Description
This Instant Pot Chicken Vegetable Soup is a hearty, nutritious, and flavorful meal perfect for any season. Featuring tender chicken breasts, a colorful mix of fresh vegetables, and aromatic herbs, this soup is pressure-cooked to perfection for a quick and comforting dish that’s ideal for busy weeknights or cozy family dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Base
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 cups chicken broth, regular sodium
Vegetables
- 4 stalks celery, cut into ½-inch pieces
- ¾ pound carrots, cut into ½-inch slices
- 1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch slices
- 1 yellow squash, cut into ½-inch slices
Protein & Seasoning
- 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into 4-oz. portions
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ – 1 ½ teaspoons salt, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Thickening Slurry
- ½ cup almond milk (or milk/cashew milk), warmed
- 3 tablespoons tapioca starch (or corn starch)
Instructions
- Saute the Onion: Set your Instant Pot to the sauté function and heat the olive oil. Add the finely diced onion and crushed garlic, and sauté for about 3 to 4 minutes until they become soft and fragrant.
- Add Broth and Deglaze: Pour in the chicken broth and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot, ensuring that no browned bits or stuck pieces remain. This prevents the burn warning during pressure cooking.
- Add Vegetables, Chicken, and Seasonings: Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, zucchini, and yellow squash to the pot. Stir gently to combine. Place the chicken breasts on top of the vegetables. In a small bowl, whisk together the dried thyme, rosemary, tarragon, paprika, salt, and black pepper, then sprinkle this seasoning blend evenly over the ingredients in the pot.
- Pressure Cook: Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, making sure the pressure release valve is sealed. Select the high pressure setting and cook for 8 minutes. When completed, allow natural pressure release for 10 minutes (NPR), then carefully release any remaining pressure manually.
- Shred the Chicken: Open the lid, remove the chicken breasts, and shred them using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the soup and stir to distribute evenly.
- Prepare the Thickening Slurry: While the soup is cooking, whisk together the warm almond milk and tapioca starch until smooth and free of lumps.
- Thicken the Soup: Pour the slurry into the hot soup and stir continuously until the soup thickens to your desired consistency.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot, optionally with crackers or crusty bread for a complete comforting meal.
Notes
- You can substitute tapioca starch with cornstarch for thickening.
- Adjust the salt according to your taste and dietary needs.
- Almond milk can be replaced with any milk alternative or dairy milk if preferred.
- For a vegetarian option, replace chicken with firm tofu and use vegetable broth.
- To save time, prepare vegetables in advance and store in the refrigerator.
