This Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Soup is made with a whole chicken for maximum flavor! Mushrooms, bell peppers, and garlic cook together with the chicken to create an incredibly rich broth, then it's finished with heavy cream and a touch of chili for a nice kick. Just 10 minutes of hands-on prep, then the Instant Pot does all the work!
Rich, Creamy, and Just a Little Bit Spicy
If you've enjoyed my Spicy Chicken Soup , you're going to love this Instant Pot version. It has all the same flavors, but is so much easier to make.
This isn't your typical chicken soup. It's creamy and rich from the heavy cream, with a gentle spicy kick from chili powder and flakes. And it's made with mushrooms and bell peppers instead of the usual celery and carrots.
The whole chicken cooks right in the Instant Pot, creating an incredibly flavorful broth that tastes like it simmered for hours - but really it's only about 10 minutes of hands-on work!
All that cream and chicken makes it a very filling meal - so you don't even need bread or anything on the side, unless you really want to.
Looking for something different? This coconut lentil soup is just as creamy and spicy, but entirely vegetarian.
Start With a Whole Chicken for Maximum Flavor
Why We Use a Whole Chicken - And What You Can Use Instead
This chicken soup relies on a flavorful chicken broth that is made while the chicken cooks. And for a truly flavorful chicken broth you need the bones of the chicken.
If you want to use something else, a bone-in cut of chicken is best, like drumsticks or bone-in chicken thighs.
You can also make this with chicken breasts or chicken thigh filets, but you will then need to add a chicken bouillon cube or two to the broth after cooking.
Adjust the Spice to Suit Your Palate
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.
You can always add more chili flakes when serving, but it's very difficult to make it less spicy after the fact.
How to Make Chicken Soup in 5 Simple Steps
1. Sauté
Start by sauteing garlic in butter in your instant pot, then add olive oil, mushrooms and bell peppers and sauté a few more minutes.
2. Add Chicken & Water
Add chicken, salt and water.
3. Pressure Cook
Pressure cook at high pressure for 20 minutes, then release pressure naturally for at least 15 minutes before you do a quick release of the remaining pressure.
4. Make It Creamy & Spicy
Remove the chicken and set it aside to cool down a bit. Meanwhile, make the cream sauce by adding in cream, chili powder and chili flakes and simmering 5 minutes.
5. Add the Chicken
When the chicken is cool enough, shred it, then add back to the soup without the bones, and let it simmer a minute to heat back up.
If you want to, you can use an immersion blender to blend the soup at this point, or serve it as it is with chunks of meat.
Top Tips for the Best Chicken Soup
Cook time will vary with the size of your chicken. Cook 6 minutes per pound of chicken. I round up and cook a 3 lb chicken for 20 minutes.
If you have time, allow pressure to release naturally. This will allow even more flavor to develop without overcooking the chicken.
Make it faster by skipping the natural release. This step isn't entirely necessary, we just do it to add more flavor.
Make a cream of chicken soup! This soup is delicious with chunks of chicken and just as delicious blended. Blend it with an immersion blender after adding the chicken in the final step. Be careful as the liquid is very hot!
What to Do with Leftovers
Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Store leftovers in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Reheating stove top: Heat in a saucepan over medium heat 5-10 minutes, until heated through. Stir often.
Reheating in microwave: Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 1-minute increments, stirring between each segment.
More Easy Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Bolognese1 Hours
- Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce45 Minutes
- Instant Pot Turkey Soup40 Minutes
- Instant Pot Chicken Stew45 Minutes
More Quick & Easy Soup Recipes
- Creamy Coconut Lentil Soup30 Minutes
- Miso Mushroom Ramen Noodles with Shiitake & Portobello20 Minutes
- Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup25 Minutes
- Cream of Mushroom Soup30 Minutes
Recipe
Creamy Spicy Instant Pot Chicken Soup
Print RateIngredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 red bell pepper or other color; chopped
- 2 cups white button mushrooms sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil optional
- 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
What to Do with Leftovers
Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Freezing: Store leftovers in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheating stove top: Heat in a saucepan over medium heat 5-10 minutes, until heated through. Stir often. Reheating in microwave: Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 1-minute increments, stirring between each segment.Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
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