Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
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This incredible scratch-made wholesome and hearty Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup takes just a fraction of the time and is unbelievably delicious! It’s loaded with tender perfectly cooked chicken, comforting egg noodles, and veggies just swimming in a super flavorful herb infused chicken broth. It’s the perfect quick and easy meal to warm you up on a chilly day!
Easy Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Chicken soup is near and dear to me! It literally just warms my heart talking about it because I grew up eating comforting homemade chicken soup made by my mom. Then later learning from her how to make the most flavorful broth by using chicken with skin and bones as well as how to infuse the soup with herby goodness.
In fact, you may have already noticed that I’ve shared quite a few chicken soup recipes over the years. Again, I love them. And while this Instant Pot chicken noodle soup recipe has the same fundamentals as most of my other recipes like my Homemade Chicken Soup and my Chicken Barley Soup, it’s a tad bit different. For one, it calls for more fresh herbs like thyme and oregano to add flavor. But the most obvious difference of course is making it in the Instant Pot, which is not only a huge time saver but a pressure packed flavor infuser.
So if you want to make the most flavorful chicken noodle soup you’ve ever had in half the time, then this recipe is for you! From start to finish it takes just 30 minutes and the results are amazing. The IP infuses the chicken with tons of flavor and cooks it until it nearly falls off the bone. And by pressure cooking everything together, the broth tastes like it took hours to make.
Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Quick and Easy! This recipe shows you how to make an incredibly flavorful homemade chicken soup with just a handful of simple ingredients in just 30 minutes by using your Instant Pot.
- Flavorful Chicken Soup! By pressure cooking chicken until it falls off the bone together with herbs and mirepoix it creates a broth layered in flavor for the egg noodles to soak up as they simmer.
- Family Favorite! Hands down this Instant Pot chicken noodle soup recipe is a keeper and one the whole family will love! Not to mention, the leftovers make a fantastic healthy lunch for the little ones as well as the big ones.
- Butter – Always use unsalted butter to limit the amount of added salt. You can also use olive oil if you prefer.
- Mirepoix – It’s a French culinary term that refers to a mixture of celery, carrots, and onions. I always use brown or yellow onions.
- Seasoning – Salt and black pepper are used to season the soup and bring out all the natural flavors.
- Herbs – Thyme, parsley, and oregano are used to add depth to the broth. You can use fresh or dried herbs. But I highly recommend fresh for the best results.
- Chicken or Vegetable Broth – Use no sodium added chicken/vegetable broth or chicken/vegetable stock to control the saltiness of the final dish. Water can also be used if you prefer.
- Chicken – You will need a couple of pounds of chicken with skin and bones. At least one breast should be included in the mixture. Yet, you can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs if you like. However, the broth won’t be quite as flavorful without the skin and bones.
- Chicken Bouillon – I love adding this for extra flavor but you can also use vegeta instead.
- Water – Needed to help the Instant Pot do its magic.
- Egg Noodles – Any type of store-bought egg noodles can be used.
This tasty soup is ridiculously easy to make. With just about 5 minutes of prep time and 25 minutes of cooking time, the IP turns simple ingredients into bowls of deliciousness in no time!
To begin, you need to sauté your veggies in the Instant Pot. But before you do, take a look at your manufacturer’s guide for detailed instructions on how to use your particular model. Next, turn your IP on to the sauté setting. Add the butter and cook until the butter has melted. Then once the butter is melted, add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and sauté for 3 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent.
Once the veggies are soft, sprinkle them with salt, black pepper and chicken bouillon to season. Then mix in the thyme, parsley, and oregano.
Now, add the chicken broth to the pot along with the chicken pieces and 4 cups of water. Do not add the noodles! This will be done in a later step.
Next, it’s time to cook the chicken and create a super flavorful broth! To do this, close the lid on your Instant Pot and set the valve to the sealing positing. Then set the IP to the Soup setting and set the timer to 7 minutes. It will take the Instant Pot a few minutes to come to pressure before you see the timer counting. This is totally normal, so don’t worry. If your IP doesn’t have the soup setting, simply use the Manual setting on high pressure for 7 minutes.
When the Instant Pot is done pressure cooking, allow the natural release cycle to complete. It will take about 10 minutes for all the steam to release itself. However, if you are in a rush you can also use the quick release function as instructed in your manufacturer’s guide. Then carefully remove the lid of the Instant Pot once all the steam has been released.
Now, remove the chicken from the Instant Pot with a slotted spoon or tongs. You also want to fish around a tad to make sure you get any lingering pieces of skin or bones in the broth. Next, shred the meat with 2 forks or chop it up into bite-size pieces, removing the skin and bones first. Then set the chicken aside for now. While doing this step, be careful not to burn yourself.
Once all the chicken has been removed from the pot, the noodles can be cooked. Just add them to the IP and turn it back on to the sauté setting. Then let the noodles simmer uncovered for about 6 minutes or until cooked. Keep an eye on them as you don’t want them to overcook and get mushy.
When the noodles are ready, turn off the IP by pressing the cancel button. Then add the chicken back into the pot. Now, give the Instant Pot chicken noodle soup a taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Then garnish with a little more freshly chopped parsley if you like and enjoy!
Can I Make This Recipe Without An Instant Pot?
Yes! You can use a Dutch oven or large pot instead! Just follow the recipe as stated in the instructions, yet on the stovetop. Then when it comes time to pressure cook, simply bring the soup to a boil. Then turn the heat down to low, cover the Dutch oven with a lid, and simmer the soup for about 30 to 40 minutes.
You may need to remove some of the scum on top of the soup when it starts to boil. This is totally normal. Then once the chicken is done cooking, remove it from the pot and shred it. Now, add the noodles to cook and follow the rest of the recipe. For complete instructions check out my Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup.
What Else Can I Add To The Soup?
This Instant Pot chicken noodle soup recipe is wonderful as it is, but very versatile too. So feel free to customize it any way you like. You could stir in some fresh baby spinach or frozen peas at the end. Saute some mushrooms along with the mirepoix for another layer of flavor. Add some lemon juice at the end to make lemon chicken soup. Sprinkle it with parmesan cheese before serving or my favorite, some chili garlic sauce. The options are endless. Just keep the ratios of the ingredients about the same as well as the cooking process and you can pretty much do whatever you want.
Expert Tips
- Check your manual. For the best results, check your manufacturer’s guide for recommendations for your Instant Pot before starting any IP recipe. This is important for safety reasons.
- Sauté the veggies. Don’t just toss everything into the pot and hit pressure cook. Layered flavor is created in steps and this step only takes 3 minutes but makes a big difference in the final result.
- Season at the end. It’s crucial not to add any extra sprinkles of salt until the soup is finished cooking. The broth will reduce as the noodles cook and if you salt too soon you risk ending up with over-salted soup.
Storage
Instant Pot chicken noodle soup leftovers will keep in the fridge for about 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months when stored in an airtight container. To reheat, just put it in the microwave for a few minutes or in a saucepan over medium heat. If frozen, it’s best to let the soup thaw out in the fridge overnight prior to reheating.
However, if you know that you are going to be freezing the soup, it’s best not to add the noodles until you go to reheat. Just freeze the base of the soup with the chicken and veggies. Then thaw it out and finish the recipe. You can also remove half of the soup to freeze, then just add half of the noodles to cook. That way you have half ready to eat and half left to store in the freezer.
Other Delicious Soup Recipes To Try
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Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 2 medium carrots (chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon thyme (dry, 1 tbsp if using fresh)
- 1 tablespoon parsley (fresh, chopped)
- 1 tablespoon oregano (fresh, chopped, 1 tsp if using dry)
- 1 chicken bouillon (cube or powder)
- 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth, no sodium added)
- 2 pounds chicken (with skin and bones, use at least 1 chicken breast)
- 4 cups water
- 5 ounce egg noodles (uncooked, (about 2 cups))
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. (See your manufacturer’s guide for detailed instructions on how to use your instant pot.)
- Add the butter and cook until the butter has melted. Add the onion, carrots and celery and saute for 3 minutes until the onion softens and becomes translucent.
- Season with salt and pepper, add the thyme, parsley, oregano, chicken bouillon and stir.
- Pour in the chicken broth. Add the chicken pieces and add another 4 cups of water.
- Close the lid (follow the manufacturer's guide for instructions on how to close the instant pot lid). Set the Instant Pot to the Soup setting and set the timer to 7 minutes. If your instant pot doesn't have the Soup setting just use Manual/high pressure for 7 minutes.
- Once the Instant Pot cycle is complete, wait until the natural release cycle is complete, should take about 10 minutes. Follow the manufacturer's guide for quick release, if in a rush. Carefully unlock and remove the lid from the instant pot.
- Remove the chicken pieces from the soup and shred with two forks.
- Add the noodles to the soup and set the Instant Pot to the saute setting again. Cook for another 6 minutes uncovered, or until the noodles are cooked.
- Turn off the Instant Pot, by pressing the cancel button. Add the shredded chicken back to the Instant Pot, taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Garnish with additional parsley if preferred.
Equipment
Video
Notes
- What is an Instant Pot: An IP is a multi-cooker, it’s like seven different appliances all in one! It does the job of a slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, etc.
- I don’t have an Instant Pot, can I still make this soup: Absolutely, you would follow the exact steps except it would take a bit longer to cook the chicken in the broth. Or you can see my Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup or Crockpot Chicken Noodle soup recipe for the crockpot version.
- Can I use boneless skinless chicken breast: Yes, of course but cooking the chicken with the skin and bones will give you a deeper more delicious broth.
- Can I use chicken drumsticks or thighs: Yes, you can. Any part of the chicken can be used, as long as you have enough chicken meat to add to the soup after you shred it.
- Can I use frozen chicken: Yes, you can. The time can vary depending on how big your chicken pieces are but I would start with 10 to 12 minutes and go from there.
- Why use chicken broth, can I just use water instead: Yes, you can absolutely replace the chicken broth with an additional 4 cups of water.
- Can I freeze this soup: If you plan to freeze the soup, hold off on adding the noodles. Wait to add the noodles when you take the soup from the freezer and reheat it. The noodles won’t hold up very well when defrosted and reheated.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
The first time I made this we had to get dinner together quickly, so I looked for instant pot chicken soup recipes and found this one. It was really good, so I added it to our recipe collection. The second time I had more time, so I added a few of our favorite things: a pound of sliced baby bella mushrooms; four smashed garlic cloves; and two tablespoons of minced ginger. That took it to five stars for us. After reading all the comments, I cooked the noodles separately, and when I served it I put some noodles in the bottom of the bowls and ladled the soup over it. Then I put the leftover noodles and soup in the fridge in separate containers so the noodles didn’t soak up all the liquid.
Both times I used only chicken thighs. When you talk about the ingredients you say, “At least one breast should be included in the mixture.” Can you explain why you recommend this?
I suppose you don’t have to, but it’s for shredding after, I prefer shredded breast over the thighs, but it’s a matter of preference.
Made this several times- so good!
Absolutely Delicious we make it so much now I use left over washed baby food jars to premix the spices to make it easier to make on the regular! Its now a staple in our family home.
Simple, delicious recipe. I added a little Cajun seasoning to give it some more kick.
I made this chicken soup while having a fever and it was an absolute lifesaver. Didn’t even need more salt after. The only thing i would say is I am new to cooking and didn’t realize this recipe would feed a family of 14. I put the leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container, and the following day there was not a drop of soup broth left because the noodles soaked everything up. You MUST separate the noodles from the rest of everything when storing soup. What i did to get around this was put the portion of the leftovers I wanted to have in a small pot with 2 cups of water and let it warm up over low-medium heat on the stove. Thank you for the recipe i will absolutely keep it handy. This is a 5 star recipe!
So so so good & easy!!
Looks delicious!
This recipe is spot on delicious to the max.
I love this recipe. I made it for Sunday dinner. I am new to the Instant pot. Didn’t change anything.
This worked out perfectly! The celery I had lurking at the bottom of the fridge was past the point of being fresh so I had to improvise. I used chopped up zucchini instead of the celery and I couldn’t taste a difference. I actually did add some fresh baby spinach as “suggested” and I used frozen chicken. The taste was fabulous. My husband came home sick with a cold so I whipped this up and it brought him back to life! It was the only thing he had eaten all day and he claims that it was tasty!
Just a suggestion to anyone who cares to add a little “something-something” to their next chicken soup recipe. When you get done cooking it, add a cup of full fat, unsweetened, canned coconut milk to the broth. Oh it’s so good. Especially, with a well-done recipe like this one! You’re welcome 😁.
How do you make this with already cooked shredded chicken?
I would follow the instructions as written, but add the shredded chicken instead of the raw chicken. You won’t get the full chicken flavor as using chicken with skin and bones, but it will still be delicious.
Amazing soup! Full of flavor and the instant pot makes it so easy. Only thing I added was a few cloves of minced garlic after the veggies were done sauteing. Definitely my new go to chicken soup recipe.
best chicken noodle soup EVER. I tweak it but it is my favorite & use it all the time.
Love this soup—added noodles and plan to freeze some before reading your comment—hope it’s still good!!!
This is the best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever tasted!
Can you tell me how to convert this recipe for a 3 qt instapot?
In the recipe card you can change the number of servings to whatever you wish and the amounts in the recipe card will change automatically.