This Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is the ultimate comfort food. It’s creamy, hearty, absolutely scrumptious and so simple to make. Perfect for chilly fall nights and/or cold wintery days.
(Originally published September 14, 2020)
Last week we went from about 90 degrees on Monday down to the upper 40s on Tuesday.
Yes, that’s a 40+ degree drop in temperature in a matter of one day! Brrrrrr! When the weather dips that low I start to get a hankering for a warm bowl of soup. This Instant Pot Chicken & Wild Rice Soup is what warmed me up last week, and I couldn’t wait to share it because it might just be one of my favorite soups that I’ve ever made.
This is so simple to make, and takes only 5 minutes of cooking time in your Instant Pot. Honestly I could have eaten the entire batch and not even have felt one bit guilty about it. My son Taylor was seriously dying over it the whole time he was eating it. And Parker who didn’t even want any, ate every last drop that I put in front of him.
You guys, this is seriously so good and is total comfort food, which I think we could all use right now.
CAN I USE THE FAST COOK WILD RICE?
No, not for this recipe. The fast cook Uncle Ben’s rice cooks in 5 minutes on the stovetop and will end up being mushy in the soup. The original Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice takes 25 minutes on the stovetop and works perfectly for this soup.
CAN I MAKE THIS SOUP ON THE STOVETOP?
Yes, of course you can and it’s really simple.
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium low heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook and stir until tender.
- Next, add the broth, chicken, rice and seasonings, cover and simmer the soup over medium low heat for about 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender.
- Add the cornstarch slurry, cream cheese, milk, and half and half after simmering. Continue to cook over low heat until the soup is warmed through.
You guys are going to love this soup! It would be absolutely delicious served in crusty bread bowls or with any yummy artisan bread. We had it with some delicious sourdough bread the other night and it was fabulous! With or without bread, this soup is amazing!
I’d love to hear back from you if you give this a try. Also, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram if you make this. I love seeing what you’re making.
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Instant Pot Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 3/4 cup diced celery
- 2 cans (14 oz) chicken broth
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, uncooked and diced
- 1 package (6 oz) Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/4 teaspoon herbes de provence
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup half and half
Instructions
- Select the sauté function and add butter to your Instant Pot. Once the butter has melted, add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, chicken, wild rice, salt, pepper, herbes de provence, red pepper flakes, parsley and bay leaf to the pressure cooking pot.
- Lock lid in place, select manual high pressure for 5 minutes. When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker and allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release. Carefully remove the lid.
- In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in water. Switch Instant Pot to sauté mode and add the cornstarch mixture to the pot, stirring constantly.
- Add cubed cream cheese, milk and half and half and heat through, but do not bring to a boil. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. (Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf.)
- Serve in crusty bread bowls or with some good artisan bread.
Notes
- I always start with 1 cup of milk and then if I want it a little thinner, I add more.
- You DON’T use the seasoning packet that comes with the rice. You could if you wanted to I guess, but I like to add my own seasoning.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins (plus time to come to pressure)
- Category: Soups/Chili
Recipe Source:
This sounds delicious! However, I really dislike wild rice. If I used brown rice instead, any idea how that might affect cooking time in the IP? Thanks for any advice!
Hi Stephanie! I haven’t made this with brown rice, so I’m not sure about the cooking time. From what I’ve read, brown rice takes a few minutes less time to cook than wild rice, so maybe shorten the time by 3 to 4 minutes. But like I said, I haven’t tried it before so I can’t guarantee how it will turn out. The good thing about the Uncle Ben’s rice used in this recipe, is that it’s a blend of long grain and wild rice. I don’t think the wild rice flavor is overpowering at all in this, so you really might want to give it a try. I’d love to hear back if you give it a try and what you end up doing. Take care.
Thanks so much, Jodi! You may have convinced me to try the wild rice blend. I’ll let you know if I try the brown rice though. Thanks again! Love your site!
Yum! Love this soup! Perfect for a cold winter night.
★★★★★