Instant Pot Chicken Soup
User Reviews
5
Instant Pot Chicken Soup
Description
This recipe begins by optionally browning seasoned bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs in butter or olive oil using the Instant Pot's sauté function for added depth. Aromatics including diced onion, crushed garlic, tomato paste, basil, and bay leaves are sautéed before pressure cooking all ingredients with chicken stock, celery, carrots, and quartered Roma tomatoes. Alternatively, all ingredients can be combined and pressure cooked without browning for convenience.
The resulting soup features a rich, layered broth from tomato paste and herbs, tender chicken pieces, and softened vegetables. The recipe intentionally uses unsalted stock and butter to allow precise salt adjustments after cooking. The use of Roma tomatoes adds fresh brightness, but canned diced or crushed tomatoes may be substituted if layered on top without mixing to avoid burn errors on the Instant Pot.
This soup can be served as a nourishing main or starter, with fat from the skin adding richness to the broth. Cooking times may be adjusted slightly for frozen or boneless chicken variations.
The soup also freezes well for convenient future meals.
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds (1166g) chicken thigh bone-in
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter or olive oil
- 1 (160g) onion , diced
- 2 tablespoons (30g) tomato paste
- 5 (18g) garlic crushed and minced, cloves
- 2 pinches basil dried
- 2 (0.3g) bay leaf
- 4 cups (1L) chicken stock unsalted
- 1 rib (87g) celery , chopped
- 2 (270g) carrot peeled and chopped
- 4 - 5 (1lb or 454g) Roma tomato quartered
- salt
- ground black pepper
Instructions
Dump & Pressure Cook Method:
- If you're short on time, make this Jazzy Chicken Soup by dumping all ingredients in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker. Then skip all the browning steps, and jump to Step 4 - Pressure Cook Chicken Soup.
Flavor-Boosting Method:
- Brown Chicken: Heat up Instant Pot using Sauté More function. Wait until it says HOT (~8 mins). Pat dry chicken with a paper towel. Then season one side gently with salt and ground black pepper. Add in 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter or olive oil. Then quickly add in the chicken (seasoned side down) to prevent the butter from burning. Season the other side of chicken with more salt and ground black pepper. Brown both sides of chicken thighs in Instant Pot for 4 minutes per side.
- Saute Onions and Garlic: Set aside the browned chicken. Add diced onion in Instant Pot, then saute until soften (~2 mins). Add in 2 tbsp (30g) tomato paste, then saute for another minute. Add in minced garlic, 2 pinches of dried basil, and 2 bay leaves, then saute for another minute.
- Deglaze Instant Pot: Add ½ cup (125ml) unsalted chicken stock in Instant Pot. Then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Keep the brown bits as they're very flavorful!
- Pressure Cook Chicken Soup: Add in browned chicken, chopped celery, chopped carrot, quartered tomatoes, and 3½ cups (875ml) unsalted chicken stock. Give it a quick mix. With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Pressure cook at High Pressure for 5 minutes, then Natural Release for 15 minutes.
- Season & Shred Chicken: Place pressure cooked chicken in a large mixing bowl. Shred the chicken with two forks. Discard the bones and skins. Add back shredded chicken in Instant Pot. Taste the chicken soup, then season with more salt. For reference, we added 3 to 4 large pinches of kosher salt.
- Serve: Serve this comforting Jazzy Chicken Soup as a wholesome meal. Enjoy!~
Notes
- Bone-in skin-on chicken thighs give best flavor and texture for the soup.
- Use unsalted chicken stock and butter to control saltiness; adjust seasoning after cooking as needed.
- If substituting canned diced or crushed tomatoes, layer them on top without stirring to prevent Instant Pot burn errors.
- Frozen chicken pieces can be used with an additional 1 to 2 minutes of pressure cooking time.
- The soup freezes well for storage, making it suitable for meal prep.
- Cooking times differ for whole chicken, boneless skinless thighs, and chicken quarters; adjust accordingly.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4- 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories 473 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 473kcal | 24% |
| Carbohydrates | 14g | 5% |
| Protein | 31g | 62% |
| Fat | 32g | 49% |
| Saturated Fat | 8g | 40% |
| Cholesterol | 157mg | 52% |
| Sodium | 261mg | 11% |
| Potassium | 939mg | 20% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 6g | 12% |
| Vitamin A | 8420IU | 168% |
| Vitamin C | 17.6mg | 20% |
| Calcium | 68mg | 7% |
| Iron | 2.3mg | 13% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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