Hearty + healthy Chicken and Rice Soup – comes together in the instant pot and ready in under 30 minutes! Perfect for fall and winter dinners! | Gluten Free + Dairy Free
One thing that I really love about being married to someone who grew up in a different country is when we’re able to introduce each other to different foods we had growing up. He gets to share with me his appreciate for pork pies, yorkshire pudding, and kinder eggs and I get to make him the things my mom used to make for my family when I was a kid.
There’s something uniquely comforting and nostalgic about being in a different kitchen in another country but surrounded by the smells you used to know so well.
Even though this chicken and wild rice soup isn’t exactly the most traditional recipe – made without dairy and gluten flour – it’s still got that same base flavour profile that I remember devouring when I was young.
So let’s get into it!
How to Make: Chicken and Wild Rice Soup in the Instant Pot
Unlike your average Chicken and Wild Rice Soup this recipe comes together and is ready to be served on your table in under 30 minutes thanks to the Instant Pot.
It starts off with a quick sautéing of veggies. Once your olive oil is nice and hot and in your vegetable blend: chopped onions, celery, carrots, and mushrooms. Let those babies soften, simmer and smell amazing for a few minutes before adding in your garlic and herbs.
After a minute or two add in the wine and wild rice blend. Feel free to use all wild rice here – I’d have done the same but it’s not so easy to find here in the UK.
Then just add your chicken pieces, a little bit of tapioca flour or corn starch for thickening, and chicken stock and you’re ready to cook. Set the cooker to 5 minutes and just wait. The instant pot may need a few minutes to come to pressure before it actually starts cooking and I recommend letting it depressurise in the end at its own speed. Even with the waiting before and after this soups should still be done in under 30 minutes which makes it a perfect weeknight meal when you want something quick & easy.
This soup is hearty enough to enjoy on it’s own but you can’t go wrong with a thick slice of french bread (egg free version) on the side!
Enjoy!
Instant Pot Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
Hearty + healthy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup - comes together in the instant pot and ready in under 30 minutes! Perfect for fall and winter dinners! | Gluten Free + Dairy Free
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large celery stalks, diced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced (8oz)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice blend - ensure gluten free
- 4 cups chicken stock (960ml)
- 1 1/2 cups water (360ml)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine - on more water (120ml)
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch or corn starch + 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Press the sauté button on the instant pot and wait for it to heat up. Add the olive oil. When the oil is simmering add the onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook for about 7-8 minutes until the vegetables have softened.
- Add in the rice and cook another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chicken breast to the pot then cover with the chicken stock, water and wine.
- Secure the lid on the instant pot and make sure the dial on top is set to 'sealing'. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. (Press 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' and set the timer to 5 minutes.)
- After the time is up the Instant Pot will automatically switch the keep warm. Let it keep warm for 10 depressurising on its own before releasing the steam valve.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the pot and transfer to a cutting board or a plate. Using a couple of forks shred the chicken into small pieces and then add back into the soup.
- Switch the instant pot back on to the 'sauté' setting to simmer with the lid off. While simmering, mix the starch and water together in a small cup, then pour into the soup. Let cook another few minutes until the soup thickens up.
- Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed and serve.
Notes
If you have leftover roast chicken or turkey you can easily add them to this soup. Instead of adding the uncooked chicken breast before cooking just add the cooked shredded chicken/turkey at the end.
If using long-grain wild rice instead of the blend, simply cook the wild rice and chicken broth for 25 minutes on high in the instant pot. While the rice is cooking, prep the other ingredients for the sauté step. Once the rice finishes, quick-release and set broth and rice aside in another bowl and move onto the sauté steps. When the recipe calls for rice and broth to be added, just pour the mixture back into the pot and continue with the recipe
chzplz says
Minor typo – “Add the chicken, tapioca mixture, **stock and stock**.”
🙂
Sarah says
Oops! Thanks for pointing that out to me so I could fix it!
Courtney says
Does the chicken really cook in five minutes?? Just want to make sure I’m doing this correctly!
Sarah says
Yes! Once the instant pot is at full temperature the timer starts and it’s only five minutes – just keep in mind that after you set it it might take a few minutes to heat up before the timer actually starts
Laura says
Made this tonight. My husband said best chicken soup he has ever had. Followed recipe exactly.
Sarah says
So glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review letting me know what you thought!
Jackie says
This sounds great & easy, would love to know what rice blend you use!
Sarah says
Hi Jackie! I’ve used the generic grocery store brand wild rice from Sainsbury’s and I’ve also made this using Tilda Basmati & Wild Rice blend
Dana says
If I’m using frozen chicken what needs to change?
Sarah says
Do everything the same until you and the chicken and then just cook 10 minutes on high and that should do it. Hope you like it!
Karen says
I mainly made this for my 2-year-old grandson, who is on a dairy-free, gluten-free diet. I must say, it is one of the best soups I have ever made! It really hit the spot on a chilly day. I used basil instead of rosemary and parsley because that’s what I had on hand. Also, I used basmati rice instead of wild rice for the same reason. My husband said it was excellent (and he is picky), and my grandson ate three bowls!
Sarah says
Aww that makes me so happy to hear! Thanks so much for coming back to share – I’m really glad you all enjoyed it 🙂
Lauren says
Used this recipe the first time using my Instant Pot, and was not disappointed! Thanks! Soup turned out eith incredible flavor – chicken cooked perfectly. I put out some lemon slices with each bowl which zested it up a bit too.
Sarah says
Yay! So glad to hear it – thanks so much for coming back to let me know what you thought! Also – love the addition of lemon slices!
Bill Voltzke says
Is this using a prepared wild rice? Wild rice alone in the instant pot still suggests 35 minutes or so under high pressure.
Sarah says
Maybe it’s because I use a wild rice blend it doesn’t need so long? I’ve never had any issues with it being undercooked with this amount of time
Bill Voltzke says
Hi Sarah,
This recipe turned out fantastically delicious once I figured out how to properly address the long-grain wild rice.
Care to add a modification to the recipe? *if using long-grain wild rice instead of the blend, simply cook the wild rice and chicken broth for 25 minutes on high in the instant pot. While the rice is cooking, prep the other ingredients for the sauté step. Once the rice finishes, quick-release and set broth and rice aside in another bowl and move onto the sauté steps. When the recipe calls for rice and broth to be added, just pour the mixture back into the pot and continue with the recipe
Sarah says
Hi Bill! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know how it went for you and sharing what worked! I added your modification to the recipe which I know will be helpful for others coming after you with long grain wild rice. So glad you enjoyed it and thanks again for your help!
Allie says
Do you think this would work in a crockpot?
Sarah says
Yes! Cook on low for about 6-8 hours or high on 3-4. You can sauté the veggies first separately or just throw them in the pot along with everything else and cook from there
Debbie says
I am doubling the recipe. Do I need to double the cooking time?
Sarah says
I haven’t tried doubling this recipe yet so I can’t say for sure but I do know that the general rule of thumb for doubling recipes in a pressure cooker is jut keep the cook time the same. Your pot may take a little longer to come to pressure before it starts but you won’t have to decrease the time