Make this Instant Pot Chicken Soup in just over an hour for a flavor packed and cosy dinner. Creamy with a light spicy kick, this soup is just the comfort food you need.
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If you've enjoyed my Spicy Chicken Soup recipe, you're going to love this Instant Pot Chicken Soup. It has all the same flavors, but is so much easier to make. The Instant Pot makes it a breeze to cook soups like this from scratch, and the chicken cooks perfectly for a delicious meal.
Another thing I love to use my Instant Pot for is to make a quick yet super tasty Instant Pot Bolognese.
Why you will love this recipe
- Flavor packed thanks to the veggies and chicken cooking together
- Easy to make with just a few simple steps
- It's hands off with the Instant Pot doing most of the work
- Super filling thanks to a good serving of chicken and all that creamy goodness
- Creamy, warm and cosy! The perfect type of comfort food.
- A light spicy kick to wake up your senses
What you need to make it
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Chicken: Whole chicken is the best for this recipe, but you can use other cuts as well. For the best chicken broth you need bone-in chicken.
- Chili powder & flakes can vary a lot in strength. As written, this recipe uses a spicy kind of chili flakes and comes out with just a bit of a spicy kick (even my mom was OK with it!). But please adjust the amounts to suit your palate, and taste test as you go to avoid it becoming too spicy.
- Olive oil can be skipped, but adds nice flavor
- Butter can be salted or unsalted, and can be swapped for olive oil
- Bell pepper: use any color, I like red
- Heavy cream is required for best results
How to make it
- Sauté garlic in butter in your Instant Pot
- Add bell peppers, mushrooms & olive oil and sauté a few minutes
- Add chicken, salt, and water. Then close the lid tightly and cook at high pressure for 20 minutes.
- Allow pressure to release naturally for at least 15 minutes, after this you can use the quick release valve. Remove the chicken and set aside for now.
- Add heavy cream
- Add chili powder & chili flakes
- Stir to combine, then simmer at least 5 minutes
- Add shredded chicken, mix, and give it 1 minute to heat up. Then serve!
Tips & tricks
- Adjust the amount of spice to suit your palate - add more or less chili flakes to taste
- Allow pressure to release naturally for the best cooked chicken
- Cook 6 minutes per pound of chicken. I round up and cook a 3 lb chicken for 20 minutes.
- For a delicious cream of chicken soup - blend the soup with an immersion blender after adding the chicken in the final step
- Store leftover Instant Pot Chicken Soup in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 4 days
- Reheat leftoves in the microwave in 1 minute increments, or in a saucepan on the stove for 5-10 minutes
- Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months
Recipe FAQ
Can I use boneless or skinless chicken?
Yes, you can use boneless and/or skinless chicken. Just keep in mind that a lot of the flavor of the soup comes from cooking the chicken with the bones and skin, so you might want to add a bouillon cube as well.
Can I use frozen chicken?
Yes, use can use frozen chicken. This will take 10-12 minutes per pound to cook at high pressure, so about 35 minutes in total for a 3 lb chicken.
Should I sear the chicken before cooking?
You can sear the chicken before cooking, and it will add a bit of extra flavor. However, for me it does not add enough extra flavor to this Instant Pot Chicken Soup to be worth the effort.
More quick & easy Instant Pot recipes
Looking for more quick & easy Instant Pot recipes like this Instant Pot Chicken Soup?
- The Best Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Instant Pot Turkey Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce
- Instant Pot Chicken Stew
Did you love this recipe? Rate it five stars!
...and let me know what you loved about it in the comments.
Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Soup
Print RateServings: 4
Calories: 975kcal
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Pressure & Venting 30 minutes
Pressure & Venting: 30 min
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 2 cups white button mushrooms sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 whole chicken
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ tablespoon chili flakes adjust amount according to taste & spice level
- ½ tablespoon chili powder adjust amount according to taste & spice level
Instructions
- Start your pressure cooker in sauté mode. Add butter and allow to melt, then add chopped garlic. Sauté 1 minute until fragrant.¼ cup butter, 4 garlic cloves
- Add chopped bell pepper, sliced mushroom, and olive oil. Sauté 2-3 minutes until softened.1 red bell pepper, 2 cups white button mushrooms, 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Turn off the pressure cooker and add in the whole chicken. Follow with salt and pour over the water. Mix gently around the chicken and make sure no pieces are stuck to the bottom of the pressure cooker.1 whole chicken, ½ tablespoon salt, 4 cups water
- Close the lid tightly and set the pressure cooker to manual cooking at High Pressure for 20 minutes (about 6 minutes per pound of chicken). Make sure "keep warm" is turned off.
- When the pressure cooking cycle is done, leave to release pressure naturally for at least 15 minutes. After this you can use the quick release valve to release the last of the pressure.
- Remove the chicken from the pressure cooker and set aside to cool.
- Start your pressure cooker in sauté mode and add cream, chili powder and chili flakes. Simmer at least 5 minutes.2 cups heavy cream, ½ tablespoon chili flakes, ½ tablespoon chili powder
- When the chicken has cooled down enough to touch, remove the meat from the bones and shred it. Then add to the soup. Mix and let it sit for a minute to heat the chicken through, and you are ready to serve!
Equipment (may contain affiliate links)
- Instant Pot* or other pressure cooker
- Measuring cups (metric or US)*
Video
Notes
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Chili powder & flakes can vary a lot in strength. As written, this recipe uses a spicy kind of chili flakes and comes out with just a bit of a spicy kick (even my mom was OK with it!). But please adjust the amounts to suit your palate, and taste test as you go to avoid it becoming too spicy.
- Olive oil can be skipped, but adds nice flavor
- Butter can be salted or unsalted, and can be swapped for olive oil
- Bell pepper: use any color, I like red
- Heavy cream is required for best results
Tips & tricks
- Adjust the amount of spice to suit your palate - add more or less chili flakes to taste
- Allow pressure to release naturally for the best cooked chicken
- Cook 6 minutes per pound of chicken. I round up and cook a 3 lb chicken for 20 minutes.
- For a delicious cream of chicken soup - blend the soup with an immersion blender * after adding the chicken in the final step
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 4 days
- Reheat leftoves in the microwave in 1 minute increments, or in a saucepan on the stove for 5-10 minutes
- Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months
Nutrition
Calories: 975kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 87g | Saturated Fat: 43g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 28g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 308mg | Sodium: 1178mg | Potassium: 743mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3895IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
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Sharon Perry
I would to make this in my crock pot or stove top! I see why IP complain about no directions for them! I try my best to change the directions.
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Sharon! If you want to make it stove top, I'd recommend this recipes instead: https://alwaysusebutter.com/easy-homemade-chicken-soup-with-whole-chicken/. It's basically the same recipe, just for stove top. /Emmeline