This Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe is simple and quick but packs a serious flavor punch. This creamy soup is loaded with vegetables and can easily be made dairy-free or vegetarian.
You’ll also love this Juicy Instant Pot Chicken Breast and these Instant Pot Chicken Recipes!
Table of Contents
This Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup was one of the very first things I made in my pressure cooker. After making a few ridiculously easy recipes, like Instant Pot Baked Potatoes, How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot, and Instant Pot Taco Meat from Frozen Ground Beef, I decided it was time to try out a soup.
I think soups and stews are some of the easiest recipes to make in the instant pot, especially if you’re just starting out.
They have enough liquid that it easily comes to pressure and you won’t get that concerning “burn” message flashing on the screen.
Plus you get that “I spent all day in the kitchen” flavor in just 5-10 minutes.
Ingredients Needed:
- Canola Oil: we need just a little bit of oil to sauté the veggies before pressure cooking.
- Carrot, Celery, and Onion: the classic soup trio to create a flavor base and add plenty of texture.
- Chicken: you’ll need 1 boneless and skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2″ pieces.
- Seasonings: a simple blend of parsley, salt, minced garlic, thyme, and black pepper gives the soup the best flavor.
- Chicken Broth: I like to use low sodium so I can add salt to taste myself.
- Pasta: any short pasta will work. I usually use Ditalini or Orzo!
- Cream and Cornstarch: forms a slurry which makes the soup thicker and creamy.
- Chopped Spinach: a handful of fresh, chopped spinach wilted into the soup adds some extra color and texture.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
This simple instant pot soup takes just 10 minutes to prep! See the detailed recipe in the card below.
- Sauté the veggies: Turn the instant pot to sauté and heat the oil. Add in the carrots, celery, and onion, then cook until softened.
- Brown the chicken: Add in the seasonings and the cubed chicken and cook until white on the outside.
- Add the broth and pasta: Pour the broth into the instant pot, then stir in uncooked pasta. Cook until al dente.
- Add the cream and spinach: In a bowl, mix together cream and cornstarch, then mix that into the soup along with the chopped spinach. Cook until thickened, then serve.
Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup FAQs
Not in this recipe. Since we’re cooking the chicken takes longer to cook than the noodles, we need to brown the chicken first. Luckily, this can all be done in the instant pot so we’re not dirtying any more dishes!
We’re making our chicken noodle soup creamy with a cornstarch slurry. It’s made of heavy cream and cornstarch. Just whisk those two together until smooth, then mix that into your soup at the end.
Leftover chicken noodle soup will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Keep in mind that the pasta will soak up the liquid and soften as the soup sits. Leftovers will still taste delicious though!
If you’re going to freeze your soup, I recommend doing so without the pasta. Cooked noodles can become mushy in the freezer. To freeze your soup, follow the recipe as instructed, but don’t add the pasta. Instead, cool the soup completely, then store it in the freezer. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw the soup and add cooked pasta just before serving.
Variations
- Add more veggies. You can easily use other veggies. Add peppers, mushrooms, or anything that suits your fancy.
- Make it vegetarian. Leave out the chicken, use chicken broth, and add more veggies to change it up!
- Make it dairy-free. To make this soup dairy-free, simply leave out the milk. If you want to thicken it slightly, you can do so by substituting the milk for an additional cup of broth and cornstarch.
- Make it gluten-free. Just use a gluten-free pasta.
- Spice it up. Add a sprinkle of cayenne or red pepper flakes.
Serving Suggestions
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup is great on its own, but if you want to bulk your meal up, serve it next to Garlic Bread or Breadsticks, Homemade Dinner Rolls, Roasted Green Beans, or Air Fryer Broccoli.
Looking for more pairing ideas? Check out more of my easy side dish recipes!
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes You’ll Love
Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 3 large carrots peeled and sliced (not too thin)
- 2 ribs celery sliced
- 1 medium onion (finely diced)
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into ½" pieces) about 300 grams
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup short pasta (such as Ditalini or Orzo) about 130 grams
- ½ cup cream (I use heavy cream but any will do)
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 cup chopped spinach
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute and add the oil. Wait until the Instant Pot reads "hot" and then add the carrots, celery and onion. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes until onion has softened.
- Add the cubed chicken. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes just until white on the outside.
- Stir in the parsley, salt, garlic, thyme and pepper. Cook and stir 1 minute.
- Add the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot well to remove any browned bits. Stir in the uncooked pasta.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the valve to sealing. Press Manual, leave on High pressure, and use the arrows to select a cook time of 2 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure and start counting down.
- When the cook time is over, turn the Instant Pot off. Let the pressure release naturally for about 5 minutes before opening the valve to release the remaining pressure.
- Whisk together the cream and corn starch. Stir into the pot with the spinach. .
- Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. Taste and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Becky says
Love the recipe! My only complaint is that it didn’t thicken up much at all after adding the milk/corn starch mixture. Any tips on that? More cornstarch?
Ashley Fehr says
You can add a bit more corn starch for sure!
Mary Kay says
Just finished making it. Delicious. Easy to make. Had all ingredients on hand. I will be making again. I used 1percent milk I already had, still creamy.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Mary Kay! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your review!
Kari says
I have made this recipe multiple times. I don’t bother to thaw or cube my chicken breasts (I often use two instead of one) and I cook it for 12 minutes on high pressure instead then remove the chicken and shred. We don’t mind soft vegetables here. I add frozen green beans in with the noodles at the end for extra veggies. It’s ALWAYS delicious. Thank you for such an easy recipe that both of my kids will eat.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Kari! I’m glad it’s a hit!
Lalu says
Just made this recipe – but with beef broth (because I needed to use it up), and it came out awesome! Thanks for the recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Lalu!
Gail says
Can I use almond milk instead of regular milk?
Ashley Fehr says
You definitely can, but it will change the flavor
Naoko says
This was so quick and easy to make and delicious! Thanks for a great recipe. I will definitely make this again.
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Naoko!
Tony says
I just made this recipe and it turned out amazing. So quick and easy. I will definitely be adding this to the list of soups. I made 1.5 times the amount in the 6 quart instant pot but I probably could have doubled it.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Tony! I’m glad you liked it!
Alana says
Can I use whole milk instead of skim?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, any milk is fine
David Charles says
Very tasty. Great alternative to a clear broth chicken sout. The pasta was a great change up from standard egg noodles. Did make a couple of adjustments for my tast. Added 1/2 cup of chopped onion and used Better Than Bullion paste. It gave it a nice round flavor. Also used a small bag of baby carrots and decreased the cook time on the instant pot tp 3 min and did a manual release after 2 min.
Will definitely make this again.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks David, and thanks for sharing your tips!
Jill Harbaugh says
If I double the recipe, do I need to adjust the cooking time? I’ve made it with both chicken then meatballs. Hubby is in love. And what I live most is I typically have everything on hand to make it ❤️
Ashley Fehr says
You shouldn’t need to adjust the cooking time! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it!
Loreal says
I’d love to make this tonight, however I only have whipping cream. Can that be used in place of the milk ?
Ashley Fehr says
It can definitely be used, it will just be a little thicker!
Kelly says
What an amazing comforting soup! I was feeling under the weather today and just wanted chicken noodle soup. This recipe was easy to prep, quick to cook, and tasted delicious. Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Kelly! I’m so happy you liked it!
Kari says
I’m going to make this tomorrow for Valentine’s dinner! We like a lot of chicken in our chicken soup, so if I use 2 chicken breasts instead of 1, do I need to increase the cook time?
I will post my thoughts after, but I’m sure it will be great!
Katie says
We have chicken noodle soup ALL the time, just in a regular pot and not creamy. Tried this tonight for a little variation – my 8-year-old daughter is the BIGGEST chicken soup fan in the house, so she was quite leery on the variation…”Creamy? What do you mean creamy????” But upon tasting, the verdict is, “You can’t even TASTE the spinach! And the flavorings are so yummy!” First time cooking with Ditalini noodles. I used them as hair once for a pasta angel I made with my class…but never cooked with them. They’re so cute 🙂 I had to cook them seven minutes, and then let them sit for a while to reach al dente. SO delicious!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Katie! I’m so happy that you and even your daughter enjoyed it! I love the ditalini because it cooks so quickly and is great for little kids!
Jennifet says
I used a large frozen chicken breast, and should have checked to make sure it was cooked through before adding the orzo. Chicken was still raw had to bring back to pressure twice before it was cooked completely which made pasta overdone. Again, that was my bad. Otherwise soup tasted amazing.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jennifer! I’m glad you enjoyed it in the end!
Holly says
Good recipe. Yet it only looked this way 30 minutes sitting in pot. Who waits that long to eat. NOT HERE! LOL Thank you for the recipe. It was my first soup in the Instant Pot and I love how quick it cooks! I changed two things. I did not have parsley, and I added a 1/4 tsp of tumeric. I also had 3 chicken breasts instead of one. Needed to put a towel over it while quick releasing the pressure. It sputtered a lot.
Ashley Fehr says
Soup can sometimes sputter quite a bit — I usually use a kitchen towel to open the valve! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Gail says
I made this soup today and it was fantastic! I’m not one of those people who generally change a recipe before I’ve tried it once in its original form, but I did so a little bit on this one — (1) I used gluten free egg noodles (out of necessity — not fad) and wasn’t sure if they would cook the same as regular noodles in the Instant Pot, so I cooked them separately and added after the soup was on “warm.” (2) I added a chopped red bell pepper, because I had one that didn’t have much shelf life left. (3) I added a medium sized onion, because I love onion in chicken soup. (4) I added a little more salt and pepper, and used evaporated milk rather than 1% because it’s what I had. It has such a wonderful flavor, and I’m sure we’ll be having it often this winter. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for those tips! I’m so glad it turned out well!
Sheila Doll says
Have you ever tried this with home made noodles? I think it really should work the same. I have requested an instant pot for Christmas because I was told how fabulous it is to cook frozen chick breasts (as has just been confirmed by you)
Gretchen says
Do you put the chicken in raw?
Ashley Fehr says
I do! It cooks perfectly with the veggies 🙂
Bill says
Can you make this soup in a crock pot
Ashley Fehr says
Yes definitely! It’s based off of my slow cooker version: https://www.thereciperebel.com/easy-slow-cooker-creamy-chicken-noodle-soup/
Justine says
Hi there! I’m about to dive into this recipe today but I am keeping track of my calorie count. I hope this is not a silly question but I see that there are 4 servings but what is the serving size per calorie count? Is it 1 cup or 2?
Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
I honestly can’t say the exact size, but the easiest way to find out would be to weigh the end result, and divide by 4. I hope that helps!