Instant Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup

This Instant Pot chicken wild rice soup is a hearty one-pot dish for the whole family. Our easy recipe comes with step-by-step instructions and a handy video to guide you along so you can make the most delicious, comforting wild rice soup like a pro! 

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Instant Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Similar to our wild rice and mushroom soup, this Instant Pot chicken version is easy to make using accessible ingredients and your pressure cooker. 

There are three simple steps to create this dish:

• sauteing onions, carrots, and celery to get that delicious soup-base flavor
• adding other ingredients and pressure-cooking the soup
• thickening and adding creaminess to the soup after cooking

Using the pressure cooker is much quicker to get perfectly cooked wild rice than the stovetop and by cooking chicken at the same time, you get tender, succulent meat too. 

With a few special finishing touches like cream, Parmesan, lemon juice, and flour slurry for extra thickness, this wild rice soup has all the gourmet quality of a restaurant dish that you can recreate at home.

Can I Use White or Brown Rice?

Wild rice has a unique texture and earthy flavor and has more nutrients. It's more al dente to bite, similar to barley. White rice would be too soft for this dish, however, brown rice could be a good substitute. Adjust cooking time to 25 minutes instead. 

🛒 Ingredients

Soup base - onion, carrot and celery, plus garlic for extra flavor.

Chicken - we love chicken thighs as they have more flavor than breast but you can use either.

Wild rice - for best texture and flavor, we recommend using actual wild rice. Some of the; 'wild rice blends', although more affordable, contain white and brown rice with just a few wild rice kernels. Do splurge on straight wild rice for best results, you only need 1 cup! Leftovers can be used to make our Instant Pot mushroom wild rice soup or you can try one of these delicious wild rice recipes.

Other basics - butter, olive oil, salt and pepper; chicken and vegetable stock cubes, plus dried thyme.

Finishing touches - lemon juice, flour, heavy cream (half and half could be used), grated Parmesan (optional, could be Cheddar), and some chopped parsley and scallions.

👩‍🍳 How To Make Chicken Wild Rice Soup In Instant Pot

You will find the full list of ingredients, instructions, and nutritional info in the recipe card below. Here is a quick video and step-by-step photos to guide you along. You can use a 6-quart or a 8-quart Instant Pot for this soup recipe.

Step 1. Saute onions, carrots and celery with a teaspoon of salt in a little butter and olive oil until softened. 

Step 2. Add the garlic, chicken, thyme and pepper. Stir through and follow with diced potatoes, wild rice and crumbled stock cubes. Add 5 cups of water and stir through. 

Step 3. Set to Pressure Cook/Manual on HIGH for 30 minutes. Once done, allow 10 minutes for NPR (natural pressure release).

Step 4. Make flour slurry to thicken the soup. Whisk the flour and 3-4 tablespoons of water in a small bowl or a jug until smooth and set aside. Prepare other finishing ingredients.

Step 5. Once the soup is done, whisk in the flour slurry, followed by lemon juice, cream and Parmesan. Stir through and finish with chopped parsley. Taste for salt and season more if needed.

ℹ️ Storage Tips (Important!)

The texture of this soup changes with time. When served straight after cooking, the rice will be more intact and the soup will have a bit more texture to it. After storing, the rice will be softer as the grains will continue to absorb liquid and expand.

The soup will have a thicker, slightly more mushy texture. Some people prefer the softer version while others like the al dente bite of the freshly cooked rice. This is something you might like to keep in mind with storage.

In the refrigerator, the soup will keep for 2-3 days. Reheat thoroughly. 

If freezing, omit the cream and Parmesan and add it to the soup after it’s been thawed out and reheated. Remember, the texture of the soup will be more mushy, just as when you store it in the fridge for a couple of days.

🥖 What To Serve With Chicken Wild Rice Soup?

This soup is a complete meal in itself, however you can round it off with a couple of side dishes. 

First off, serve it with extra Parmesan, fresh parsley and scallions. We love adding a few croutons on top, however you can serve some crusty bread or toasted dinner rolls on the side. 

Garlic bread is delicious with this soup! 

To lighten up the meal, add a little green salad or some green vegetables on the side. You can steam or boil some broccoli or green beans, which can be added into the soup or served on the side.

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More Comforting Soup Recipes

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MORE INSTANT POT SOUP RECIPES

• Instant Pot Tomato Soup
• Stuffed Pepper Soup for Instant Pot
• Instant Pot Mexican Street Corn Soup
• Chicken Soup Recipes To Warm Your Soul
• 20 Delicious Wild Rice Recipes
• Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs

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