Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup {or Stovetop}

Why This is the Best Recipe

We love chicken soups for dinner, but I think this is the best chicken wild rice soup recipe because:

1. Thick and Creamy: The soup is very hearty and filling. Lots of tender rice, a thick creamy broth, and very tender chicken.
2. One Pot: Everything cooks together in the Instant Pot but I've also included one pot stovetop instructions, too.
3. No Mushrooms: While mushrooms are a traditional ingredient for chicken and wild rice soup, our version leaves them out as a personal preference. This makes our version much more picky-eater-friendly.
4. Uses Leftover Chicken: Start with pre-cooked chicken and the dish is so fast to cook.

Ingredients

• Chicken: I love to make this with raw chicken thighs because they cook so well in the Instant Pot. However, to make this soup even more quickly, start with leftover cooked chicken like baked chicken breasts or baked chicken thighs or even a shredded rotisserie chicken.
• Uncle Ben's Wild Rice (or easy substitution, see recipe card for details.)
• Chicken Stock
• Butter
• Celery
• Onion
• Flour
• White Wine* Optional
• Half and Half* Optional

Instant Pot vs. Stovetop

I absolutely love using my Instant Pot to make soups for my family because it gives a slowcooked taste to a soup that only takes minutes to make.

Saute the Veggies

Whether you're cooking in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop, this chicken and rice soup is made almost the same way with both methods.

First, melt the butter.

In an Instant Pot, you'll use the SAUTE function.
On the stovetop, place your pot over medium-high heat.

Add the chopped celery and onions and cook them in the melted butter until the onions have softened:

Make the Roux

To give the chicken and rice soup that extra creamy broth, we'll make a roux with flour and butter.

Whisk in the flour until no more dry pockets remain and then let it cook until it gives a nutty aroma, about 3 minutes or so.

You'll find the mixture to be quite thick as the flour absorbs all the moisture from the butter and the veggies:

Thicken the Broth

If you're using the white wine, pour it into the pot and use it to scrape up and lift any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

This is an optional step, the wine cooks off but leaves a lovely flavor. It's up to you whether to use it or not.

Then drizzle in the chicken stock, about 2 - 3 cups or so, and whisk until the flour is completely dissolved into the broth and is smooth like this:

When to Add the Chicken and Rice

When you add the chicken and rice depends on the kind of chicken you plan to use:

Raw Chicken Thighs

Add both boxes of wild rice and just one packet of the dried seasonings (or the easy substitution mentioned in the recipe card.)

Then nestle the raw chicken thighs into the broth.

Be sure to stir everything together so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

Instant Pot: Cover and seal the pot. Cook on HIGH pressure for 15 minutes.

Stovetop: Bring the mixture to a boil. Then cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the soup for 25 - 30 minute or until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through.

Cooked Chicken (Leftover or Rotisserie)

If you're using a shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken of any kind, you definitely want to wait to add the chicken until the soup is finished cooking.

Cooked chicken is delicate and can become tough or completely fall apart if you try to simmer it too long in the soup while it cooks.

Instead, add the rice to the broth and finish the soup as instructed.

Once the rice is tender, stir the shredded chicken into the soup and stir. Let it warm through for 2 minutes before serving.

Reheating Tips

Leftover chicken and rice soup will become very thick as it sits in the fridge. The rice will absorb a lot of the chicken broth.

When you reheat the soup, plan to stir in additional chicken stock or broth to thin the soup out to your desired texture.

I prefer to reheat the soup on the stovetop in a saucepan so I can control the thickness of the broth. However, it will also reheat quite well in the microwave.

Variations

This is one of our family's all-time favorite soups and it is wonderful as is, but it has lots of room for some playful variations:

• Spicy Chicken and Rice Soup: Use leftover blackened chicken or Cajun chicken instead of the raw chicken breasts. Add a pinch of cayenne to the broth.
• Herby Chicken and Rice Soup: Stir in a 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives, minced fresh basil, or fresh thyme.
• Tender Pork and Rice Soup: Use leftover chopped pork tenderloin instead of the chicken.
• Vegetarian Rice Soup: Substitute vegetable broth and skip the chicken. Add diced carrots to the celery and onions and stir in a bag of frozen peas at the end.

Serving Suggestions

We served the Instant Pot chicken and rice soup with soft warm bread rolls for dunking and soaking up the thick and creamy broth.

It is a rich and thick soup so you may also enjoy one of these simple side dishes for chicken wild rice soup:

• Warm and cinnamon-spiced homemade applesauce
• A simple green salad with a vinaigrette dressing. We LOVE the mustard vinaigrette dressing recipe here.
• A piece of warm fresh bread or a dinner roll or biscuit

More Chicken Soup Recipes

Chicken wild rice soup is one of our family's favorite chicken soups but if you've got leftover chicken to use up, you may also enjoy these other easy chicken soups: