Chicken and rice soup sounds like a meal with several moving parts. Cook the chicken, make the rice, chop the vegetables, then bring everything together in the broth. This Instant Pot version cuts out most of that juggling. The chicken and uncooked rice go into the same pot with vegetables, broth, and herbs, then pressure cook together. One choice of rice helps keep the finished soup from turning into a pot of mush.
Wild rice blend works well here because its longer cooking time lines up better with the chicken than quick cooking white rice.
Start with the vegetables
Set the Instant Pot to sauté on high.
Add olive oil, chopped onion, garlic, celery, carrots, thyme, parsley, salt, and black pepper.
Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring as the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the chicken to the same pot
Cut boneless, skinless chicken breast into pieces and add it straight to the vegetables.
Sauté for another 5 minutes. The outside can begin to brown, but the chicken does not need to cook through at this stage.
Chicken thighs can work too, and leftover cooked chicken is another option when you have some in the refrigerator.
Add uncooked rice right beside it
Pour in the chicken broth, then add the uncooked wild rice blend and a bay leaf.
There’s no separate rice pot and no need to cook the chicken before starting the soup.
Stir everything together, secure the lid, and set the valve to sealing.
Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.
The Instant Pot will need extra time to come up to pressure before that 20 minute countdown begins.
Wild rice helps prevent a mushy soup
White rice cooks faster than the chicken, which can leave it soft by the time everything else is ready.
A wild rice blend or brown rice takes longer to cook, making its timing a better match for the meat.
The result is rice that keeps more texture instead of disappearing into the broth.
Don’t leave the rice sitting in the heat
What happens after pressure cooking matters too.
Release the pressure after cooking rather than leaving the finished soup sitting in the hot pot for an extended period. Extra time in hot broth gives the rice more opportunity to soften.
Take care when venting because hot steam escapes from the valve.
Once the pressure is released, remove the bay leaf and check the chicken and rice before serving.
Save the leftovers for another dinner
Chicken and rice soup works well as a batch meal.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or freeze portions for another day. Add more chicken broth when reheating if the rice has absorbed some of the liquid during storage.
One pot handles the vegetables, chicken, rice, and broth. The useful part isn’t just the short ingredient list. Raw chicken and uncooked rice can cook together, so there is no second pot waiting beside the sink when dinner is done.
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