My Grandma’s homemade Instant Pot Chicken Soup is a warm and nourishing soup that is perfect for cold winter days or when you’re feeling under the weather. Use a whole chicken or any bone-in chicken and fresh vegetables.
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When I shared my Grandmother’s homemade chicken soup recipe on my blog, I didn’t expect such a huge outpouring of emails, notes, and ratings. That chicken soup-from-scratch recipe has been getting rave reviews everywhere.
The original recipe of my Grandma’s chicken soup is made on the stovetop and takes 2-3 hours to cook to full flavor. While the aroma of the soup was phenomenal, my busy lifestyle doesn’t always work to prepare it in that manner.
I have transformed the recipe so I can easily make the chicken soup in the Instant Pot. When you make pressure cooker chicken soup, the flavors combine even more to make it out of this world amazing. The chicken is fall off the bone moist!
Our family loves chicken soup…for more delicious chicken recipes, check out the best homemade gluten free chicken recipes on my blog.
Why does chicken soup make you feel better?
- The warm soup will help ease the pain in your throat. It is also believed that the soup has anti-inflammatory properties as well. Another reason that you feel better is that the heat from a hot bowl of soup can also aid in breaking up congestion.
- Many people call this Instant Pot Jewish chicken soup Jewish penicillin because it can help you feel better when you have a cold or flu. When I am sick, nothing makes me feel better, like a big bowl of yummy soup.
- Fresh ingredients add so much flavor to this soup—foods like carrots, celery, and chicken.
Allergen Information:
This easy Instant Pot chicken soup is gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free, and oat-free.
Even in rural Zambia, while working at a small mission hospital, I would make this soup every week. I would also make brown rice and keep both in the refrigerator. Whenever I needed something quick, I would heat up a bowl of this delicious soup and toss in some rice for an instant meal. Thank you. This is a wonderful recipe. Twasanta mwane means “thank you” in the Kikaonde language here in NW Zambia.”
Allan
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- One whole chicken – I typically buy organic chicken. Make sure to remove the giblets bag before you cook this recipe. I made the mistake of forgetting once, and so on.
- Parsnips are similar in flavor to a carrot but a little sweeter. These are optional but add great flavor!
- Onions – Use yellow onions.
- Celery – Use as much as you like
- Carrots – I love to use a lot of carrots for flavor.
- Garlic – Minced fresh or jarred garlic are both okay to use.
- Chicken Broth – This gives a boost of flavor.
- Parsley – fresh parsley is delicious; I often use fresh dill instead for a bit of extra flavor.
This soup is also healthy because it is made with chicken bones, which makes a savory bone broth full of nutrients! If you want a more hearty Instant Pot Chicken recipe, try this homemade Gluten Free Chicken Stew recipe.
Tips For Success:
- Make this Instant Pot Whole Chicken Soup recipe with a good quality chicken broth. Try not to use bouillon because many are not gluten free.
- If you don’t have a whole chicken, you can use chicken legs, a half chicken, or even chicken breasts.
- Ensure enough water is added for the Instant Pot’s size.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
Are you ready to try this easy Instant Pot chicken soup recipe?
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This is a dump, aka an easy, minimal prep recipe. There is no need to use the fancy Instant Pot sauté button. I dump all of the ingredients into my Instant Pot.
I used an 8 Qt Instant Pot, which I think you need for this homemade chicken soup recipe.
Step 1: Add your chicken, vegetables, and seasoning to the Instant Pot. Don’t forget to remove the giblet bag! Many ask if you need to rinse the chicken before adding it to the Instant Pot. You do not need to rinse the chicken.
Step 2: Add in the combination of chicken broth and water. Take note of the fill line!! You do not want to overfill your Instant Pot!!
Step 3: Seal your Instant Pot and set it to Soup/Broth. Add extra time to your model so this soup cooks for 40 minutes.
Allow the Instant Pot to depressurize, or use the quick-release feature if your model has it.
Step 4: Check the internal temperature with a digital meat thermometer to ensure your chicken is at 165º F.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Put on the cover and lock the lid down. Press Soup/Broth and cook. When this is done, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your chicken. Use the extra time so that this cooks for 40 minutes total. When it is done, your chicken should be over 165º F.
This chicken soup recipe does NOT have to be made in an Instant Pot…feel free to make it in a slow cooker or stovetop. Use what you have! Here are the directions to make my Grandma’s Homemade Chicken Soup on the stove.
Store this soup in your refrigerator in an airtight container. I like to store my chicken and soup separately. It will keep up to 5 days.
A slow cooker cooks your food slower, so the meats, sauces, spices, and seasonings combine to create a flavorful dish. An Instant Pot has many functions. You can use it as a slow cooker or pressure cooker. You can even saute’ foods and use them to keep food warm.
I would not cook noodles with soup, especially gluten-free noodles. They will turn to absolute mush over the 40-minute cooking time.
If you don’t have an instant pot, you can make this delicious homemade chicken soup recipe on the stovetop just like my Grandmother did. You may also love this Chicken and Rice Soup with Mushrooms.
More Gluten Free Instant Pot Recipes:
- This Vegetable Soup With Shredded Chicken is hearty enough to make a great meal!
- My family loves this simple Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta, even my picky eater.
- If you haven’t tried teff, it is delicious in this Teff Breakfast Cheese Grits Recipe.
- This is my Grandma’s homemade Cabbage and Meatballs recipe but made in an Instant Pot. Instant Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls Meatballs.
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Instant Pot Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pound whole chicken *See note
- 5 carrots Chopped, *You can use a combination of carrots and parsnips if you prefer
- 2 stalks celery Chopped
- 3 cloves garlic Minced
- 1 onion Diced
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 quart chicken broth
- water to get to fill line
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
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Instructions
- Add all vegetables and a whole chicken to the Instant Pot.
- Add seasonings and chicken broth to the Instant Pot. Add water the rest of the way to the fill line.
- Close the Instant Pot and be sure the lid is locked. Choose Soup/Broth and extra time (it should read 40 minutes.)
- When the Instant Pot is done, do NOT just open the Instant Pot. You need to let the Instant Pot depressurize according to the directions. Some models of pressure cooker have a quick release. Please follow your brand of Instant Pot or pressure cooker directions to use the quick-release option.
- To ensure your chicken is cooked, make sure the chicken is at an internal temperature of 165º F
- Serve this soup hot. Optional add rice or gluten free noodles.
- Note: The chicken will be fall off the bone soft. I recommend lifting the chicken out of the Instant Pot with a pair of tongs and a large spatula under the chicken. Lift it out of the soup onto a large plate. Do this carefully because the soup will be very hot.
Video
Notes
- 1. Note, you can make this chicken soup stovetop in a pot by following my Grandma’s chicken soup recipe.
- The real benefit to this soup is using the bones so the nutrients can cook into this soup. You can use boneless chicken, you just won’t get the same depth of flavors and nutrients.
- This soup will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator. It will keep up to 4 months in the freezer.
- Add chicken meat to the soup.
- Use the chicken to make chicken salad.
- Shred the chicken and include it in tacos, enchiladas, or on top of nachos.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This post was updated from an older January 2019 post with more recipe details.
My instapot doesn’t have a soup/broth function. Can I use pressure cook?
Good question. What brand is it? I would assume pressure cook is fine, but I haven’t tested that in this recipe.