Rich, creamy, and easy to make, this Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is going to warm you right up! (Freezer and Slow Cooker Instructions included)
Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
I'm kind of obsessed with this chicken and wild rice soup. After a friend of ours had given birth, this was the first thing I made for them and also made a freezer pack version of this for this slow cooker. To me, this is comfort in a bowl and smelling it cooking just brings me so much joy.
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup just feels like a hug to the soul! It's rich, full of flavour, and only takes a couple minutes to prep for! Plus the chicken thighs practically fall apart after pressure cooking so no need to take them out to shred - just stir and they'll break apart!
For this chicken and wild rice soup recipe, I add heavy cream directly into the IP. Due to the fat content of the heavy cream, it does not curdle. I have not tired this with milk but from my understanding, milk and IP do not play well together. However, I recommend sticking with the heavy cream since it does give this dish its richness.
A note on this Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup - it calls for Natural Pressure Release (NPR) then a controlled Quick Release (QR). Please be sure to do the controlled quick release carefully. A few times I've made this recipe and had shifted my focus and just QR-ed like I usually do... that ended with some liquid and foam spewing out from the release valve. Don't make the same mistake I did and have to wipe up a mess!
What You'll Need To Make Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- butter
- onion
- carrots
- bay leaf
- thyme
- chicken stock or broth
- mushrooms
- wild rice
- heavy cream
- skinless boneless chicken thighs
- salt & pepper
Optional:
- flour
- heavy cream
How To Make Chicken and Wild Rice Soup In the Instant Pot
Start off with butter in the Instant Pot on saute mode, before adding in the onions. Saute for a minute before adding in the carrots. Continue to saute for another minute.
Add in the bay leaf, thyme, chicken stock, mushrooms, wild rice, and heavy cream. Stir.
Add in the chicken thighs, salt, and pepper. Give it one more quick stir and put on the lid.
Set the valve to sealing and the pot to 35 minutes.
When done, NPR for 10-15 minutes before very carefully doing a controlled quick release.
Open the lid and give everything a stir. The chicken thighs should be falling apart, if not, manually shred them.
Optional:
- To make this chicken and wild rice soup thicker and creamier, in a small bowl, I whisked together flour and heavy cream. Once fully combined, I mixed in some of the liquid from the soup. Mix well and then add the mixture back into the soup.
Bonus: How To Make Chicken and Wild Rice Soup In The Slow Cooker
My slow cooker method is a little different as I don't add heavy cream to the slow cooker. This is just an alternative if you don't have an Instant Pot but this does require a second pot as I make a roux with butter, flour, and milk on the stove top. I'm sure you can do the flour + heavy cream method but I find that with the slow cooker, mixing in a roux is worth the extra step as it didn't cook with heavy cream. If you don't want to use a second pot - you can always melt butter in the microwave in a bowl and then whisk in the flour and milk.
- Add everything into the slow cooker minus the heavy cream.
- Cook for 3-4 hours on High or 6-7 hours on Low.
- When done, make a roux on the stove top by melting 3 tbsp butter and mixing in 3 tbsp flour, and then 1 cup milk.
Tips and Notes on Making This Chicken and Wild Rice Soup in the Instant Pot
We use a 100% wild rice, I prefer not to use a wild rice blend, this recipe has not been tested with that substitution
If you have leftover turkey, you can totally sub it into the soup instead. Just shred your turkey breast and add it in after the wild rice and soup has cooked.
This recipe has only been testing in the Instant Pot 60 DUO Plus 6 Qt.
You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Making This Wild Rice and Chicken Soup as a Freezer Meal
- In a large freezer Ziploc bag, add all ingredients except butter, stock, and heavy cream.
- Seal and freeze for up to 3 months.
- When ready, melt butter, add in the bag of frozen wild rice + chicken ingredients, stock, and heavy cream then cook for 35 minutes on high pressure and NPR for 15 minutes before very carefully doing a controlled quick release.
Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into ½ - 1" pieces
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 4½ cups chicken broth, low sodium
- 227 grams mushrooms
- 1 cup wild rice
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon salt & pepper
Optional:
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Start off with butter in the Instant Pot on sauté mode, before adding in the onions. Sauté for a minute before adding in the carrots. Continue to sauté for another minute.
- Add in the bay leaf, thyme, chicken stock, mushrooms, wild rice, and heavy cream. Stir.
- Add in the chicken thighs, salt, and pepper. Give it one more quick stir and put on the lid.
- Set the valve to sealing and the pot to 35 minutes.
- When done, NPR for 10-15 minutes before very carefully doing a controlled quick release.
- Open the lid and give everything a stir. The chicken thighs should be falling apart, if not, manually shred them.
Optional:
- To make this chicken and wild rice soup thicker and creamier, in a small bowl, whisk together flour and heavy cream. Once fully combined, mixed in some of the liquid from the soup. Mix well and then add the mixture back into the soup.
Video
Nutrition
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