Description
This Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup is a comforting, hearty, and easy-to-make soup perfect for a cozy meal. Using the Instant Pot for quick pressure cooking, it combines tender chicken, flavorful vegetables, and perfectly cooked egg noodles in a delicious homemade broth infused with herbs like thyme and parsley.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
Vegetables
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 3 celery stalks, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Liquids and Seasonings
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Pasta
- 6 ounces egg noodles
Optional Garnish
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Sauté Aromatics: Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add olive oil to the pot, then sauté the diced onion, peeled and sliced carrots, and sliced celery for 3 to 4 minutes until the vegetables are softened and fragrant.
- Build Flavor Base: Add the minced garlic to the pot and cook for about 30 seconds until the garlic becomes fragrant, taking care not to burn it.
- Position Protein: Place the boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs on top of the sautéed vegetable mixture in the Instant Pot.
- Add Liquid and Seasonings: Pour in the low-sodium chicken broth and add the dried thyme, dried parsley, bay leaf, black pepper, and salt. Stir gently to combine all ingredients without disturbing the layering too much.
- Pressure Cook Chicken: Secure the Instant Pot lid and set the valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes to cook the chicken thoroughly and infuse flavors.
- Release Pressure: When the cooking cycle finishes, allow a natural pressure release for 5 minutes to avoid splashing, then carefully quick-release any remaining pressure by turning the valve to Venting.
- Shred Chicken: Remove the chicken from the pot using tongs or a slotted spoon and place it on a plate. Shred the chicken finely using two forks.
- Cook Pasta: Turn the Instant Pot back to Sauté mode. Add the egg noodles to the soup and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes until they are tender but not mushy, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Recombine and Season: Return the shredded chicken to the pot and stir gently to incorporate all ingredients. Taste the soup and adjust salt and pepper seasoning as needed.
- Serve: Discard the bay leaf from the pot. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish with freshly chopped parsley if desired for a fresh herbal note.
Notes
- If you prefer a richer broth, you can sauté the vegetables a little longer or add a splash of white wine before adding the broth.
- Feel free to substitute egg noodles with gluten-free pasta for a gluten-free version, adjusting cooking time accordingly.
- Using chicken thighs will yield a more tender and flavorful soup compared to chicken breasts.
- Leftover soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- To reduce sodium, choose no-salt-added chicken broth and adjust salt to taste at the end.
