Instant Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup with creamy broth, fresh kale and colorful carrots. This soup is warming, cheerful, and perfect for a rainy Spring day!
Ready to wave goodbye to SOUPS? Hmm, maybe not just yet! Spring is finally here, the sun is getting warmer and bright, but a good Spring will also bring lots of rainfall, cold and gloomy days. For this reason I am still very much on soup-mode, which is why I made this colorful and cheerful Instant Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup.
This soup goes far beyond the basics. It’s heartwarming, nourishing and it has everything we need; protein, carbs, veggies, creamy broth and let’s not forget the seasonality aspect which in this case are the carrots.
Table of Contents
instant pot vs. stove top
Ultimately what helps me decide on whether I make my soups on the instant pot or stove top depends on the length of time it takes to cook the ingredients in the soup. For example, when I made this Black Bean Mushroom and Carrots Soup I cooked on stove top because the ingredients didn’t need a lot of cooking. Of course I used canned beans otherwise I would have done it in the instant pot, like this Instant Pot Chickpea Stew.
Chickpeas and wild rice take a long time to cook, so these are good candidates for the Instant Pot. But remember, there is no right or wrong cooking Chicken Wild Rice Soup or any other recipe, you can do either and it will come out just fine.
how to make chicken wild rice soup
Cooking chicken wild rice soup can be fairly easy, although there are several recipes and techniques you can follow. I usually try to make my recipes as simple as possible without compromising on quality or flavor.
Start by sautéing the onions and garlic, until fragrant and translucent. To save time I work on my ingredients as I go along. For example, I’ll slice the carrots while the onions are cooking then I add in carrots and let them cook while I work on the celery. Then I add in the celery and let it cook while I slice the mushrooms.
For me this way works best because I feel like it’s a continuous hands on approach that saves me time in the end because I am not spending so much time prepping my ingredients before hand. I also like the idea of adding one ingredient at a time, starting with the ‘hardest to soften’ ingredient first.
Once you have finished sautéing and seasoning the veggies, you can add the remaining ingredients; broth, wild rice and chicken. Switch from sauté mode to high pressure and cook for 25 minutes. If you are going to use pure wild rice I recommend that you cook for 30 minutes on HP.
When all is done and all pressure has been released you add in the heavy cream and fresh kale. Stir and maybe cover the pot to allow the kale to soften a bit, and serve.
other instant pot soup recipes to try
Instant Pot New England Clam Chowder
Instant Pot Mexican Chicken Soup
Instant Pot Leftover Vegetable Soup
If you make this Instant Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you and always do my best to respond to all your comments. Also, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram for a special shutout and/or a chance of being featured in my newsletter!
Instant Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 large white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 large carrots, sliced
- 1 cup celery, thinly chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup wild rice mix,
- 1 1/2 lb 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp thyme, fresh or dried
- 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups fresh kale, chopped
Instructions
- Turn instant pot on sauté mode and add in oil. When the oil is hot add onion and garlic and sauté until fragrant and onions are translucent (2-3 minutes)
- Start to add in the carrots, celery and mushrooms. I first add the carrots, let them sauté while I chop the celery to save time. Then I add the celery, stir and let it sauté while I slice the mushrooms. Finally I add the mushrooms, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Stir and sauté for 3-5 minutes.
- Add broth, rice and chicken, stir to combine. Turn sauté mode off and set on high pressure for 25 minutes.
- Allow 5 minutes of NPR then release all remaining pressure. Open the instant pot and pour in heavy cream and kale. Stir to combine. You may want to cover the pot to allow the kale to soften a bit, however you don’t need to.
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It’s a cold rainy day here in north Texas. I decided to make your Chicken and Wild Rice soup. It is delicious but I’m not happy with myself because I over cooked the rice. I will definitely make this again but cut down on cook time. Thanks for posting and by the way I love how easy it is to get to the recipes you post!!
That’s the nicest compliment, thanks so much Tina!! Thanks for trying my recipe and coming back to leave a feedback. Hope you will try (and love) many more! xoxo 🙂
Vontade de fazer todas as receitasb
Where did you find that rice blend? What is brand? Thank you.
I usually buy mine at Whole Foods, their brand 365 organic wild rice mix or Lundberg wild blend. They are both the same thing which is a mix of brown basmati and wild rice. This is the link to one of them on Amazon so you can take a look and see what it looks like: https://amzn.to/2LyJVm5
Thank you. I was shopping when I asked. I bought & used a Rice Select Royal Blend – Texmati white, brown, Wild & Thai red blend. The soup was delicious!
Aw thank you so much Anita! I am so so glad you liked this recipe 🙂 Thanks for your feedback also, that means a lot to me!
Very delicious!
This was delicious! One question…when i made it i went ahead and sauted the chicken, as i wasn’t sure if it needed to be cooked first. Do you cook your chicken first in the IP before pressurizing the rest? It was great, and better the longer it sat! Thanks!!
That’s great Amy, I am very happy to hear! To answer your question no, you do not need to sauté the chicken but I am sure it can’t hurt. 25 minutes under pressure is plenty time for the chicken to fully cook.
Hello, I haven’t tried your recipe, but I have some questions…
– Can I substitute Half & Half for Heavy Cream?
– I’m surprised to see the Kale doesn’t need to be sauteed? And I like Dino Kale over regular kale. Can I substitute it?
Thank you!
Thank you for your interest in trying this recipe. Although I haven’t personally tried, other have substituted the half and half for milk, heavy cream and dairy-free milk successfully. As for the kale, you can sub for other types of kale, collard or spinach and no it doesn’t need to be sauteed, the green will cook and soften in the hot broth within minutes. I hope this helps!
Can I double this recipe?
I would only recommend doubling the recipe if you have the larger instant pot, mine is a 6qt which will definitely not hold a double batch.
I have the flu and I bought the ingredients to make this before I was diagnosed. I found the strength to make this today and it looks and tastes delicious. Thank you!!!
Oh Emma, I hope you feel better soon. This is a great recipe for when you have a cold or flu. I had it once, honestly it is NOT fun and I lived off of soup. Wishing you well… 🙂
Wow…now, this Recipe is GGGOOOOO! This is the 2nd time making it and I only modified it slightly. I diced my Chicken into roughly 1 inch cubes & did not shred later on. I added in (1)…a small palmful of chopped FRESH DILL (fresh is best) (I AM Polish, after all! lol!!) (2)…a small palmful of FESH ITALIAN PARSLEY, and (3) a 1/4 teaspoon squeeze of CHILI PEPPER PASTE & (4)…the juice of 1/2 LIME (after it is cooked), to cook it up a notch!! This is de-lish, though, as is written, and a nice dish during this Covid 19 Crisis here in Ontario. Thanks for the Recipe; it is keeper!~~~
Thanks so much Linda for your feedback! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! Stay safe and healthy 🙂
Hi! I would love to make this soup in my large crockpot! How can I alter recipe?
My suggestion is that you follow sautéing instructions in a skillet or pot, then transfer everything to the crockpot and set to cook. I just don’t know how long you might need to cook for since I haven’t tested this recipe in the slow cooker.
Our family LOVED this! Even the kids. Usually when I make soup we have leftovers for the next day. Not with this recipe- every bite was eaten at dinner time.
That’s wonderful Shaunda, so happy to hear!
Looks yummy! Do you have suggestions for adjusting for the mini (3 qt)?
Thank you! I think the mini will hold half of recipe, is so I would recommend to cut the ingredients in half
Hello, if I don’t have an Insta pot do you have any idea how long I should cook this for in a regular pot or in a crock pot? Thanks!
Hi Kristina, from my experience wild rice usually takes about 40-45 minutes to cook. I personally would simmer on medium-low to close to an hour, stirring here and there, keep your eyes on it after 45 minutes as you may be satisfied with the results at that point. I like my rice a bit more soft in a soup that’s why I personally would cook for 50-55 minutes. Add the cream/ milk after. Let me know if you end up trying it and what you think!
Thanks for the recipe! I made this tonight and my whole family liked it, but it really needs a lot more seasoning than you have listed. A pinch of salt just doesn’t do it! I used all wild rice (rather than blend of rice), and cooking time of 35 minutes.
That’s so good to hear Mary, I am glad your family enjoyed the recipe. I am actually making a new wild rice soup today and will pay special attention on the seasoning. Have a great day!
Has anyone try a dairy free option of this soup it looks delicious just have a family member who doesn’t tolerate cream.
Hi Nikki, I have a friend who tried using dairy-free milk and she enjoyed it. I have also tried with coconut milk as I am slowly shifting to dairy-free as well. Hope this helps
How much salt did everyone use? I added salt and pepper prior to cooking but it was no where near enough. Also my chicken is kind of dry the next day. Would smaller cuts make it better on the next go around? Otherwise the recipe is great, although I don’t think I used the right kind of rice.
Does this recipe freeze well?
yes, I have many times.
I just made this soup! I doubled the recipe as I have a large instant pot and hungry family. Definitely needs more seasoning and mine turned out VERY thick. I will probably add another 4 cups of broth to thin it out. Looking forward to eating when it cools down a bit.
Definitely recommend adding more broth. Fresh rosemary, sage, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper! So tasty!
Hi Kristine, thanks for the feedback. I understand that the broth thing is personal, I love a thick soup myself. Adding more broth will require more seasoning too. I am so glad you adjusted to your liking and that you enjoyed the recipe.