Name: Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1.5 to 2 lbs chicken, (use a mix of breasts and bone-in chicken thighs); 2 cups chopped onions; 1 cup diced celery; 1 cup diced carrots; 1 tbsp minced garlic; 2 tsp minced ginger; 1/2 tsp ground turmeric; 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp chopped parsley/cilantro leaves; 2 tsp fresh thyme; 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary, (chopped); 1.5 quarts low-sodium chicken broth; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp salt (or to taste); 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper; 2 cups egg noodles; 1 tbsp unsalted butter or oil

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This Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup is hearty, warm, comforting, and delicious. Beat the winter blues with this easy, homemade Instant Pot chicken noodle soup from scratch.

I know, I know, I am on a soup and curry spree lately. But then can you blame me, the weather is such, and that is what I end up making so frequently in my kitchen! What can I say about this easy chicken noodle soup? It is one of the most frequently made soups in my Instant Pot. My daughter just loves to eat the cooked shredded chicken as such.

The temperatures have dropped suddenly this week, and warming up with some soup seems like a no-brainer. So I made this instant pot chicken noodle soup for lunch, which we also enjoyed later for dinner. I can barely afford to have leftovers, as I never have enough space to freeze them.

I’ve experimented making this soup in various ways, using just chicken breasts or only thighs, searing it and then adding, cutting the raw chicken into small cubes and cooking it that way.

I find the way I’m sharing today the most convenient. A quick sauté of the veggies, followed by placing the chicken and then the stock, adjust the pressure cooker settings and just walk away for about 30 minutes. When you come back to release the leftover pressure, the aroma of that whiff that hits the air will have your mouth watering right away.

Table of Contents

The best chicken noodle soup recipe made in the Instant Pot

I know there are plenty of chicken noodle soup recipes on the web, so what is different in this?

This pressure cooker chicken noodle soup is made with a mirepoix base, a mix of chicken breasts and thighs, plenty of noodles, lots of fresh herbs, and aromatics.

The two ingredients that you won’t find in a regular chicken noodle soup are ginger and turmeric. The addition of ginger totally elevates the flavor of this soup, giving it a very subtle kick that is also good for you.

One of the reasons everyone loves to slurp on this soup is to feel better from minor downs like stomach flu, cold, cough etc. Ginger is a good remedy for an upset stomach, and including it in this soup is one of the best ways of getting some into your system and instantly lifting your mood.

And I am sure everyone is well aware of the amazing benefits of turmeric. So definitely add some to boost the nutritional value of this soup. I’d say my version is pretty much an Asian spin on the classic chicken noodle soup, and it is really delicious!

Spices used in this soup

A good broth flavors up the entire soup along with herbs and aromatics. But if your broth is mediocre the entire soup can fall flat. It is great if you make your own broth, or else pick a good, low-sodium, store-bought one.

Next, for the aromatics, the classic mirepoix (carrots, onions, and celery) is a must for this soup. You can add garlic, ginger, even lemongrass, scallions for a Thai-inspired chicken and noodle soup, or cajun seasoning for a cajun chicken noodle soup.

As for the spices, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, turmeric, crushed peppercorns, cloves, are pretty basic options.

You may use fresh or dried herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley, cilantro, etc. Whatever you have at hand is good, you don’t need to make a special trip to the store to buy fresh herbs for one recipe. If you have it, use it.

It is totally up to you to decide what seasonings to put in chicken noodle soup. Taste and adjust as you go along!

The best cut of chicken for this soup

The old fashioned chicken noodle soup recipe calls for the whole chicken. The chicken is then simmered in water until it is cooked through to create a rich broth. The broth is strained and simmered further with mirepoix, and fresh herbs to flavor it even more. The noodles are added and allowed to cook, finally, the shredded chicken is added back to the soup.

However, you don’t really need an entire chicken to make the soup unless of course, you intend making a fresh batch of broth.

Chicken breasts or thighs work perfectly well. I, however, like to do a mix of breasts and thighs because that way you get the richness in the broth from the skin and bones and you have enough shredded chicken that is substantial for the soup.

A mix of bone-in breasts and thighs or even drumsticks are your best bet when it comes to making this chicken noodle soup!

Best noodles for chicken noodle soup

I prefer to use wide egg noodles for chicken noodle soup. This is totally a matter of your own personal preference. Use spaghetti, linguine, orzo, or any other pasta of your choice.

If you are watching your carbs use zoodles instead, the addition of zoodles would definitely make this a healthy chicken noodle soup sans the carbs.

This healing chicken noodle soup will make you feel good instantly. Chicken noodle soup should not be reserved only for days when you feel under the weather. It is also good to enjoy a bowl of comforting chicken noodle soup anytime actually! And after making your own, you may never want to go back to buying those canned soups ever!

How to make Instant Pot chicken noodle soup -Step by step

1.Press the ‘saute’ button, wait until it displays ‘hot’. Add butter, let it melt. Add onions, carrots, celery, sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

2.Add ginger and garlic, sauté until aromatic.

3.Next, add turmeric, salt, and pepper, sauté for another 30 seconds. Add the chopped herbs, and mix well.

4.Place the chicken breasts and thighs over the veggies, pour in the broth, and bay leaves.

5.Press cancel, close the lid of the Instant Pot with the valve on sealing position. Press the manual or pressure cook button and pressure cook on high for 8-10 minutes. It will take some time for the pressure to build up, after which the timer will start.

6.Once the cooking cycle is complete, let it depressurize for at least 10 minutes, then do a quick release of leftover pressure following the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the float valve (silver pin) drops, open the lid.

7.Remove the chicken pieces and shred it using a fork or cut into small cubes.

8.Press ‘saute’ button and bring the soup to a boil. Add noodles of choice, let the noodles cook uncovered for 5-6 minutes.

9.Transfer the shredded chicken back to the pot, heat for another 1-2 minutes until chicken is warmed through. Check for seasonings and adjust accordingly. Sprinkle fresh parsley, mix well. Discard the bay leaves before serving.

NOTES

If you intend having the soup later, skip adding the noodles to the soup since the noodles will soak up all the broth. Cook the noodles separately, place some cooked noodles in individual serving bowls and ladle the chicken soup.
You may add more broth later if you want a more soupy consistency.
For stovetop chicken noodle soup: Follow all the steps in a sufficiently big soup pot or dutch oven. After you add the chicken and broth, let the broth come to a boil, then lower the heat, and let it simmer covered for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
For a different variation try tomato chicken noodle soup: Chop up 2 tomatoes and add in step 3, cook until the tomatoes turn soft. Or add 1, 14-oz can of diced tomatoes along with broth in step 4.
Cook time reflects the time taken for pressure built-up which is 20 minutes approx and 10 minutes of natural release, and the actual cook time for sauteeing veggies, cooking the chicken and the noodles.
I’ve also tried making this soup with frozen chicken and it works just as well. Pressure cook on high for 12 minutes.

Freezing instructions

You can definitely freeze the soup in freezer-safe containers or freezer bags as per the servings required. However, if you are making a batch of soup with the intention of storing it for later, avoid adding the noodles as they do not hold well when frozen, they will turn mushy. Cook the noodles separately in water or broth and add it to the reheated soup.

If you try this easy Instant Pot chicken noodle soup recipe, I would love to hear from you! I’d appreciate it if you could rate and leave a review below in comments, as it helps others know the recipe better too. You can also share your feedback and suggestions at [email protected]. Thanks so much 🙂

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