Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup is the ultimate comfort during the dreary and cold winter months. Now you can make this classic soup in the Instant Pot for an even easier meal. This homemade chicken noodle soup is full of flavor, health, and lots of love.

Chicken noodle soup is the ULTIMATE in comfort soups, and we are making my mom's recipe in the instant pot today!

No matter if you are feeling under the weather or craving a warm bowl of soup because of the nip in the air, this is always a good answer to make.

This homemade Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup is so easy and it is the most comforting meal during these dreary winter months. And bonus - you can freeze this recipe! ?? Bless!

Lets dive right into how I like to make Instant Pot chicken noodle soup!

First step.

We need to sauté our veggies to get them soft and incorporate some flavor. Turn your Instant Pot on the sauté function and add in your olive oil, diced onions, diced carrots, and minced garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until they have all softened.

Turn the sauté function off.

Add in your metal steamer trivet to the Instant Pot, right on top of the veggies, handles pointing up.

Place your chicken inside, on top of the basket. Fill with 10 cups of water, or until the fill line.

Add in your seasonings, place the lid on, and set to appropriate cooking times.

• For a fresh chicken, set custom pressure cook 6 minutes/pound of chicken (ex: 30 minutes for this recipe with a 5 pound whole chicken)
• For a frozen chicken, set a custom pressure cook 13 minutes/pound of chicken (ex: 65 minutes for this recipe with a 5 pound whole chicken)

*NOTE* The cooking time does not include the time it will take to come to pressure. That could take 10-20 minutes before the cooking time begins. I did not know this prior to have an Instant Pot, so be prepared to add an extra 10-20 minutes to your cooking time**

Once the cooking time is up, manually release the pressure and wait for the pot to depressurize and steam to escape. You may also let naturally release for 10-20 minutes if you would like as well. **refer to Your Instant Pot guide for instructions on releasing the pressure if needed**

Take the lid off and carefully start removing the chicken. The chicken will be tender at this point and falling off the bones, so make sure to get all the bones, skins, and meat. You can use a slotted spoon to help you with this if needed.

Remove the trivet and set it aside.

Keep the Instant Pot on the "keep warm" setting and add in 8 ounces (half a bag) of egg noodles. Give a stir and place the lid back on while you shred the chicken.

Next, shred the chicken. Now, caution this chicken is hot! I like to wear a double pair of kitchen gloves and use a pair of tongs and 2 forks to help with this.

Remove all the bones, skin, and cartilage from the meat and discard.

Place all of the chicken meat in a bowl and finely shred using 2 forks.

Once the chicken is shredded, add it back into the Instant Pot with the noodles. By this point, the noodles have been cooked and are softened. Stir to combine.

Now, my secret ingredient! My mom did this growing up and I think it adds just a little something special to the soup.

1. Whisk 3 eggs in a bowl.
2. Turn on the sautee function again and bring the chicken noodle soup up to a boil or rapid simmer.
3. Using a spoon, gently push the chicken and noodles to the side exposing an area of broth only.
4. Gently pour a small amount of the egg in a tiny stream into the broth space and wait a couple of seconds.
5. The heat from the broth will cook the eggs resulting in delicate egg strings, like in egg drop soup. Stir the soup and then repeat, adding a slow small stream of egg in a hot broth spot, waiting to cook a couple of seconds, and then stirring around.

Taste the soup to see if any more salt and pepper are needed. Add if so.

Scoop into a bowl and serve with crackers. This tastes even better if you are snuggled up on the couch with lots of blankets and a good movie on (either sick or well).

Now let's dive into some more questions and specifics about making chicken noodle soup in an Instant Pot.

What Size Chicken Do You Use for this Soup?

I have the 6 Quart Duo Evo Plus Instant Pot (affiliate link) and a 5-pound chicken is a perfect size. You can certainly half this recipe and make a smaller batch, using a smaller chicken, but a 5-pound chicken is the largest size you can use in a 6 quart Instant Pot.

How Long Do I Cook Chicken Noodle Soup in the Instant Pot?

You will need to cook a fresh (not frozen) chicken for 6 minutes/pound of chicken (ex: 30 minutes for 5 pounds). You can use the custom pressure cooker setting to get this time.

For a frozen chicken, pressure cook 13 minutes/pound of chicken (ex: 65 minutes for 5 pounds).

Can I Cook a Whole Frozen Chicken in the Instant Pot?

Absolutely! That is obviously what we used in this recipe. Using a whole chicken provides you the benefit of making your own chicken broth at the same time.

By cooking a whole chicken in some water and spices, you will make your own delicious broth, eliminating the need to buy store-bought broths for this soup.

It is easier and more cost-friendly. Especially given the fact that whole chickens are usually the cheapest priced chicken per pound compared to chicken breast, thighs, tenderloins, etc.

Cost-effective, healthier, and easier! It is a win-win all around!

Can I Use Chicken Breasts Instead of a Whole Chicken?

I have done this in a pinch before, or if I have chicken breast on hand instead of a whole chicken.

You can absolutely use chicken breast instead. Follow the recipe as directed but using breasts instead of a whole chicken, store-bought (or homemade if you have some on hand) chicken broth instead of water to cook in.

You will need 2-3 pounds of chicken breast for this recipe and the cooking time will be 10 minutes. Set the custom pressure cooking time for 10 minutes on high. Remember that it will take some time to come to pressure prior to cooking time.

You can also use frozen chicken breasts as well following the same substitutions and cooking time.

You lose a little bit of flavor doing it this way in my option, but it is a little easier and faster.

Can I Make this Soup on the Stove Instead?

1000%! How do you think I did it or anyone else before the Instant Pot?!

Follow the recipe as directed below, but use a large pot on the stove instead.

1. Sauté your veggies over medium heat.
2. Add in your chicken, water, and spices, cover, and bring to a boil.
3. Cook for 30 minutes (for a fresh chicken which I recommend, not frozen for this method.) If you have a frozen whole chicken, place in the fridge 24 hours to thaw prior to making or set in the sink in hot water for several hours prior to cooking).
4. Remove the chicken and follow the recipe as directed below.

Can I Freeze Chicken Noodle Soup?

Yes, you can freeze chicken noodle soup after it has been cooked.

Fully cool the soup and place in a freezer-safe airtight container or vacuum seal in Vesta Precisions chamber vacuum sealer (which is perfect for soups!). Freeze for up to 3 months or up to 12 months with a vacuum sealer.

*Use code SOUTHERNSOUL for 10% off any Vesta order! (affiliate link)

To thaw, place in the fridge for 24 hours prior OR place in a sink full of hot water right up until the lid (do not go over the lid just in case water could get in).

Once thawed, place in a pot on the stove and reheat. You may need to add more water to thin as the noodles will have continued to soak up moisture.

NOTE ON FREEZING LEFTOVER SOUP - just FYI. If you freeze leftovers, when you reheat the noodles will lose a little bit of their integrity and get mushy a little. It still tastes good but that does happen. If you want to make a double batch to freeze before leftovers, I recommend making the entire recipe WITHOUT the noodles and adding those right at the end when reheating so that they are fresh!

Want More Delicious Soup Recipes? Make Sure to Check These Out!

• Chili Con Carne
• Easy Southwestern Chicken Soup
• Rustic Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale
• Italian Wedding Soup
• Slow Cooker Chili
• White Chicken Chili

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Disclosure. Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you click on a product link, I may receive compensation. This compensation comes at no additional cost to you, and as always I only recommend products I trust! Heather Bilyeu is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.