InstaPot Chicken Noodle Soup

Author

Jess kehoe, DPT

InstaPot Chicken Noodle Soup

At the risk of advertising for InstaPot, you need one of these!  This was a pandemic snap purchase for us when our rice cooker broke, but we have discovered tons of easy and delicious ways to use our InstaPot this year and this Chicken Noodle Soup is certainly one of our favorites.  My mom always raved about her pressure cooker and we had just never really tried it.  I think you can do this recipe in a regular pressure cooker if that is what you have, just follow the instructions and cook on high pressure for the same amount of time.  

This one is thanks to my husband and FoodNetwork.com, and now I don’t think I can ever eat canned Chicken Noodle Soup again!  Perfect for a chilly fall meal.  

Cooking time: 45 min (but really I’d allow more to let your chicken cool!)
Serves: 6 at least

Ingredients:

5 medium carrots, cut into ¼ inch thick slices
3 large celery stalks, cut into ½ inch slices
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, cut into large dice
One whole chicken (about 3 lbs)
One 3 inch piece of ginger, halved lengthwise (optional)
6 ounces extra wide egg noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh dill, roughly chopped (optional)



Instructions:

Turn on your 6-quart Instant Pot to the high saute setting.  Add the olive oil and saute the onion, garlic, celery and carrots with 1 tablespoon of salt and a pinch of pepper.  Stir frequently until veggies are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the whole chicken, ginger and 8 cups of water. Lock the top, and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.   **Depending on the size of your chicken, you might not have room for the 8 cups of water!  No problem, just put in the max amount allowed, and then you can add more water at the end, and don’t worry it doesn’t water down your flavor at all in my experience.

When the cooking time is complete, follow your machine's guide for a quick release.  When this is complete remove the lid, careful for any further escaping steam.  Remove the ginger and discard.  Using tongs or two large forks remove the chicken and put it in a large pot.  It will be very hot, so it will take some time to cool before you can add it back into the soup.  Since this takes a while I would wait until you can comfortably shred the chicken meat with two forks before beginning the next step.  I have waited 30 minutes here, but if you don’t have that time, just be careful shredding your chicken!

Return your Instant Pot to the high saute, and bring your soup to a boil (here is where you would add any of your extra water that didn’t fit in earlier).  Add your noodles and follow instructions for time to cook.

While the noodles are cooking, remove the skin and remove your chicken from the bones.  Shred into bite size pieces.  Add the chicken back into the soup when the noodles are done.  Add the dill and season generously with salt and pepper to taste.

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