Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

This chicken noodle soup is perfect if you’re feeling a little unwell, or just need something hearty and filling to warm you up on a cold winter day. This soup tastes like it’s been simmering for hours, but because it’s made using an electric pressure cooker, you’ll have dinner ready in 30 minutes!

Chicken soup for me is one of those meals that is perfect on so many occasions. I love it when I am feeling a little under the weather, or just when the weather is a bit too cold for comfort. 

What I don’t love about soups though is that they take so long to boil away on the stove, that by the time they are done I don’t really feel like it anymore! With this version I can go from deciding I want a bowl of soup, to having one in around 30 minutes which is incredible.

The secret is all in the magic of the electric pressure cooker. You may have seen them around, or know someone who has one because they have at some point shared with you just how amazing they really are (because they really are worth the hype). 

I got my electric pressure cooker about 18 months ago now and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to publish a recipe using it. When purchasing it I grappled with the decision of if I really needed another appliance, but it has seriously been a game changer in how I approach weeknight cooking.

In our house, we use it at minimum twice a week and cook anything from slow cooked beef short ribs and tender chicken curries, through to risotto, soups and anything else you can think of. It is the master of the one pot meal and everything that comes out of it is packed full of flavour.

When I first started hearing about electric pressure cookers and their ability to make delicious food in a fraction of the time as conventional methods, I heard mention mainly of one brand which was the Instant Pot. Unfortunately, at the time Instant Pot was not available in Australia (it has since been released here) so the option was to try and import one from the UK for a huge cost, or seek an alternative brand. I chose the later.

At the time, the best one I could find that had all the similar functionality of the Instant Pot (which I wanted so I could use all the recipes that are available online), was the Philips All in One Pressure Cooker. I have not been disappointed with this purchase. It’s very simple to use and has heaps of different settings making it perfect for a range of different recipes.

For this recipe, we are using two of the functions – saute and pressure cook, which means everything comes together in just the one pot so less clean up required!

Chicken noodle soup from scratch

You really don’t need too many ingredients to make a quality chicken noodle soup, but the basics go a long way.

First there is the base of your soup which starts with mirepoix, which is a french flavour base consisting of onions, carrots and celery. I throw in some garlic because I love garlic and also like the idea of this soup packing a little extra goodness.

Next is the chicken stock. I like to use salt reduced so I can control how salty I want the soup to taste. Then there is the chicken itself. I like to use chicken breast because it’s leaner than other cuts meaning you don’t have to worry about the ‘scum’ that usually forms on the top of a lot of traditional recipes.

Then you have your extras that make this soup so very tasty. There is the usual suspects of salt, pepper and bay leaves, but then this recipe has something a little weird. You know when you have finished with your block of fresh Parmesan and you are left with the hard rind bit? Instead of just throwing it away, hold onto it and throw it into your soup. It adds the most incredible flavour to the soup. Just be sure to scoop it out before serving so someone doesn’t end up with it in their bowl! This is totally optional, but if you have it available then I recommend you give it a try because it really makes this the best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had. 

And finally we have the noodles. I simply use my favourite pasta. Ideally you want something that is nice and bite sized here so you can get mouthfuls of everything together in each spoonful.

Making chicken soup in the pressure cooker

First start by turning the pressure cooker to saute and then cooking the onions and garlic. Then it’s as simple as pressing CANCEL, dumping the rest of the ingredients in minus the pasta, securing the lid (ensuring the valve is set to seal) and cooking on high pressure for 15 minutes.

The pressure cooker will need to come up to temperature before the timer kicks in so it will take a bit longer than the 15 minutes in total, but it’s still a lot quicker and less hands-on than on the stove top.

Once cooked, manually release the pressure, staying well clear of the valve as to not get burned by the hot steam. Press CANCEL again, then turn it back onto saute to bring the soup to the boil. Add the pasta and let boil until cooked.

Meanwhile, remove the chicken so it doesn’t over cook and shred with two forks. Add back into the pot once the pasta is cooked, add in some chopped parsley. Make sure to remove the bay leaves and Parmesan rind if using before serving straight away into bowls.

Can I make this soup without a pressure cooker?

Yes you certainly can, I have included stove top directions in the recipe card down below.

It’s still pretty easy, you just need to pay it a little more attention and let it boil a little longer.

How can I store leftover soup?

This recipe makes enough for 3-4 bowls (depending how hungry you are) which is perfect if you don’t want to be eating soup all week.

Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. As the noodles are already cooked, they will continue to soften when you reheat it so it is best eaten on the same day but if you don’t mind soft noodles, it’s still really delicious reheated.

To make ahead, simply just leave out the noodles and freeze the soup for up to 3 months. To serve, defrost and heat up the soup and serve with cooked pasta.

If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with #eightforestlane as I would love to see.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

This chicken noodle soup is perfect if you’re feeling a little unwell, or just need something hearty and filling to warm you up on a cold winter day. This soup tastes like it’s been simmering for hours, but because it’s made using an electric pressure cooker, you’ll have dinner ready in 30 minutes!

4.50 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Australian

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Author: Sally

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 medium carrot
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 skinless chicken breast
• 4 cups reduced salt chicken stock
• 1 parmesan cheese rind optional
• 1 cup dried pasta
• ½ tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

Instructions

• Peel and finely chop the onion, celery and carrot. Turn the electric pressure cooker on and set to saute, high heat. Add the oil and onion to the pot and saute until the onion is translucent. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Press cancel to turn off the heat.
• Add the remaining ingredients to the pot except the pasta and parsley. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and make sure the vent is set to sealed. Press pressure cook and set timer for 15 minutes. Pressure cooker will start to heat up and come up to pressure before the timer starts.
• Once the timer is finished, use a wooden spoon to open the vent and release the pressure, making sure to stand back as the steam will be hot. Remove the chicken carefully and add in the dried pasta. Press cancel on the pressure cooker again and then turn it back onto saute, high so that the soup starts to boil. Let boil for about 10 minutes until the pasta is cooked through.
• While the pasta is cooking, shred the chicken with two forks. Once the pasta is cooked, add back in the chicken and the parsley and mix through. Serve into bowls and eat immediately.

Notes

Stove top directions: In a large, heavy based pot saute onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add in celery and carrot and cook for a few more minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except the pasta and parsley. Turn down the heat and let simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Add in the pasta and remove the chicken. Chop or shred the chicken and add back into the pot. Stir through the parsley and add extra water if needed. Once the pasta is cooked, serve into bowls.

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Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.

Have you made this recipe?Leave a comment and a rating below and tag your creations with #eightforestlane on Instagram!

Not fom Australia? Check out my US Conversion Guide

More homemade soup recipes:

Easy Tomato Soup
Golden Turmeric Sweet Potato Soup
Dairy-Free Potato and Leek Soup with Bacon Crumb
Mum’s Pumpkin Soup
Beef Minestrone Soup

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