Instant Pot Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup (+ Video)
This easy recipe for Instant Pot Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup is super comforting - perfect for a winter weeknight dinner! Can be made in a pressure cooker for a quick family meal.
Affiliate links used in this post. Read more about my link usage policies.
Introduction
I've always said that my best recipes come from the nights I clean out my fridge.
I'm the kind of person who likes to use up everything in my fridge/freezer every now and then. I absolutely hate wasting food, so if I can use it up before it goes bad, I'm all about it. A few months ago, I had some rotisserie chicken, a little bit of half and half, cream cheese, and some frozen celery/onion to use up. From that, I did my famous "chopped challenge" (the method used to make my Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken & Rice) to make the recipe you're reading about today - Instant Pot Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup!
Why the Instant Pot?
This soup is so easy to pressure cook in an Instant Pot in about 30 minutes. It basically just involves browning a few veggies, tossing in some already-cooked rotisserie chicken meat (or chicken breasts/thighs), cooking rice with the pressure cooker setting, and adding in your cream cheese and half & half at the end. It's a super comforting Instant Pot soup recipe that everybody in my family absolutely loved.
You'll want this recipe around for a cold winter night - it's incredibly rich and filling! Add in a little bit of toasted French bread with your bowls of soup and you've got a perfect comfort meal with the perfect taste.
Variations
This recipe could be easily adapted.
- Change to Mexican rice and corn/tomatoes for your vegetables for more of a Spanish/Mexican meal.
- Leave out the rice from that combination for an Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup.
- You could sub a few peppers in and add some Italian or Greek seasoning to make it more of a Mediterranean-inspired soup.
- Even egg noodles would give this Instant Pot Chicken soup a fun twist. There are a ton of possibilities for adapting this recipe to your flavor profile!
- This could also be made without the half and half or cream cheese if you're trying to cut dairy - simply add in a little more chicken broth or stock to still give it a soup consistency.
Video
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup onion chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup celery chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup carrots chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 7 oz boxed long grain & wild rice mix
- 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (can sub shredded cooked chicken breast or chicken thighs)
- 4 cups chicken stock (broth can be used too)
- 1 cup half and half
- 8 oz cream cheese
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot on saute setting and allow to warm. Add oil.
- Add onion, celery, and carrots to the hot oil. Allow to brown for 3-5 minutes.
- Add garlic and seasonings. Cook for about a minute, until fragrant.
- Add chicken and rice mix; brown for about a minute, stirring frequently.
- Add chicken broth or stock. Press manual button, select high pressure, and set the timer for 5 minutes; lock on the lid. Allow cook cycle to finish and turn the top valve to vent to quick release remaining pressure once cook cycle is over.
- Stir soup well. Add half and half and cream cheese until incorporated.
Nutrition Facts
More Instant Pot Recipes
Hope you enjoy this comfort food on a cold night! If you're in need of other easy Instant Pot dinner ideas, check out these recipes:
- Instant Pot Easy Cheesy Chicken & Rice
- Instant Pot Copycat Zuppa Toscana
- Instant Pot Smokey Penne Pasta
To see all of my Instant Pot recipes, click here.
