Easy Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
This Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup is everyone’s favorite soup to eat when feeling under the weather or anytime you crave downhome comfort food. Family members of all ages love this soup. It can be frozen and reheated anytime you have a craving for a quick and easy chicken noodle soup.
The taste and smell of homemade chicken noodle soup is heavenly. My grandma and mom used to make their chicken noodle soup from scratch with whole chickens and vegetables we picked from my grandpa’s garden.
However, the time it took to make it was daunting and few of us want to or can spend that time anymore. With the Instant Pot you can get just as tasty, comforting soup in much less time.
Table of Contents
Quick Answer Box
- What it is: This Instant Pot chicken noodle soup is a fast, hearty version of the classic. It uses tender chicken, broth, vegetables, and noodles for a comforting dinner that feels homemade without taking all afternoon.
- Why you’ll love it: It is warm, filling, and easy to pull together on a busy day. The Instant Pot does the heavy lifting, and the soup tastes even better with simple pantry ingredients and a handful of fresh vegetables.
- How to make it: Cook the chicken, broth, carrots, celery, onion, and seasonings in the Instant Pot until the chicken is tender. Shred the chicken, return it to the pot, then add the noodles and cook just until they are tender.
Ingredients for Chicken Noodle Soup in the Instant Pot
- Chicken Thighs: You don’t need the whole chicken to make this soup. Bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and add much more flavor to the soup than chicken breasts. Remove any excess fat and dark matter (kidneys) from the chicken thighs and discard. After pressure cooking, discard the skin and bones. If there is any excess fat from the chicken in the soup, you can skim it off before serving. (See the Cook’s Tips for using leftover rotisserie chicken.)
- Onions, Carrots, and Celery: Cut the carrots into evenly sized pieces so they get done cooking at the same time. This factor is not as critical for the onions and the celery. My mother always added the celery greens to the pot too for an extra pop of flavor, so this recipes follows her advice.
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth: Using a low or no-sodium chicken broth is recommended for a couple of reasons. First, because the recipe calls for 4 cups of broth, the soup would be too salty. You can always adjust the saltiness to taste later.
- Wide Egg Noodles: The wider noodles add a down-home feel and flavor to this soup. They also make a perfect finger food for young children. You may also want to try Kluski noodles, a thinner Polish noodle in this chicken soup. Follow the cooking time on the package in step 6.
Doesn’t this bowl of Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup look wonderfully delicious!
How To Make Chicken Noodle Soup In The Instant Pot
- Start by sautéing the onion, carrots, and celery in butter until they soften a bit. This gives the soup a better flavor base right from the start.
- Add the broth, water, herbs, and chicken. Pressure cook until the chicken is tender, then let the pressure come down briefly before venting.
- Take the chicken out and shred it. Remove any bones or skin, then return the meat to the pot.
- Turn the pot back to sauté and cook the noodles in the broth until they are just tender. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve hot.
Cook’s Tips
Although easy to make, here are a few tips to make this Instant Pot chicken noodle soup super simple and delicious.
- Use leftover rotisserie chicken in place of the thighs. Add the carcass bones from the chicken in Step 2. Discard them in step 6 before adding the shredded rotisserie chicken to the pot.
- Use chicken thighs for richer broth and more tender meat. They hold up well in the Instant Pot and give the soup a better flavor.
- Do not pressure cook the noodles with the chicken. Cooking them at the end helps keep them from turning too soft and mushy.
- If you want to freeze the soup, stop before adding the noodles. Cook fresh noodles when you reheat it so the texture stays better.
Freezing Chicken Noodle Soup
If you are making the whole batch to freeze:
- Do not add the noodles. Follow the directions through step 5. Let your soup cool. You can refrigerate it and scrape up any coagulated fat from the top, if needed. Spoon into serving size containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat: The chicken soup can be defrosted overnight in the refrigerator or just before using in the microwave. Add water to a stock pot over medium-high heat or to the Instant Pot set on Sauté and Normal. Heat water until boiling, add noodles and cook, stirring, according to the time on the package. Drain. Add the chicken soup to the pot and cook, stirring often, until heated through. Stir in noodles. Serve.
If you are making part of the batch to freeze:
- Follow the directions through step 5. Ladle out the portion you plan to freeze. Let your soup cool before transferring to freezer containers or bags. Follow the instructions above to reheat your chicken noodle soup.
- Add the quantity of noodles needed. For 4 servings, you will need 1 cup of noodles. For 2 servings, you will need 1/2 cup of noodles.
Equipment Needed: In addition to your Instant Pot, a classic 8″ chefs knife is one of the best tools to have in your kitchen.
FAQs
Can you cook noodles in Instant Pot chicken noodle soup?
Yes. In this recipe, the soup cooks first, then the noodles are added on sauté and cooked according to the package directions. That helps keep the noodles from turning too soft under pressure.
What kind of chicken is best for Instant Pot chicken noodle soup?
Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs work especially well here because they add more flavor to the broth than chicken breasts. After cooking, the skin and bones are discarded and the chicken is shredded back into the soup.
Can you freeze Instant Pot chicken noodle soup?
Yes, but it freezes best without the noodles. The post recommends making the soup through step 5, cooling it, and freezing it in portions. When reheating, cook fresh noodles separately and stir them in at the end.
How long do you cook chicken noodle soup in the Instant Pot?
This recipe pressure cooks on High for 7 minutes, then rests for 10 minutes before venting. After that, the chicken is shredded and the noodles are cooked in the pot on sauté. Total recipe time is listed as 37 minutes.
How do you keep chicken noodle soup from getting too salty?
Using low-sodium or reduced-sodium broth helps control the salt level, especially since the recipe uses 4 cups of broth. The post also notes that seasoning can be adjusted later to taste.
Time for you to start making a quick and easy batch of Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup!
Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup (Kid-Friendly)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- celery leaves cut from the stalks
- 1 ½ tbsp fresh chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped oregano
- 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or Low-Sodium Chicken Stock
- 4 cups water
- 2 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 4 to 5 thighs) or leftover rotisserie chicken (see tip)
- 2 cups wide egg noodles
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to sauté on Normal. Add the butter and heat until melted. Add onions, carrots and celery; cook, stirring, 5 minutes or until the onion is softened. Press Cancel.
- Add the celery leaves, parsley, oregano, broth and water, stirring well. Add the chicken thighs.
- Close and lock the lid and turn the steam release handle to Sealing. Set your Instant Pot to pressure cook on High for 7 minutes.
- When the cooking time is done, press Cancel. Let stand 10 minutes and then turn the steam release handle to Venting. When the float valve drops down, remove the lid. An instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into the thickest part of the thighs should register 165°F (74°C) (If more cooking time is needed, close and lock the lid and cook for 2 minutes.)
- Using tongs, transfer chicken thighs to a work surface. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken. Discard the bones and skin. Remove and discard the celery leaves.
- Set your Instant Pot to sauté on Normal. Add the noodles to the pot and follow the package instructions for cooking time. (Typically about 7 to 9 minutes.) When the cooking time is done, press Cancel. Stir in the shredded chicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into serving bowls.
Cooks Tips
- Use leftover rotisserie chicken in place of the thighs. Add the carcass bones from the chicken in Step 2. Discard them in step 6 before adding the shredded rotisserie chicken to the pot.
- If serving to young children, cut vegetables chunks and chicken into smaller pieces, if necessary. Test temperature before serving
