Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

I got an Instant Pot this winter because we were remodeling our kitchen and all we had was a microwave and a slow cooker. The Instant Pot gave me a sauté function while the range was out. There wasn’t a long learning curve to figuring the Instant Pot out, but care was needed when cooking dry beans not to turn everything into porridge.

Of all of the recipes we worked out, this one for chicken noodle soup has been the most popular around our house. This is a starter recipe for a chicken noodle soup that, from scratch, takes about half an hour to prepare. You can add other ingredients if you wish. We will add broccoli sometimes or add some peas at the end. Just be careful not to add items that turn to mush with pressure cooking.

Ingredients

• 1 Onion – chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic – peeled and diced
• 3 Carrots – chopped
• 3 Stalks Celery – peeled and chopped
• 2 Red Fresno Chiles (or Jalapenos) diced (optional)
• 1 Chicken Breast – boneless and skinless cubed
• 8 – oz. Pasta (Rotini or preferred shape)
• 1 Handful Parsley – chopped
• 1 Quart Chicken Broth
• 1 Tbs. Olive Oil

Directions

Set Instant Pot to sauté mode. When hot, add oil and sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, then add the chicken and sauté for a few minutes until chicken turns white. Add the carrots, celery, and peppers, stir a few times to coat them with the oil. Then add the dry pasta and the chicken stock. Add additional water until pasta is (mostly) covered. Don’t fill beyond half.

Secure the lid to the pot and turn to pressure mode (high). Pressure cook for 10 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for another 5 minutes before rapidly releasing the remaining pressure.

Remove the lid, stir in the parsley, and serve. Our newly released Rosé of Grenache adds a touch of summer to this warm soup on a cold winter’s night.