotisserie chicken.
- Prep the vegetables. The key here is to try and keep the veggies close to the same size, so they cook evenly.
- Rinse the wild rice in a fine mesh strainer. Keep it under running water until the water runs clear.
- Sauté the vegetables until they soften a bit. If you’re using raw chicken, this is when you’ll add it to the pot.
- Stir in the rice, broth, cooked chicken, and seasoning.
- Cook the chicken and rice soup in the Instant Pot. Put the lid on, close the sealing vent, then manually set it to cook on High pressure for 3 minutes.
- Then let the pressure release naturally (NPR) for 10 minutes before removing the lid.
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Recipe FAQ
This chicken and rice soup tastes the best within the first 24 hours, but it will keep for a few days in your fridge. Just keep in mind that as it sits, the wild rice will continue to absorb the broth. If the consistency seems too thick, you can add some more broth to the soup before you reheat it.
Transfer room temperature soup to an airtight container or Ziploc bag and store in the refrigerator. Homemade soup tastes best when reheated and eaten within 24 hours, but it will keep for up to 5 days. Grains like rice will continue to absorb liquid over time, so you may need to add a bit more chicken broth to thin it out before reheating.
Prep the veggies and rinse the rice. Then mix all the ingredients together in your Crock Pot and put the lid on it. Slow cook on High heat for 3 hours or Low heat for 5-6 hours. Season to taste and enjoy your delicious soup!
If you make this recipe, please give it a star rating and leave a comment below to let me know how it went!
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (Instant Pot)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked, diced chicken (see Notes below to use raw chicken)
- ½ large onion yellow or white
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 cup mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cups chicken broth or stock, or vegetable broth
- 1 cup wild rice
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Video
Instructions
- First, set the cooked chicken aside in a bowl. Peel and dice the onion, peel and cut the carrots, and cut the celery and mushrooms into thin slices. Peel and mince the garlic. Rinse the rice in a fine mesh strainer under cold water.
- Turn on the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. When the pot is hot, add the oil and wait for it to shimmer. Then, add the onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are slightly softened.
- Add the broth, rice, seasonings and cooked chicken. Stir, then close and lock the Instant Pot lid. Turn the pressure valve to "Sealing", then manually set to cook at High pressure for 3 minutes.
- After the 3 minutes are done, allow for a natural pressure release (NPR) for at least 10 minutes. Turn the pressure release valve to release any remaining steam, then carefully open and remove the lid.
- Taste the soup and season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Ladle into bowls and serve while warm.
Notes
- To use raw chicken, use 1 pound of boneless skinless breasts or thighs. You do not need to adjust the cooking time. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and sauté it in the Instant Pot with the vegetables.
- To store leftovers: Transfer room temperature soup to an airtight container or Ziploc bag and store in the refrigerator.
- The soup tastes best when reheated and eaten within 24 hours, but it will keep for up to 5 days. The rice will continue to absorb liquid over time, so you may need to add a bit more chicken broth to thin it out before reheating.
Nutrition
Other Healthy Soup Recipes
- Instant Pot Mexican Vegetable Soup. A hearty and filling vegetarian soup.
- Classic Ham and Lentil Soup. Made with leftover ham, it’s so comforting and absolutely delicious!
- Sausage, Spinach & Tortellini Soup. A family favorite that comes together in about 20 minutes total!
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