Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

This version of the timeless classic has full-bodied flavors and is ridiculously comforting.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 5

Servings

Calories 247kcal

Author Gary White

Ingredients

5 lb. whole chicken
1 large onion roughly chopped
6 thyme sprigs
1 Tbsp. garlic minced
1 bay leaf
4 tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 cup yellow onions diced
½ cup celery diced
1 cup carrots diced
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
12 oz. egg noodles

Instructions

Add whole chicken to pot, breast side up. Then add aromatics and seasonings – onion, thyme, garlic, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Then add 6 cups of water. Lock lid and cook for 35 minutes at high pressure.
Meanwhile... chop all your other veggies.
Once cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally for 30 minutes. If there is any pressure left, go ahead and do a quick-release.
Remove chicken and transfer to a large bowl. It should be falling apart (which is a good thing!), so you may need to do this a little at a time. Using some sort of strainer, remove all remaining aromatics and chicken remnants from the broth.
Add diced onions, celery, carrots, lemon juice, and noodles to broth. Lock lid and cook for 2 minutes at high pressure.
Meanwhile... remove all meat from chicken and shred into bite-size pieces. Discard skin and bones.
Once cook time is complete, you’ll need to do a controlled quick-release (meaning only open vent halfway, and open for a few seconds at a time). This type of noodle will cause starchy bubbles that may try to escape through the steam vent if you release too quickly.
Return meat to pot and give a good mix. Serve hot!

Notes

Expert Tips

This recipe uses only 12 oz of egg noodles. Our local store carries this brand of egg noodles, which come in a 12 oz package. Many packages are 16 oz. If a 12 oz package is not available at your store, you may use a food scale to measure 12 oz of pasta.
The rule for cooking pasta in the Instant Pot is this… Divide the time on box in half, then subtract 2 more minutes. So if it says 8 minutes, you’d do 8 divided by 2 (which is 4) minus 2 — a total of 2 minutes with quick-pressure release. If you plan to substitute a different kind of pasta for this dish, adjust the cook time accordingly.
We prefer larger pieces of chicken in our soup. However, if you prefer finely shredded chicken, you can use a hand mixer! After discarding skin and bones and pulling chicken apart a bit, place the chicken into a deep mixing bowl. Press the beaters of the hand mixer into the chicken and turn on to low speed. Let the mixers work until the chicken is shredded to your liking.

FAQs

Can I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken? When you use a whole chicken, you are creating delicious broth for the soup. If you sub chicken breasts, you will need to use pre-made, or store-bought, broth. Of course, you can use store-bought broth and boneless skinless chicken breasts. But if you do, don’t expect it to be special. In my opinion, you may as well buy a can of Campbells.

Can I make this gluten-free? Yes. However, keep in mind that gluten-free pasta tends to absorb broth as it sits. I recommend serving gluten-free chicken noodle soup promptly. For tips on how to adjust cook time for gluten-free pasta, see the "rule of cooking pasta" above in the "Expert Tips".

Nutrition