Instant Pot Chicken And Wild Rice Soup

Instant Pot Chicken And Wild Rice Soup is a hearty, comforting, and creamy chicken soup made easy in the Instant Pot with chicken, wild rice blend, and lots of vegetables.

Why Make This Instant Pot Chicken And Wild Rice Soup Recipe?

While I love all my Instant Pot Soup Recipes, like my Chicken Tortilla Soup, and Chicken And Dumplings, this Chicken And Wild Rice Soup recipe is extra comforting and hearty. There is something about the combination of the flavor and texture that makes this soup special.

While I love wild rice, for this recipe, I wanted to make this comfort food soup in as short a time as possible. This means you can have this soul-soothing, creamy, comforting soup on the table in a little over 30 minutes.

This Instant Pot Chicken And Wild Rice Soup has all the flavor of the variation that has cooked longer but cooks in a shorter time with less fuss.

What Do I Need To Make Instant Pot Chicken And Wild Rice Soup?

First, you will need a pressure cooker. I use this model of Instant Pot (affiliate link.) 

However, if you don’t have an Instant Pot, I highly recommend getting one because they save a ton of time and you will wonder how you ever lived without one. 

Next you will need the following ingredients: uncooked boneless, skinless chicken, cut into pieces 1 inch pieces, a package of wild rice with the seasoning packet, such as Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice, butter or oil, sliced mushrooms, and chopped vegetables, including onion, red and green bell peppers, celery, carrots, minced garlic, chicken broth (or water), salt and pepper, heavy cream, and lastly a cornstarch slurry, in case you need to thicken the soup.

Instructions on how to make the cornstarch slurry are detailed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.

Scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to review the recipe card, which includes the entire list of ingredients, with their specific amounts, and detailed instructions on how to make the Chicken and Wild Rice Soup in the Instant Pot.

Why Use Packaged Wild Rice Instead of Regular Wild Rice?

This Instant Pot Recipe uses a parboiled wild rice mix, like Uncle Ben’s, so that the wild rice will cook faster. In addition, the boxed wild rice is easy to find. Sometimes real wild rice is not always available, or hard to find. I always try to make my recipes with ingredients that you can easily find from a regular grocery store.

Can I Make This Recipe using Regular Wild Rice Instead of Parboiled Wild Rice?

Absolutely, however, instead of pressure cooking for 7 minutes, you will be pressure cooking for about 45 minutes. As long as you are willing to cook for a longer time, then wild rice will be delicious.

Can I Use Leftover Turkey Instead of Chicken In This Soup?

Yes, it is delicious with leftover turkey. Be aware that you will have to adjust the pressure cooking time since the turkey is already cooked, and the chicken is not. Instead of cooking for 7 minutes, try cooking for 3 minutes. This time assumes that you use the package of parboiled wild rice.

If you are using regular wild rice, pressure cook the soup without the turkey for 45 minutes and then add the cooked turkey in after it has pressure cooked, but keep it on warm. The heat from the soup will heat the pieces of cooked turkey.

How To Make Instant Pot Chicken And Wild Rice Soup

Below I will outline at a high level the activities to be done, before, during, and after Pressure cooking the Instant Pot Chicken And Wild Rice Soup.

In the Printable Recipe Card at the bottom of this post, are detailed instructions with ingredient amounts, cooking times, and all information needed to make this recipe. When you are ready to make this recipe, use the detailed instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.

BEFORE PRESSURE COOKING

1. Sauté The Vegetables. You can sauté the vegetables in butter or oil in the Inner Liner Pot of the Instant Pot before pressure cooking to give the soup added flavor. Yes, you can skip this step and add the ingredients, but I highly recommend going ahead and cooking the vegetables ahead of time. I think it adds extra flavor and softens the vegetables. When the vegetables finish cooking, add about 1 cup of liquid and scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any bits stuck to the bottom. This helps flavor the broth, and helps to prevent receiving a “Burn” notice from the Instant Pot.
2. Add The Liquid. 6 cups of liquid are to be added to the Inner Liner Pot of the Instant Pot where the vegetables have been cooked. The liquid can consist of entirely chicken broth or chicken stick, entirely of water, or a mixture of both chicken broth and water.
3. Add The Chicken And Wild Rice. After adding the liquid, add the uncooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs) and the wild rice.
4. Add The Seasoning.  Next add salt, pepper, and empty the ingredients of the wild rice seasoning packet into the soup.

Pressure Cook The Chicken And Wild Rice Soup

1. Pressure Cook on High for 7 minutes. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the detailed instructions on how to set it to pressure cook for 7 minutes.
2. Natural Release for 5 minutes. Let the Instant Pot release pressure naturally for 5 minutes. (HINT: This means you do NOTHING for 5 minutes.)
3. Quick Release after 5 minutes. After 5 minutes of a natural release, do a quick release. See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this blog post for the specific instructions on how to do a quick release. Once the pressure has been fully released, then it is safe to open the lid.

AFTER PRESSURE COOKING

1. Add Heavy Cream. After the Chicken And Wild Rice Soup has finished pressure cooking, open the lid and pour in 1/2 cup of heavy cream. 
2. Add the Cornstarch Slurry (optional). If you would like the soup to be thicker, then make a cornstarch slurry by mixing together 2 tablespoons each of water and cornstarch. Then pour that in the soup and stir.

How Long To Cook Chicken And Wild Rice Soup In The Instant Pot

Sometimes Instant Pot cooking times can be misleading. There are multiple steps in the cooking process and each step takes time. Below is a chart of the amount of time for each step as well as the total time it takes from start to finish to make Chicken And Wild Rice Soup in the Instant Pot.

1. Chopping vegetables:     10 Minutes
2. Sauteing the vegetables:  8 Minutes
3. Come Up To Pressure:   10 Minutes (approximate)
4. Pressure Cooking:            7  Minutes
5. Pressure Release:             5  Minutes
6. Total Time.                       40 Minutes   

Can I Make Instant Pot Chicken And Wild Rice Soup Ahead of Time?

Yes, make this soup a day ahead and it will taste even better the next day. Just keep it covered and refrigerated until you are ready to reheat and serve. You can reheat individual servings in the microwave, or reheat in the Instant Pot or on top of the stove.

Can I Freeze Instant Pot Chicken And Wild Rice Soup?

Yes, you can freeze this Chicken And Wild Rice Soup. However, be aware that the texture of the wild rice may not be quite the same after thawing. 

What To Serve With Chicken And Wild Rice Soup?

Here are some of my favorite sides to serve with this soup.

1. Homemade Buttermilk Cornbread
2. Homemade Biscuits
3. Irish Soda Bread Muffins with Cheddar and Jalapenos
4. Savory Herb Monkey Bread Rolls
5. Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps

What Other Soups Can I Make In An Instant Pot?

• Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
• Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Instant Pot Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Albondigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)
• Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
• Instant Pot Chili

Craving Chicken and Rice, but don’t have an Instant Pot, try my Creamy Mushroom Chicken and Rice recipe!

Recipe

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4 from 1 vote

Instant Pot Chicken And Wild Rice Soup

Instant Pot Chicken And Wild Rice Soup is a hearty, comforting, and creamy chicken soup made easy in the Instant Pot with chicken, wild rice blend, and lots of vegetables.

Course Main Dishes, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, Chicken Soup, Instant Pot Chicken And Rice Soup, Instant Pot Chicken And Wild Rice Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Pressurization 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 297kcal

Author Michele @ Flavor Mosaic

Equipment

• 6-Quart Instant Pot Duo60 from Amazon.com (affiliate link)

Ingredients

ADD BEFORE PRESSURE COOKING

• 2 Tablespoons butter (or oil)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 red sweet pepper, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrots (about 2 carrots, peeled and diced)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 48 ounces (6 cups) chicken broth (recommend low sodium)
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• 2 (6-oz) boxes parboiled wild rice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 seasoning packet from box of rice

ADD AFTER PRESSURE COOKING

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Cornstarch Slurry (Optional)

• 3 Tablespoons water
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

BEFORE PRESSURE COOKING

• Saute the vegetables. Press the SAUTE button. When the front of the Instant Pot says "Hot" then add the butter or oil. When the butter or oil is hot (butter will melt; oil will start to shimmer), add the mushrooms and cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Then add the onion, celery, red and green bell pepper, and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes. Then add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring the entire time so that the garlic does not burn.
• Add the Liquid. Pour in about 1 cup of chicken broth or chicken stock. Scrape the bottom of the pan to ensure you get all the bits and pieces off the bottom of the pot. (This will help prevent getting a "Burn" message.) Then pour in the rest of the chicken stock or chicken broth. (I recommend using one with lower sodium so it does not make the soup too salty. )
• Add the Chicken And Rice. Add the 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs) and 2 boxes of parboiled wild rice.
• Add the Seasoning. Add salt, pepper, and the seasoning packet from one box of parboiled rice.

PRESSURE COOK

• Pressure Cook the Soup. Press the PRESSURE COOK or MANUAL button (depending on model) and then adjust the + or - sign to 7 to set it to pressure cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 7 minutes. Close the lid. Move the Pressure Release Valve to the SEALING position. (NOTE: It will take several minutes, maybe 10 minutes, to come up to pressure. While it is coming up to pressure, it will say "On" and when it has reached the correct pressure, the display will show 10 and start counting down the time.)

AFTER PRESSURE COOKING

• Release Pressure. After the Instant Pot has finished pressure cooking and the display will show the letter "L" with a number to show the time for pressure release, do a NATURAL RELEASE for 5 MIN. This means to let it release pressure naturally for 5 minutes. (This means you DO NOTHING for 5 minutes.) Then after 5 minutes carefully move the Pressure Release Valve to the VENTING position for a QUICK RELEASE of pressure. Once the pin drops and all pressure has been released, carefully remove the lid.
• Make It Creamy. At this point, you could serve the soup as is and it would be delicious. It just would not be creamy. To make it ultra-rich and creamy, add 1/2 cup heavy cream and stir. If you want it to be thicker, combine 3 tablespoons each of water and cornstarch and then pour that in and wait 5 minutes. That will thicken up the soup.

Notes

1. While you can skip the step to sauté the vegetables first, I highly recommend that you don't skip this step. It adds so much flavor to the mushrooms, vegetables, and broth, that the soup may not taste the same if you skip that step.
2. Another step that must not be skipped, is scraping the bottom of the inner liner pot after you have cooked the vegetables. First, it adds flavor to the broth, and secondly, it helps to prevent getting the "Burn" message from Instant Pot. So be sure to add a little broth first to help loosen the little bits from the bottom of the pot. 
3. The Instant Pot takes some time to come up to pressure BEFORE it starts pressure cooking. How long this takes can vary from recipe and from one model of Instant Pot to another. Be patient. If the Instant Pot just says "On" and is not counting down the time, that means it is still coming up to pressure. Once it starts counting down the time, then it has started pressure cooking.
4. Do NOT add in the heavy cream before pressure cooking. You don't want to pressure cook dairy ingredients. Wait to add the cream until AFTER pressure cooking in order to get the creamy consistency of the soup.
5. Optional. If you prefer a more broth-based soup vs a creamy soup, then leave out the cream at the end of the recipe. The soup will still be delicious. It just won't be creamy.

Nutrition

Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 856mg | Potassium: 620mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3561IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg