Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Make this Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup for a bowl of comfort filled with bouncy noodles, tender vegetables, and poached chicken. This classic soup is flavored with poultry seasoning, parsley, salt, and pepper for a familiar and cozy meal. The recipe uses frozen chicken breasts, so no need to plan ahead! You can go from craving to the dinner table in under an hour.

Ditalini pasta is a short, sturdy pasta in the shape of a tube. Most chicken noodle soups use an egg noodle, but we love the ditalini for its texture and size. It's so much easier to build that perfect spoonful of soup! In one bite you can get hearty chicken breast, veggies, and pasta with an al dente texture. Try ditalini over egg noodles once and I bet you'll do it again.

Loving these comfort food vibes? Try a Meatball Stroganoff, classic pressure cooker mashed potatoes, or enchiladas next!

Ingredients

I include ingredient notes here when I think they'll be helpful, including ways to source, any preparation tips, or why I've chosen a particular ingredient. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and their quantities!

• Frozen Chicken Breasts - You can absolutely start this soup right from frozen chicken breasts if they are not thicker than about 1 ½-inches and even in thickness throughout. We buy individually frozen chicken breasts from Costco and they need no thawing before cooking in the Instant Pot. Another option is frozen chicken tenderloins, but they must be frozen individually. Check the FAQ section for instructions using thawed chicken as well. 
• Celery - Use 2-3 ribs of celery to yield ¾ cup of diced celery for the soup.
• Carrot - Two medium carrots will give you ¾ cup of diced carrots, adding a classic flavor to your chicken noodle soup.
• Poultry Seasoning - Poultry seasoning is a blend of sage, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, and sometimes black pepper or nutmeg. Every blend is different, so find one you like and stick with that brand. 
• Chicken Stock or Broth - Use a boxed stock or broth or a homemade version You can also use bouillon cubes, granules, or paste and add the appropriate amount plus water to make up 7 cups.
• Ditalini Pasta - We love this sturdy, short pasta shape for chicken noodle soup. It sits on a spoon easily so that you can build a perfect bite with chicken, pasta, and veggies all in one.
• Parsley - Bright and fresh, a handful of parsley added at the end of cooking brings welcome color and flavor to your soup.

Instructions

Add 1 cup of chicken stock or broth to the insert of the Instant Pot. Lay the frozen chicken breasts in a single layer over the stock. Place the insert in the Instant Pot, seal the lid and move the valve to pressure cook, and cook with manual high pressure for 12 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, dice your carrots and celery. Chop your parsley.

When the Instant Pot has finished cooking, perform a quick release of the pressure. I always place a kitchen towel over the release valve to catch any liquid that escapes. Remove the chicken to a plate and add the remaining stock, diced carrots and celery, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to the pot. Stir in the pasta. Cook again using manual high pressure for 6 minutes.

While the pasta cooks, shred or dice your chicken breast meat.

When the pasta has finished cooking, perform another quick release of the pressure. Once again, use a kitchen towel over the valve as the pressure releases. Stir the soup to break up any clumps of pasta. The pasta and vegetables should be tender but not mushy.

Add the cooked chicken and the parsley to the soup.

Stir the soup well to distribute the ingredients. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

The Best Poached Chicken

Cooking the chicken breasts this way in the pressure cooker makes the best poached chicken. The chicken is incredibly juicy and can be used for a perfect pecan chicken salad! Make extra chicken for meal prep or to add to salads, soups, and casseroles using this Instant Pot method.

Use Cooked Chicken or Turkey

If you have already cooked chicken or turkey, this is an even speedier recipe. Use rotisserie chicken or canned chicken and pick up the preparation at the step you add the broth, pasta, and vegetables to the Instant Pot. While the pasta cooks, you can shred or dice the meat to add to the soup and stir to heat everything through.

This soup is one of the first things I make with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving. It is a simple prep with a much lighter flavor profile than the original turkey dinner. It's perfect after an afternoon of setting up decorations for the holidays!

Substitutions and Variations

The substitutions listed below have been tested in this recipe and work well. If you successfully make any other ingredient substitutions, let us know in the comments!

• Use Egg Noodles - Swap the ditalini noodles for the same weight of egg noodles for a different texture to the soup. When I use egg noodles, I always shred the chicken so that the shape of the chicken and noodles match for the best spoonful. You can also use orzo pasta or broken spaghetti noodles.
• Add Vegetables - Add ½ chopped onion, green beans that are cut into ¼ - inch pieces, a generous handful of shredded baby spinach leaves, or ½ cup of frozen peas to your soup.
• Add Spices - Poultry seasoning gives the soup a classic flavor, but swap it for ½ teaspoon turmeric and 1 teaspoon garlic powder for a golden chicken noodle soup.
• Add Lemon - Brighten up your bowl of soup by squeezing half a lemon and adding the juice to the soup right at the end before serving.

Equipment

Here are the kitchen tools we use to prepare this tasty chicken noodle soup:

• Pressure Cooker - I use an Instant Pot brand pressure cooker, and love how many different ways I use a single appliance in a given week. Stews and braises are great in a pressure cooker, but I also use mine for rice, pasta, soups, and more. The pressure cooker pictured in this post has a capacity of 6 quarts, perfect for a batch of chicken noodle soup.
• Chef's Knife - An 8- or 10-inch chef's knife is an essential tool in any kitchen.  I use it for chopping the vegetables and cutting the chicken into chunks. A chef's knife is also good for crushing garlic cloves on the broad side of the blade, preparing fruit, finely chopping herbs, and more.

Serving Suggestions

Serve up a bowl of Instant Pot chicken noodle soup any time you need a dose of comfort food. Serve it with bread, a dinner salad, or simple sandwiches.

Make This Recipe Kid Friendly

This recipe for Instant Pot chicken noodle soup is the real deal when it comes to an unfussy, classic flavor. This is what my kids want after an afternoon of sledding or if they are feeling under the weather. To increase the chances your kids will be asking for this soup to be in regular rotation, customize your recipe! Do they love twisty egg noodles or do they prefer small orzo pasta? Do they want carrots in slices or a fine dice? Making these small swaps in ingredients and the preparation are easy with a flexible recipe.

Storage

The soup can be stored in individual containers for easy reheating of the leftovers. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The pasta will continue to absorb the broth and get more tender. Add an extra splash of stock or water when reheating to get the desired consistency when reheating.

FAQ

Recipes for Turkey Leftovers

Add bold flavors to your turkey to make the most of your leftovers. Choose any of the recipes below to avoid turkey burnout:

Try It and Share

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