This Instant Pot chicken and rice soup is thick, hearty, and almost stew-like, with tender shredded chicken, brown rice, mushrooms, carrots, and celery in a savory thyme-seasoned broth. Everything goes straight into the pressure cooker-there's no sautéing and no need to cook the rice separately.
I intentionally make it concentrated, then add chicken broth when reheating until it reaches the consistency I want. A tapioca starch slurry at the end gives the broth an especially creamy, satisfying texture without dairy.
Recipe Overview: Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 👥 Serves: 6
- Flavor: Savory, herby, and comforting
- Texture: Thick, creamy, and hearty
- ✅ Diet: Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free
⚠️ Most Important Tip: This soup is intentionally very thick and hearty. Add extra chicken broth after cooking-or when reheating-until it reaches your preferred consistency.
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FEATURED REVIEW ★★★★★
This gluten free chicken and rice soup is flavorful and easy. I love the shredded chicken and that it's made in the Instant Pot. More recipes like this please 🙂
- Siobhan
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Why This Recipe Works
- No sautéing or precooking. The vegetables, brown rice, raw chicken, broth, and seasonings all go directly into the Instant Pot.
- The chicken gets genuinely tender. I pressure cook this version for 45 minutes because that consistently gives me chicken breasts that shred easily rather than staying firm.
- The tapioca slurry makes a difference. Adding it after pressure cooking gives the soup a thicker, creamier texture without cream or dairy.
- It's naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. No specialty replacements are needed, although I always check the chicken broth label when cooking for someone with celiac disease.
Key Ingredient & Substitutions
Chicken
Use 1¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I add the breasts whole and shred them after pressure cooking, so there's no need to cut raw chicken into pieces first.
I recommend removing any skin before cooking. Pressure-cooked chicken skin develops a rubbery texture rather than becoming crisp.
Brown Rice
I use regular brown rice in this recipe. It holds up well during the long pressure-cooking time and contributes to the thick, substantial texture of the finished soup.
One cup may not look like much going into the pot, but it expands significantly as it cooks. I recommend making the recipe as written before deciding to increase the rice.
I don't recommend substituting white, jasmine, or basmati rice using the same 45-minute cooking time. Those varieties cook much faster, and I have not tested a reliable alternate pressure-cooking time for them in this recipe.
Broth
I use low-sodium chicken broth so I can adjust the salt after cooking. Vegetable broth also works, but I prefer the richer flavor of chicken broth.
Four cups keeps this soup intentionally concentrated. If you prefer a brothier soup, add additional warm broth after pressure cooking or when reheating.
Celiac note: Chicken and rice soup is naturally gluten-free, but broth is one ingredient I always check carefully. If you're cooking for someone with celiac disease, use a broth labeled gluten-free and check the current package since formulations can change.
Tapioca Starch
I use 1 tablespoon tapioca starch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water to finish this soup. It gives the broth a thicker, creamier, more satisfying texture without adding dairy.
Always mix the tapioca starch with cold water before adding it to the hot soup so it disperses evenly rather than forming clumps.
Thyme
I wrote the recipe with dried thyme leaves but use both dried and fresh thyme depending on the season. You can replace the ¾ teaspoon of dried thyme leaves with 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme. Remove the thyme stalks after cooking and before serving.
More Ingredient Notes
- Onion: I usually use yellow onion, but white onion also works.
- Carrots: Regular carrots or baby carrots both work. I often use baby carrots when I already have a bag open.
- Mushrooms: Use sliced or quartered cremini or white mushrooms. I prefer quartered mushrooms because they retain more texture, but pre-sliced mushrooms save prep time. You can omit them if you don't like mushrooms.
- Parsley: Fresh parsley adds a bright finish. If substituting dried parsley, use 2 teaspoons in place of 2 tablespoons fresh.
See the recipe card for full ingredients with quantities.
How to make Instant Pot CHicken and Rice Soup
Learn how to make Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup in four easy steps.
A Few Tips Before You Start:
- Add everything directly to the pot. There's no sauté step in this recipe, so the vegetables, brown rice, seasonings, broth, and chicken all cook together.
- Let the pressure release naturally. Because the recipe contains rice, let the float valve drop on its own rather than quick-releasing the pressure.
- Shred, then thicken. Remove and shred the chicken first. Return it to the pot, then stir in the tapioca slurry to finish the soup.
When you make this recipe, please leave a rating and review below. I always appreciate the feedback! ❤️
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- ½ large yellow onion , diced
- 2 medium carrots , peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 medium celery stalks , diced into pea-sized pieces
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms or white mushrooms, sliced or quartered
- 1 cup brown rice , uncooked
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- ¾ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt , plus more to taste after cooking
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 ¼ pounds skinless chicken breasts , uncooked
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch to thicken
- 1 tablespoon cold water , for the tapioca slurry
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley , optional to garnish
Instructions
- Add the vegetables and rice: Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and tilt the insert to coat the bottom. Add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, brown rice, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Pour in the chicken broth and stir to combine.
- Add the chicken: Nestle the chicken breasts in the vegetables, rice, and broth so that they are completely submerged. If using fresh thyme, add the sprigs and submerge the leaves in the broth.
- Pressure cook: Lock the lid and pressure cook on High for 45 minutes. When the cooking cycle finishes, allow the pressure to release naturally until the float valve drops on its own before opening the lid.
- Shred and thicken: In a small bowl or jar, whisk or shake together 1 tablespoon tapioca starch and 1 tablespoon cold water until smooth. Pour the slurry into the hot soup while stirring continuously for about 1 minute, until evenly incorporated and noticeably thicker.Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate or cutting board and shred them with two forks, then return to the pot. Taste and add additional salt if needed. For a thinner soup, stir in additional warm chicken broth until it reaches your preferred consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
Expert Tips
Expect a thick soup. This is deliberately more concentrated than a typical brothy chicken soup. I like it that way because it's satisfying straight from the pot and takes up less room when stored.
Thin it when you serve it. Add chicken broth to individual bowls or reheated portions rather than adding a large amount to the entire batch. This makes it easy to customize the consistency.
Don't skip the tapioca slurry. The rice naturally thickens the broth, but the slurry is what gives this version the especially creamy, cohesive texture I prefer.
Quarter the mushrooms for more texture. Sliced mushrooms work, but I prefer larger pieces because they hold up better during the long pressure-cooking time.
Freeze it concentrated. Portion the thick finished soup into freezer containers (I like to use Souper Cubes), then add broth after thawing and reheating. This saves freezer space.
Instant Pot chicken and Rice Soup Recipe FAQs
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze in individual portions for up to 3 months. I like using Souper Cubes for freezing.
Add the ingredients to the slow cooker as directed and cook for about 4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low, until the chicken reaches 165°F and shreds easily, and the rice and celery are tender. Shred the chicken, then stir in the tapioca slurry at the end.
I don't recommend substituting white rice directly in this recipe. White, jasmine, and basmati rice cook much faster than brown rice and are likely to become overly soft during the 45-minute pressure-cooking time. I plan to test shorter cooking times separately before recommending a white-rice variation.
Siobhan says
This gluten free chicken and rice soup is flavorful and easy. I love the shredded chicken and that it’s made in the Instant Pot. More recipes like this please 🙂