Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Hearty soup, but light at the same time.
- Nourishing and healing.
- Classic flavors in a shorter amount of time.
- Use up leftover shredded chicken or buy a rotisserie chicken for a shortcut.
- It’s an easy recipe to cook up on a weeknight and store all week for lunches, just like whole30 zuppa toscana.
- The fresh herbs take the flavor to another level.
- There’s deep flavor in the broth by searing the chicken first—just like in this lemon chicken orzo recipe.
Craving another easy soup? Try Instant Pot Greek Lemon Chicken Soup or Instant Pot Lasagna Soup next.
Sometimes you just want a warm and cozy bowl of soup. Maybe you’re under the weather or you’re just craving a cup of soup to go with the cold temps. Either way, this Instant Pot chicken noodle soup recipe will make you feel all the warm and cozy feels.
We love Instant Pot recipes because they build a ton of flavor in a fraction of the time. This means you don’t have to simmer soup all day to get intense flavors, pressure cooking does the work for you. Here are a few more reasons to make this recipe ASAP.
New to the Instant Pot? I love this beginner’s guide to using your Instant Pot.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken: We’re using chicken thighs for added flavor from the dark meat, but boneless skinless chicken breasts work as well. You can use bone-in or boneless chicken meat. I haven’t tried it, but you could also use a whole chicken cut up into pieces. (If you’re in search of more chicken recipes, we have plenty the whole family will love.)
- Noodles: We used egg noodles in this recipe. These Gluten-Free Amish egg noodles from Double Yolk are my favorite!
- Vegetables: This recipe calls for a classic mirepoix of celery carrots, and onions. Th delicious trinity that makes up so many classic soups, like gluten-free chicken and dumplings.
- Broth: The base of the soup is made with chicken broth or chicken stock. This provides the soup with its characteristic flavor. See the tips below for the most flavorful chicken broth. (And easily check if your chicken broth is bad.)
- Seasonings: Common seasonings used in chicken noodle soup include garlic, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper. These ingredients help to enhance the flavor of the soup.
- Herbs: The mixture of fresh parsley and thyme makes all the difference in adding extra flavor. Don’t skip these!
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Cook chicken. Set Instant Pot to the saute setting and sear in olive oil with the smooth side down and for 3-4 minutes. Flip and sear the other side.
- Saute veggies. Drizzle a little more olive oil in the bottom then add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes.
- Pressure cook. Press cancel to stop the saute setting then add the rest of the ingredients, except for the noodles. Place the chicken thighs back in the broth. Close lid and pressure (manual) cook on high pressure for 8 minutes (10 for bone-in chicken thighs). Natural release (do nothing) for 5 minutes then turn the valve from sealing to venting to release the remaining steam/pressure.
- Shred chicken. Carefully remove the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board and turn the soup back to the saute setting to bring it to a boil. While it’s heating, shred the chicken with two forks. You could also cut it into bite-sized pieces.
- Cook noodles. Add the uncooked pasta and boil for 5-7 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Stir in the shredded chicken and parsley.
Molly’s Tips
- I love this 6-quart Instant Pot because this makes a large batch of soup.
- Sear the chicken first to create ‘fond’ (brown bits) which adds a ton of flavor to the soup.
- It doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through. Just enough to get a sear for flavor.
- Use pre-sliced veggies or frozen mirepoix to save time.
- Don’t skip the fresh herbs.
- Keep an eye on the noodles as they cook so they don’t turn mushy.
- Save extra salt for the end. The soup reduces as it cooks and if you salt too soon, it may end up over seasoned.
What Else to Add to this Soup
- For a creamy chicken noodle soup, stir in a splash of heavy cream (or a vegan substitute for heavy cream) at the end.
- For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free egg noodles. I love Double Yolk egg noodles.
- Use rotisserie chicken or leftover shredded chicken to make this even faster. Stir it in at the end as directed.
Storage & Freezing
To store: Let it cool to room temperature and transfer it to an airtight container. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To freeze: Consider portioning it out into individual servings before freezing. This makes it easier to reheat and enjoy without having to thaw and reheat the entire batch.
To reheat: When you’re ready to reheat the cozy soup, simply transfer it to a pot and warm it up on the stovetop over medium heat. You can also reheat it in the microwave, stirring occasionally, until heated through. You may need to increase the amount of broth to thin it out as the noodles will absorb moisture.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 1/2 pounds chicken thighs bone-in or boneless (Note 1 chicken breasts)
- 2 cups celery sliced (3-4 stalks)
- 2 cups carrots peeled and sliced (3-4 large carrots)
- 1 tablespoon thyme fresh chopped
- 8-10 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (or chicken bone broth)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 8-10 ounces Egg noodles gluten-free if needed (Note 2)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to the sautee setting and drizzle olive oil in the bottom. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season both sides of the thighs with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, place the chicken thighs smooth side down and sear on both sides for 3-4 minutes. It shouldn't be cooked all the way through. Remove the chicken to a cutting board or plate.2 Tablespoons olive oil, 2 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Drizzle a little more olive oil in the bottom then add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook for 3-5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.1 yellow onion, 2 cups celery, 2 cups carrots, 3 cloves garlic
- Press cancel to stop the saute setting then add the rest of the ingredients, except for the noodles, too the instant pot. Place the chicken thighs back in the broth, making sure they're fully submerged. Close the lid and make sure the valve is set to the sealing position.1 tablespoon thyme, 8-10 cups reduced sodium chicken broth, 2 bay leaves
- Press pressure (manual) cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Cook for 10 minutes if you're using bone-in chicken thighs. It will take about 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure then will start counting down. Natural release (do nothing) for 5 minutes then turn the valve from sealing to venting to release the remaining pressure.
- Carefully remove the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board and turn the soup back to the saute setting to bring it to a boil. While it's heating, shred the chicken with two forks. You could also cut it into bite-sized pieces.
- Add the uncooked pasta to the soup when it begins to boil and cook the noodles for 5-7 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Double-check the package directions for exact timing. The noodles will continue to cook in the soup so be careful not to overcook them. Stir in the shredded chicken and parsley. Serve right away with more fresh parsley, thyme, and fresh black pepper8-10 ounces Egg noodles, 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQs
Pressure cook frozen chicken breasts for 12 minutes with a 10 minute natural release.
This makes a large batch and the noodles soak up some of the broth, so yes, it’s needed! See recipe card to cut the recipe in half.
Add pre-cooked chicken at the end after you pressure cook the broth and veggies. Same as directed in the recipe as written!
Yes! You can use a large stock pot or Dutch oven instead. Follow the instructions to sear the chicken, but cook it all the way through to 165°F. Saute the veggies and simmer it in the broth for 30 minutes. Cook the noodles in the broth and add the chicken as directed!
No, the egg noodles in this recipe cook perfectly in the Instant Pot with the rest of the ingredients.
You can add 1 chicken bouillon cube per every 4 cups of broth! You can swap this for chicken broth if you don’t have any on hand.
Crockpot chicken noodle soup is an easy meal as well if you have the extra time. The ingredients are the same as in this instant pot recipe, but the chicken and base of the soup cook for 6-8 hours before adding the noodles which cook until al dente, about 20-30 minutes.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
I made this recipe for some sick friends. they loved it so did I. I will never buy canned soup again.