Instant Pot Chicken Rice Soup with Lemon
This recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Rice Soup with lemon is so comforting. This one-pot meal is ready in just over 30 minutes. This recipe is naturally gluten-free. Stovetop instructions included as well.
There’s just nothing like a warm bowl of chicken rice soup on a cold day. This easy recipe is perfect for a quick lunch or dinner, and will surely warm you up from the inside out.
Why You Need This Recipe
- With lots of vegetables and other anti-inflammatory ingredients, chicken soup is perfect for those times of the year when you are feeling under the weather.
- A generous amount of fresh lemon juice squeeze into in this Instant Pot chicken soup just before serving even provides for a decent amount of vitamin C. Don’t miss my other immune-boosting tips for when you’re fighting a cold, including my Ginger Shot.
- This Instant Pot Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup is perfect for meal prepping because it’s easily re-heatable and can even be frozen to serve in the future.
- For my friends on a gluten-free and dairy-free diet, this soup hits the spot. The starch from the rice makes the soup thick and creamy with absolutely no gluten or dairy.
Key Ingredients
Chicken tenders or boneless, skinless chicken breasts are key to this recipe. Cut them into bite-sized pieces so they cook in the same time as the rice.
Chicken broth makes the base of this Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup and is also nourishing and flavorful.
Long-grain rice gets cooked perfectly and is tender with a nice texture. See my related recipe for Instant Pot Basmati Rice.
Celery, carrots, and onion are classic ingredients for chicken soup. They are also known as “aromatics” and add flavor, fiber, and nutrition to the soup.
Recipe Steps
Sometimes the simplest ingredients are all you need to have a delicious, hearty meal. Let me show you how easy it is to make this Instant Pot Chicken Rice Soup with Lemon.
Recipe Steps
Step One
Chop all of your vegetables and rinse your rice. Chop the chicken into small pieces, about 1-inch in length. Add all of your ingredients to a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot.
If you’re new to using the electric pressure cooker, be sure to read my guide on how to use the Instant Pot Duo.
Step Two
Lock on the lid and set the cooking time to 7 minutes at high pressure. This will be enough time to cook the chicken through, but not overcook the rice.
Step Three
When the cooking time is up, let the pressure come down naturally for about 5 minutes. Then, use the quick-release to get rid of any remaining pressure. Carefully remove the lid and stir in the fresh lemon juice.
Serve hot.
I think you’re really going to love how hearty, creamy, and flavorful this chicken soup is. The fresh lemon flavor really jumps out and adds so much brightness.
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
- I recommend cutting your chicken into small pieces, at the most 1/2-inches in length. That’s because we don’t want to overcook the rice, but we want to make sure the chicken gets cooked through.
- I used white basmati rice for this recipe, I don’t recommend a short-grain variety for this particular recipe. You’ll also need to rinse the rice before you add it to the pot.
- Store any leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat before serving.
- Or, you can freeze the soup for up to 2 months in a tightly sealed container.
- The total cooking time includes 10 minutes for the pot to come up to pressure and a 5 minute natural release.
- STOVETOP DIRECTIONS: In a large lidded pot over medium heat, combine the chicken, onion, carrots, celery, thyme, salt, pepper, rice, chicken broth, and water. Bring the mixture up to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot. Let it cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and the chicken is cooked through. Serve hot.
FAQs
No, because the chicken will get overcooked. It’s best to use a long-grain white rice for this recipe.
Yes, this soup freezes really well for up to 2 months. Defrost and re-heat before serving.
Yes, you can. You might also like my recipe for Instant Pot Pork Chops and Rice.
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes You Might Like
- Instant Pot Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Red Lentil Dal
- Instant Pot Turkey & Sweet Potato Chili
- Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
- Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup
- Instant Pot 15-Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Also, if you’re looking for more easy Instant Pot recipes, then don’t miss my round-ups of the best Instant Pot Healthy Soup recipes, the best Instant Pot side dishes, and the best Instant Pot Chicken Recipes.
I hope you make this recipe! If you do, please leave a comment and a starred review below.
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Instant Pot Chicken Rice Soup with Lemon
This recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Rice Soup with lemon is so comforting. This one-pot meal is ready in just over 30 minutes. This recipe is naturally gluten-free. Stovetop instructions included as well.
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 1.25 pounds chicken tenders or boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 6 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup white basmati rice, rinsed well in a fine-mesh sieve
- 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 lemons, juiced
Instructions
- In the base of a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot, combine the chicken, onion, carrots, celery, thyme, salt, pepper, rice, chicken broth, and water.
- Lock on the lid and set the time to 7 minutes on high pressure.
- Once the cooking time is complete, let the pressure come down naturally for 5 minutes. Quick release the remaining pressure and carefully remove the lid.
- Stir in the lemon juice and serve immediately.
Notes
- Store any leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat before serving.
- Or, you can freeze the soup for up to 2 months in a tightly sealed container.
- Use a long-grain white rice for this recipe, as opposed to a short-grain rice.
- The total cooking time includes 10 minutes for the pot to come up to pressure and a 5 minute natural release.
- STOVETOP DIRECTIONS: In a large lidded pot over medium heat, combine the chicken, onion, carrots, celery, thyme, salt, pepper, rice, chicken broth, and water. Bring the mixture up to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot. Let it cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and the chicken is cooked through. Serve hot.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Pressure cooker
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Diet: Gluten Free
Keywords: instant pot chicken soup, instant pot chicken and rice, chicken and rice soup
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Super tasty and easy! I added extra broth because I wanted it more brothy. I used jasmine rice and it was great. Didn’t add chicken to cook but added some diced rotisserie chicken after pressure release. Oh and I added a bay leaf. The thyme is great in this, as is the lemon! Great comfort food. Thanks for an easy recipe.
★★★★★
You are so welcome, thanks for sharing your experience and changes!
I just made this today and it came out great. I substituted vegetable bouillon for the water, because I wanted to get more vitamins in (it’s hard to get enough vegetables into the husband!!). I overcooked it a little, partly because I need to eat my rice really well-cooked, so the texture was closer to a risotto than a soup, but that’s a good thing around here. I also had some already cooked chicken tenders in the freezer, so cooked the soup without the chicken then added the chicken in when it was done, and that worked out very well. I’ll definitely be making this again, as it’s perfect for a cold winter’s night!
★★★★★
Thank you so much for the review! 🙂
Hi, followed the directions exactly and at the end and when I did the quick release after the 5′ natural release, I got a volcano of liquid goo coming out of the release valve area. This never happened to me before making other similar recipes. It appears it was too much liquid and the long grain rice was too cooked.
★★
That’s too bad! I have not had that experience with this recipe.
I had this same problem the first time I made it! I’m making it again tonight and trying to figure out how to avoid that. Recipe is great otherwise.
If I don’t have chicken stock can I use all water
Yes! You’ll get more flavor using broth, but you can use water, you just might need some extra salt.
Made this tonight at 10 p.m. — then ate dinner at 11 p.m. I used 6 cups of broth, did not do the 2 cups of water added oregano 2 bay leaves. Didn’t have lemons so used about a 1/4 cup of real lemon juice. and only 1/2 cup of long grain rice. high pressure for 8 minutes and full natural release. Oh yes I had purchased a pkg of pulled rotisserie chicken that had been in my freezer from Costco — so I used a part of that. Very flavorful chicken too. Best chicken soup I’ve ever made. Loved the lemon in it. Thanks for sharing.