Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup

A feel good Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup with shredded chicken, vegetables, and brown rice in a flavorful thyme-infused broth.

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American

Keyword instant pot chicken and rice soup, slow cooker chicken and rice soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Servings

Calories 304kcal

Author Jamie

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

Optional

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley , optional to garnish
1 tablespoon tapioca starch , optional to thicken

Instructions

Vegetables + rice: Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and use a spatula or tilt the pot to coat the bottom. Then add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, brown rice, garlic, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Pour in the broth then stir the vegetable mixture with a spatula to mix everything together.
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: Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook at high pressure for 45 minutes. When finished, let the pressure release naturally for 10-15 minutes. Then manually release any remaining pressure by pressing the quick release valve.
Finish: In a small jar or bowl, mix the tapioca starch with 1 tablespoon of cold water and whisk, shake, or stir vigorously to make a starch slurry. Pour it into the Instant Pot while stirring constantly for 1 minute to evenly distribute the starch and thicken the soup. Use two forks to shred the chicken breasts. Be careful to avoid burning your hands in the steam.

Notes

See the blog post for ingredient notes, step-by-step photos, expert tips, and more.

I use the Duo Plus 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker and Slow Cooker to make this recipe.

Storage: Store leftover Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze in individual portions for up to 3 months. I recommend using Souper Cubes for freezing.

Slow cooker instructions: To make this recipe in a slow cooker, fill the pot as described in the Instant Pot instructions. Then cook on high heat for 4 hours or on low heat for 6-8 hours. To determine if it is finished, check to make sure the celery is soft and the chicken is fully cooked through, shredding easily.

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