Chicken, Brown Rice, and Vegetable Soup
This Instant Pot Chicken, Brown Rice and Vegetable Soup is a bonafide miracle worker. Not only is it delicious but it has special, magical powers!
If you’re under the weather or… in the weather, this soup can actually make you feel better. I live in beautiful sunny California but we’re at a higher elevation. We get a little bit of inclement weather during the winter. I say this knowing full well, many of you are from colder areas. Whether you’re from Canada or Florida, this soup is sure to warm you right up, no matter your what kind of cold you’re experiencing!
I love to meal prep brown rice at the beginning of the week. I keep a bowl full in the refrigerator for a quick lunch side. It’s also a great way to bulk up salads, soups, and stews! Toss your leftover rice into this dish or any vegetable stragglers you have hanging around.
For other amazing Instant Pot recipes, pick up a copy of one of my cookbooks at your local bookseller! The Instant Loss Cookbook tells the story of how I lost 125 pounds in one year, just eating real food at home! In December 2019 our second cookbook, Instant Loss Eat Real, Lose Weight hits stores. It focuses on how to ditch the diet mindset, heal unhealthy habits, and repair your relationship with food! Packed full of 125 NEW recipes, it is a must have for every healthy cook!
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If you make this delicious recipe, be sure to share a picture of it on Instagram with the hashtag #InstantLoss. I love seeing your kitchen creations!
Chicken, Brown Rice, and Vegetable Soup
Print RecipeIngredients
- 2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
- 6 stalks celery, diced
- 1 large sweet potato, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups baby carrots
- 1 1/2 cups cooked organic brown rice
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 yellow squash, diced
- fresh herbs, if desired
- 4 to 6 lemon wedges, if desired
Instructions
- Place the chicken, celery, potato, onion, vegetable broth, baby carrots, brown rice, parsley, minced garlic, thyme, sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper inside of an electric pressure cooker and stir to combine.
- Place the lid on the cooker and make sure the vent valve is in the SEALING position. Using the display panel, select the MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK function, high pressure, and use the +/- buttons until the display says 12 minutes.
- When the cooker beeps to let you know it’s finished, switch the vent valve from the SEALING to the VENTING position. Use caution while the steam escapes—it’s hot. Remove the lid and stir in the yellow squash. Place the lid back on the pot and let the squash cook for 2 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Serve warm with fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon, if desired.
Looks delicious. One question – is the rice PIP? Or just add all the rice ingredients in with the soup? The way it was separated in the ingredients, I wasn’t sure – thanks!!
I make the rice in the pot first, not PIP, then add all the other ingredients since the veggies would be mush if I cooked them for the same amount of time as the rice. 🙂 I hope that answers your question.
Oh. My. Word. Made this tonight. This is seriously the BEST chicken soup recipe I’ve ever had. Ever. The seasonings are spot-on! *drool*
I dont have Better then Boullion. What spices do you recommend?
It’s an optional ingredient so you can leave it out and you won’t miss it too much. 🙂 You may have to add a touch more salt, just salt to taste after it’s done.
This looks so good! Is this cooked at high pressure and do you do a natural or quick release?
High pressure, quick release. 🙂
What size chicken breast are you using? And would you adjust the time if you’re using fresh vs frozen chicken?
4-6 oz breasts. If you’re using fresh they would only need 10 minutes. 🙂
This was AMAZING!! So delicious with amazing flavors. I only had carrots, celery, onions and mushrooms for veggies and doubled the amounts. It was a hit for our whole fam. Thanks for another winner! 😊👍🏻
I want to make this for a potluck… Should I make it all at home (in my instant pot) and than reheat (crock pot maybe)? Or maybe cook the rice, dump everything else in before I leave the house (40 minute drive to party) and then cook for 12 minutes? Not sure the best way to do it, what is your opinion?
Thanks for all the great recipes!
Stacie, either would work! Its great reheated or fresh, totally up to you!
can you substitute barley or something like quinoa? would you use the same method?
Is it 1 T. of fresh thyme or dried thyme or ground dried thyme?
Dried. 🙂
I made this tonight, after several days of being sick. It was delicious (better than regular chicken soup) AND helped me stick to my diet. Thank you!
I made this tonight as I didn’t want to have in to ordering pizza. It was so flavorful and even my son who hates soup liked it!! Thank you Brittney for your healthy easy and delicious recipes!! It’s given me a new motivation to take care of myself as well as my family. Can’t wait for your cookbook next week!
What can I substitute for the Better Than Bouillon? More broth/stock?
Which better then Boullion flavor did you use TIA
I track my nutrition every day. Can you provide calories, fat, etc.
Making this tonight. Thanks for all the great recipes!
Hi Gale,
Thanks so much for trying out my soup recipe! I do not include nutritional information on my website because all ingredients have different nutritional information so I can list it but it will always vary depending on the ingredients you’re using. If you need to track nutritional information because you have a medical condition it’s best to calculate nutritional information yourself with your own ingredients and an app like Myfitness Pal or something else because it can vary A LOT.
Do you think the recipe work with cockpit also? How long would it take?
How many people is this for?
It serves 6 people
Does the cooked brown rice not get mushy cooking it again?
No it does not, once it is in the refrigerator it dehydrates it a little bit and when you put it in the Instant Pot it rehydrates it.
I noticed a few comments mention Better then Boullion but I don’t see it anywhere in the ingredients. Has the recipe been modified from an earlier version? If not how much of the better then boullion do you use?
Hi Heather,
Yes when I first started my weight loss journey I was using Better than Bouillon but I didn’t realize that it was so high in sodium and that it didn’t contain the best ingredients, so I reworked the recipe so that I could remove that ingredient and it’s much better now.
Can you make this with frozen chicken?
Hi Sarah,
I would suggest cooking the frozen chicken in the broth first for about 10 minutes before you add everything else and cook because your vegetables are going to become too mushy if you cook the whole recipe for that long.
I have done this with frozen chicken and it works great (same time for cooking) But the chicken has to already be in bite size pieces before you freeze it. I always buy chicken breasts in bulk —when I get home I chop them all up and freeze them. Then when I make a soup I thrown in the chicken— I break it up so it’s not in a big block (still frozen though) and it will poach the chicken and it’s fully cooked. This will not work with non precut full chicken breasts since the heat can’t get into the chicken breasts—-but bite size already has saved me so much time with no dethawing anymore.