Healthy Instant Pot Chicken Soup

There’s nothing quite like a warm bowl of chicken soup when you need comfort food. But let’s be honest – traditional chicken soup takes forever to make. Between simmering the chicken for hours and watching the pot, it’s not exactly something you can throw together on a busy weeknight.

That’s where my Instant Pot comes in. This thing has changed how I make chicken soup. What used to take me half a day now takes about an hour, and the results are just as good. The chicken comes out tender, the broth is rich and flavorful, and I can walk away while it cooks. No babysitting required.

This recipe uses a whole chicken and simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Fresh ginger and garlic give it a little something extra, and those green beans add nice texture. It’s become my go-to when someone in the family is feeling under the weather, or when I just want something warm and satisfying for dinner.

What Kind of Chicken Should I Use?

For this Instant Pot soup, a whole chicken is your best bet because it gives you the most flavor and creates its own rich broth as it cooks. You can use a fresh or frozen whole chicken, though frozen will need a bit more cooking time to ensure it’s fully cooked through. If you can only find chicken parts, that’s totally fine too – just use a mix of bone-in, skin-on pieces like thighs and breasts since the bones add great flavor to your broth. Whatever you choose, try to get a chicken that’s around 4 pounds so you have the right ratio of meat to liquid for a hearty, satisfying soup.

Options for Substitutions

This chicken soup is pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps, so feel free to work with what you have:

• Whole chicken: If you don’t want to deal with a whole chicken, use 3-4 pounds of bone-in chicken pieces like thighs, drumsticks, or breasts. The bones are important here since they create that rich, flavorful broth.
• Green beans: Swap these out for whatever vegetables you have on hand – celery, zucchini, peas, or corn all work great. Add heartier veggies like potatoes or parsnips at the beginning, and softer ones like zucchini in the last 5 minutes.
• Fresh ginger: No fresh ginger? You can use ½ teaspoon of ground ginger instead, though the flavor will be a bit different. Add it with the other seasonings.
• Water: For extra flavor, replace some or all of the water with chicken stock or broth. You might want to reduce the salt a bit if your stock is already salted.
• Green onions: These are mainly for garnish, so regular chopped onions, fresh parsley, cilantro, or dill make nice alternatives for topping your soup.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Cooking

The biggest mistake people make with Instant Pot chicken soup is releasing the pressure too early – you need to let it naturally release for the full 30 minutes, or your chicken will be tough and stringy instead of tender and easy to shred.

Another common error is not seasoning enough at the start, since the Instant Pot doesn’t allow for evaporation like stovetop cooking, which can lead to bland soup – don’t be shy with that salt and pepper, and always taste and adjust at the end.

To get richer flavor, try searing the chicken skin-side down using the “Sauté” function for 5 minutes before adding the liquid, and if your soup tastes watery after cooking, simply use the “Sauté” function with the lid off for 10-15 minutes to concentrate the flavors.

What to Serve With Chicken Soup?

A warm bowl of chicken soup is pretty much a complete meal on its own, but I love serving it with some crusty bread or dinner rolls for dipping. If you want to make it more filling, you can ladle the soup over cooked rice or egg noodles in your bowl, which soaks up all that flavorful broth. A simple side salad with a light vinaigrette is nice if you want something fresh alongside, or you could go with some buttery crackers for a no-fuss option. For a cozy dinner, I sometimes add a side of biscuits or cornbread, which everyone seems to love.

Storage Instructions

Store: This chicken soup keeps really well in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. I actually think it tastes even better the next day once all the flavors have had time to mingle together. Just make sure to let it cool down before putting it away.

Freeze: You can freeze this soup for up to 3 months, which makes it perfect for those days when you need a quick, comforting meal. I like to portion it out into individual servings in freezer bags so I can just grab what I need. Just remember to leave a little room at the top since it’ll expand as it freezes.

Reheat: Warm it up on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it’s heated through. If you’re using the microwave, heat it in 2-minute intervals and give it a good stir in between. You might need to add a splash of water or broth if it’s thickened up too much in the fridge.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 1700-2000
• Protein: 150-180 g
• Fat: 110-130 g
• Carbohydrates: 40-55 g

Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 2 large carrots
• 2 cups green beans (fresh or frozen work well)
• 5 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1.5 inch fresh ginger (grated)
• 4 lb whole chicken
• 2 tsp sea salt (I like Maldon sea salt)
• cracked black pepper
• 5.5 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• green onions (for serving)

Step 1: Prepare Ingredients and Build the Soup Base

• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, sliced into rounds
• 2 cups green beans
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1.5 inch fresh ginger, grated

Dice the onion into roughly 1-inch pieces and cut the carrots into 1/2-inch thick rounds—these sizes will break down nicely during pressure cooking without becoming mushy.

Mince the garlic cloves and grate the fresh ginger.

Place the diced onion, carrots, and green beans (fresh or frozen) directly into your Instant Pot, then scatter the minced garlic and grated ginger over the vegetables.

This creates an aromatic base that will infuse the broth with flavor as the chicken cooks.

Step 2: Add Chicken and Seasonings

• 4 lb whole chicken
• 2 tsp sea salt
• cracked black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 5.5 cups water

Pat the whole chicken dry with paper towels, then lay it breast-side up over the bed of vegetables in the pot.

Season the chicken generously with sea salt and cracked black pepper on all sides—I like using Maldon sea salt for its clean flavor and ability to dissolve evenly.

Add the bay leaf to the pot.

Pour the 5.5 cups of water over everything, making sure the liquid comes up around and partially covers the chicken.

The vegetables will help suspend the chicken slightly above the bottom of the pot.

Step 3: Pressure Cook the Chicken and Vegetables

Close the Instant Pot lid securely and set the valve to ‘sealing.’ Select high pressure and set the timer for 30 minutes.

The pressure will build as the pot heats, which will take several minutes—this is normal.

Once the cooking time completes, allow the pressure to release naturally for 30 minutes without opening the lid or forcing the pressure release.

This gentle release helps keep the meat tender and prevents the broth from becoming cloudy.

Step 4: Remove and Shred the Chicken

• Cooked chicken from Step 3

Once pressure has naturally released, carefully open the lid and use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board.

Let it cool just enough to handle safely (about 2-3 minutes).

Remove all the meat from the bones, discarding the skin and bones, then shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces with two forks or your hands.

Return the shredded chicken back to the pot and stir well to combine it evenly throughout the broth.

Step 5: Season and Finish the Soup

• Soup from Step 4
• Additional sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
• green onions, sliced

Taste the soup carefully and adjust the seasoning with additional sea salt and cracked black pepper to your preference—I find that after 30 minutes of cooking, you often need more salt than you’d expect because the flavors have mellowed slightly.

Stir well and ladle the soup into bowls.

Garnish each serving with fresh sliced green onions for a bright, fresh finish that contrasts beautifully with the rich, savory broth.

Healthy Instant Pot Chicken Soup

Delicious Healthy Instant Pot Chicken Soup recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 47 minutes mins

Servings 6 servings

Calories 1850 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 large onion
• 2 large carrots
• 2 cups green beans (fresh or frozen work well)
• 5 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1.5 inch fresh ginger (grated)
• 4 lb whole chicken
• 2 tsp sea salt (I like Maldon sea salt)
• cracked black pepper
• 5.5 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• green onions (for serving)

Instructions

 

• Dice the onion into roughly 1-inch pieces and cut the carrots into 1/2-inch thick rounds—these sizes will break down nicely during pressure cooking without becoming mushy. Mince the garlic cloves and grate the fresh ginger. Place the diced onion, carrots, and green beans (fresh or frozen) directly into your Instant Pot, then scatter the minced garlic and grated ginger over the vegetables. This creates an aromatic base that will infuse the broth with flavor as the chicken cooks.
• Pat the whole chicken dry with paper towels, then lay it breast-side up over the bed of vegetables in the pot. Season the chicken generously with sea salt and cracked black pepper on all sides—I like using Maldon sea salt for its clean flavor and ability to dissolve evenly. Add the bay leaf to the pot. Pour the 5.5 cups of water over everything, making sure the liquid comes up around and partially covers the chicken. The vegetables will help suspend the chicken slightly above the bottom of the pot.
• Close the Instant Pot lid securely and set the valve to 'sealing.' Select high pressure and set the timer for 30 minutes. The pressure will build as the pot heats, which will take several minutes—this is normal. Once the cooking time completes, allow the pressure to release naturally for 30 minutes without opening the lid or forcing the pressure release. This gentle release helps keep the meat tender and prevents the broth from becoming cloudy.
• Once pressure has naturally released, carefully open the lid and use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board. Let it cool just enough to handle safely (about 2-3 minutes). Remove all the meat from the bones, discarding the skin and bones, then shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces with two forks or your hands. Return the shredded chicken back to the pot and stir well to combine it evenly throughout the broth.
• Taste the soup carefully and adjust the seasoning with additional sea salt and cracked black pepper to your preference—I find that after 30 minutes of cooking, you often need more salt than you'd expect because the flavors have mellowed slightly. Stir well and ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish each serving with fresh sliced green onions for a bright, fresh finish that contrasts beautifully with the rich, savory broth.