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Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup

A bowl of chicken and rice soup garnished with dill.

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4.9 from 9 reviews

This is the easiest recipe for Instant Pot chicken and rice soup, just dump everything into the pressure cooker! White rice gives the broth a creamy texture, plus there's tender chicken breast and veggies to make the soup even more satisfying.

Total Instant Pot Cooking Time:  20 minutes to reach pressure + 5 minutes cooking time + 5 minute quick release

This recipe was originally published in Feb 2021 and updated in Nov 2023

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or thinly sliced
  • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped or thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots, finely chopped or thinly sliced
  • 3/4 cup long grain white rice (such as jasmine rice or basmati rice)
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
  • 8 cups/2 quarts chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons butter (optional but delicious!)

Recipe Note: Make sure to finely chop or thinly slice the onion, garlic, carrot and celery so the veggies soften during the short cooking time. 

Don't use chicken breasts that weigh more than 8 ounces or they might not cook fully. 

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients (except for the butter) in the Instant Pot. 
  2. Secure the lid, making sure the steam release valve is in the sealed position. 
  3. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. 
  4. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Then, turn the valve to release the remaining pressure. Although it's not "officially" recommended, I like to drape a dish towel halfway over the steam release valve before releasing the pressure, to prevent liquid from splattering out.  
  5. Take out the chicken breasts with tongs and set them on a cutting board. 
  6. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. After ten minutes, chop or shred the meat. Generously season the chicken with salt.
  7. Add the chicken back to pot.
  8. If using the butter, stir it into the soup. 
  9. You can add more flavor with fresh dill, black pepper and/or lemon pepper. 

Notes

If you have time, you can saute the onion, celery and carrot for 3 to 5 minutes in a drizzle of olive oil before adding the rest of the ingredients. 

Waiting 5 minutes before releasing the pressure helps keep the chicken breast tender. It also helps reduce the amount of broth that will spew out of the valve. 

You can use water instead of chicken broth (or a combination of the two) but the soup won't be quite as flavorful. You'll definitely need to add more salt after the soup is cooked to help boost the flavor. You can also substitute veggie broth for chicken broth.

If you want the rice to have a firmer texture, you have to cook the rice for a shorter amount of time. To do this, follow the instructions for this recipe but don't add the rice. Once the soup is done, take out the cooked chicken breasts and add the rice. Cook the soup again for 3 minutes. Then, add the chopped chicken breast back into the soup. 

This recipe was tested in a 6-quart instant pot.