Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Granny's chicken noodle soup took the better part of an afternoon — a whole bird, a low flame, and no leaving the house. This version comes out of an Instant Pot in about 45 minutes, and I will say something that would have earned me a look across her kitchen: you can hardly tell the difference. Ten minutes at pressure does what her stockpot did in three hours, pushing all the savour out of the thighs and into the broth. She would have eyed the machine with suspicion, then claimed it as her own.
The one trick that matters: the noodles do not go in until the pressure cooking is done. Noodles cooked under pressure come out as wallpaper paste, and there is no rescuing them. Instead you simmer them straight in the finished broth on Saute for 6 to 8 minutes, where they drink up flavour and keep their bite.
Use thighs if you can. They shred into soft ribbons and forgive you a few minutes either way, which breasts will not. And do scrape the bottom of the pot properly after the vegetables — a clean bottom keeps the dreaded burn warning away and your supper on schedule.
Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
All-day chicken noodle comfort from the electric pressure cooker in about 45 minutes — tender shredded thighs and noodles with proper bite.
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Ingredients
Tick each one off as you go.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 carrots (about 250 g), sliced into coins
- 3 celery sticks, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 700 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6)
- 1.5 litres chicken stock (6 cups)
- 200 g wide egg noodles, uncooked
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- A squeeze of lemon juice (optional)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
- Saute. Set the Instant Pot to Saute and warm the oil. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onion softens. Stir in the garlic for the last minute, then add the thyme and a good pinch of salt.
- Deglaze. Pour in a splash of the stock and scrape the bottom of the pot properly with a wooden spoon until nothing is stuck. Do not skip this — any browned bits left clinging to the base will trigger the burn error once the lid goes on.
- Pressure cook. Add the rest of the stock, the bay leaves and the chicken thighs, pushing the chicken down into the liquid. Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing and cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes. It takes about 10 minutes to come up to pressure first — that is normal, not a fault.
- Release. When the timer sounds, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then carefully turn the valve to Venting to release the rest. That short rest keeps the chicken from seizing up tough.
- Shred. Lift the chicken onto a board and check it reads 74C (165F) at the thickest part. Shred it with two forks, and fish out the bay leaves while you are at it.
- Noodles. Set the pot back to Saute and bring the broth to a simmer. Add the egg noodles and cook, uncovered, for 6 to 8 minutes until just tender. Never cook the noodles under pressure — they turn to mush.
- Finish. Turn off the pot and stir the shredded chicken back in to warm through for a minute or two. Add the parsley and a squeeze of lemon if you like, then taste for salt and pepper. Ladle into deep bowls.
If the broth tastes flat at the end, it wants salt and a squeeze of lemon before anything else. Granny never kept a lemon for soup, but she would have approved of the result.
Tips for a proper pot of soup
Deglaze or regret it
The Instant Pot's burn warning almost always comes from fond stuck to the base after sauteing. Scrape it clean with a splash of stock before the lid goes on and the pot will behave itself.
Thighs are the forgiving cut
Breasts work at the same time and pressure, but thighs stay juicy even if the release runs long, and they shred into the soft ribbons granny's soup was known for. Either way, check for 74C (165F).
Making it ahead
Noodles keep drinking broth as the soup sits. If you are cooking for later in the week, store the broth and chicken separately from the noodles, or simmer a fresh batch of noodles when you reheat.
Questions, answered
Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
Yes. Use the same 10 minutes at High Pressure with a 5 minute natural release, then shred. Breasts are leaner and less forgiving than thighs, so check they have reached 74C (165F) and get them back into the broth promptly so they stay moist.
Why can I not cook the noodles under pressure?
Pressure cooking is far too fierce for egg noodles — they blow out and turn the soup to a starchy mush. Simmering them on Saute for 6 to 8 minutes after the pressure cooking gives you noodles with proper bite that have soaked up the broth's flavour.
Can I use frozen chicken?
You can in an electric pressure cooker, unlike a slow cooker. Use frozen boneless thighs in a single layer, not one solid block, and increase the time to about 12 minutes at High Pressure with the same 5 minute natural release. Check for 74C (165F) before shredding.
Why did my Instant Pot show the burn error?
Nearly always because browned bits from the saute stage were left stuck to the base. Deglaze with a splash of stock and scrape until the bottom is completely clean before you add the rest of the liquid and lock the lid.
How do I store and reheat leftovers?
Keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. The noodles will soak up broth as they sit, so loosen it with a little extra stock when reheating. For the freezer, freeze the broth and chicken without the noodles and cook fresh noodles when you thaw it.