Cream of chicken and rice soup instant pot

This Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup is the best comfort food dish. It's creamy, healthy and really easy to make! This delicious soup is the perfect family meal for chilly nights.

Table of Contents Show

Why You'll Love this Recipe
Ingredients and Substitutions
Instructions
Recipe FAQs
Comforting Soup Recipes
Reader Interactions
Do you cook rice first before adding to soup?
How do I make soup in the instant pot?
How can I add rice to soup without getting soggy?
How long do I cook frozen chicken breast in my instant pot?

Why You'll Love this Recipe

Uses real ingredients. This Instant Pot creamy chicken and rice soup recipe is made from scratch with a few simple ingredients, no canned soups are needed in this recipe.
Perfect for cooler weather. Chicken soup is the best especially when the weather starts to cool down.
Easy recipe. This is a 30-minute one-pot meal that is hands-off and super hearty. This chicken and rice soup uses cornstarch, flour or arrowroot powder to thicken it up and set it apart from traditional chicken soups. This chicken soup is great for meal prep as it lasts a week in the fridge and gets better every day.

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Why You'll Love this Recipe
Ingredients and Substitutions
Variations
Instructions
Recipe FAQs
Top Tips
Comforting Soup Recipes
🍳Recipe

Ingredients and Substitutions

Mirepoix- otherwise known as onions, carrots and celery. Don't skimp on these ingredients, they add a delicious flavor that can't be replaced.
Chicken thighs- I prefer chicken thighs as they are more flavorful than chicken breasts.
Rice- you can use any short or long-grain rice, white or brown. The rice needs to be cooked before adding it to the soup. Most grocery stores now sell bags of frozen white or brown rice that can be microwaved in just a few minutes.
Bay leaves- I use dry bay leaves as they last longer and have a stronger flavor. Make sure to remove them after cooking.
Fresh herbs I love cooking with fresh thyme and rosemary but don't always have it on hand, and in this case, dried works just as well. Just be sure to use less if using dried herbs as they have a stronger flavor.
Arrowroot powder, cornstarch or flour- helps to thicken up the soup. Arrowroot powder and cornstarch are gluten-free if that is a dietary concern.

See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.

Variations

Switch up the grain- you can sub wild rice, quinoa or farro, just make sure to cook it before adding it to the soup.
Heavy cream- the recipe calls for heavy cream or a can of full-fat coconut milk. Use coconut milk to keep this recipe chicken and rice soup dairy-free.
Add some extra veggies- add green beans, peas, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, or kale. Whatever veggies you have on hand will work!

Instructions

Heat olive oil in the Instant Pot by turning on the sauté function. Add the diced onion, carrots and celery and cook until the onion is translucent.

2. Next, add the chicken thighs to the pot along with minced garlic. Pour in the chicken broth. Top with bay leaves, rosemary and thyme. Close the lid on the Instant Pot, set the vent to the sealing position and pressure cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.

3. Release the pressure. Remove the chicken thighs and shred the chicken with two forks. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot with the half and half, cooked rice and slurry mixture.

4. Set the Instant Pot to sauté and bring the soup to a simmer. Once the soup starts simmering, hit cancel. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe FAQs

How do you keep rice from getting mushy in soup?

I recommend adding cooked rice to soup rather than uncooked rice. It should be added at the end and the soup should be simmered just long enough to warm up the rice.

Can I use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken?

Yes- this is the perfect way to use leftovers. I recommend cutting down on the pressure cooking time by about 10 minutes and adding the cooked chicken at the end with the rice. You will need about 3 cups of cooked chicken.

Can I make this chicken soup on the stovetop?

Absolutely! Begin by cooking the veggies in olive oil in a large pot. Add in the chicken thighs, broth, salt, bay leaves, rosemary and thyme. Cover and simmer for about 25 minutes. Shred the chicken thighs and add them back in with the remaining ingredients. Stir and let simmer for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve.

If you want to make it in the slow cooker, be sure to cook the veggies and then slow cook on low for 6 hours. Add the rice, slurry mix and cream at the end.

Top Tips

Save salt for after cooking. Some chicken broths can have high sodium levels so it's best to wait until after cooking to check the saltiness of the soup. Add additional salt before serving, if needed.
Make a slurry. Make a slurry with either arrowroot powder, cornstarch or flour before adding it to the soup. Mix one tablespoon of the thickening ingredient into 2 tablespoons of cold water until dissolved. Then pour it into the soup.
To storethe Instant Pot chicken soup, let it cool to room temperature, then transfer the chicken and rice soup to an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
The soup can be frozen if you use coconut milk. However, if you use heavy cream, I do NOT recommend freezing the soup as dairy tends to separate when frozen. You may also want to wait to add the rice if you plan on storing leftovers in the freezer as it can soak up all the liquid when frozen.
Reheat the soup in the microwave for 2 minutes or on the stove over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.

Comforting Soup Recipes

Slow Cooker Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup
Easy Meatball and Couscous Soup Recipe
Orzo Chicken Soup with Bone-In Chicken Thighs
Creamy Dairy-Free White Chicken Chili (Whole 30, Paleo)

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🍳Recipe

▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
▢ 1 yellow onion, diced
▢ 2 carrots, diced
▢ 2 celery stalks, diced
▢ 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
▢ 2 garlic cloves, minced
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ 3 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
▢ 2 cups rice, cooked
▢ 2 bay leaves
▢ 1 teaspoon dried or 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
▢ 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
▢ 1 ½ cups heavy cream or canned full-fat coconut milk
▢ 2 tablespoons flour, cornstarch or arrowroot powder, dissolved in 4 tablespoons cold water
▢ salt and black pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in the Instant Pot by turning on the sauté function. Add the diced onion, carrots and celery and cook until the onion is translucent.
Next, add the chicken thighs to the pot along with minced garlic. Pour in the chicken broth. Top with ½ teaspoon of salt, bay leaves, rosemary and thyme.
Close the lid on the Instant Pot, set the vent to seal and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release for a few minutes then carefully switch the valve to release the remaining pressure.
Remove the chicken thighs and shred with two forks. Add the chicken back to the pot along with the heavy cream or coconut milk, cooked rice and slurry mix.
Set the Instant Pot to sauté and bring the soup to a slight simmer. Once the soup starts simmering, hit cancel. Season with more salt and black pepper before serving.

Save salt for after cooking. Some chicken broths can have high sodium levels so it's best to wait until after cooking to check the saltiness of the soup. If the soup isn't salty enough, then season it before serving.
Make a slurry. Make a slurry with either arrowroot powder, cornstarch or flour before adding it to the soup. Mix one tablespoon of the thickening ingredient into 2 tablespoons of cold water until dissolved. Then pour it into the soup.
To store the creamy chicken and rice soup, let it cool to room temperature, then transfer the chicken and rice soup to an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
The soup can be frozen if you use coconut milk. However, if you use heavy cream, I do NOT recommend freezing the soup as dairy tends to separate when frozen. You may also want to wait to add the rice if you plan on storing leftovers in the freezer as it can soak up all the liquid when frozen.
Reheat the soup in the microwave for 2 minutes or on the stove over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

Let me know how this recipe turned out! Leave a comment

Reader Interactions

Do you cook rice first before adding to soup?

Yes – uncooked rice is best to add into soup because it soaks up the flavour of the broth, making it extra tasty!

How do I make soup in the instant pot?

Instant Pot SOUP Setting (SOUP/BROTH BUTTON) The default Instant Pot soup setting is pre-programmed to set the pot to cook at HIGH pressure for 30 minutes. The soup program brings the contents of the pot to a slow simmer and results in a clear broth due to lack of boiling motion.

How can I add rice to soup without getting soggy?

If you choose to add cooked rice to soup, add it just before you're ready to serve the dish and give it just a few minutes on the stove top to heat through. Add cooked rice too early and it'll continue to cook in the soup, coming out mushy and unpalatable.