This instant pot chicken and wild rice soup is so darn good! It’s flavorful, comforting, and the perfect dish for cooler weather. It is also gluten-free and dairy-free, and you’d never know it!
Wild rice adds a nutty, earthy flavor to the soup and great texture too. Chicken and mushrooms make this dish feel nice and hearty. This soup also has tons of flavor: lots of garlic, fresh thyme and sage, and spices.
Soup is the answer to all of your holiday problems:
This soup is the solution to all your holiday problems. Seriously, let me give you some examples:
- What the heck do I do with all my leftover Thanksgiving turkey? Leave the chicken out of the recipe and stir some cooked turkey in at the end! Problem solved!
- What the heck do I feed my visiting family/guests before/after/during the holiday (think: Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve/Day)? THIS easy no-fuss, one-pot meal! Problem solved!
- How do I keep my family from discussing politics at the dinner table for just one night? TALK about how FANTASTIC this soup is! Chicken and wild rice soup to the rescue! Problem solved!
My Secret Ingredient Roux is made with a… Potato!
You know what bums me out? When restaurants put flour in soup. I mean, what is up with that? I get the concept of a roux, but you can thicken soup in so many other ways! My recipe for wild rice soup is gluten-free. NO FLOUR ALLOWED IN THIS SOUP.
I use a vegetable to make a “roux!” I make my “roux” by blending a cooked potato with coconut milk (you can definitely use heavy cream or whole milk if you’re not dairy-free). I know what you’re thinking… “Ashley, you are brilliant! Also, I didn’t know you could read minds!”
Yes, friends, not only can I read minds – I can also predict the future. My prediction: you will make and love this soup. Come back and tell me if I was right!
Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds skinless and boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 onion diced
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 8 ounce package portabello mushrooms, sliced
- 1-2 tablespoons minced garlic I use 2 tablespoons but we are garlic lovers!
- 1 Serrano pepper minced
Spices
- 3 teaspoons fresh thyme plus extra for garnish to taste
- 2 teaspoon minced fresh sage
- 2 teaspoons salt adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ÂĽ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Â
- 4 cups chicken broth or bone broth
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice
- 1 medium potato leave whole
Add later:
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk or you can use heavy cream/milk
- 2 tablespoons butter or ghee optional
Instructions
- Rinse the wild rice and drain.
- Add all of the ingredients to the pot except for the potato and the ingredients listed under “add later.” Mix well.
- Place the potato on top of the mixture.Â
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve, and cook for 30 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure.
- Remove the potato and place it into a blender along with the coconut milk. Pour this mixture back into the pot along with the butter and mix well.
- Garnish with fresh thyme if desired and serve.
Mae says
I’m making this recipe in a few minutes and wanted to ask if I should peel the potato before it goes into the Instant Pot? If not, do I peel it before I blend it?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Mae, you can leave the peel or remove it – either way will be fine since you’re blending 🙂
Elissa says
We love this soup. We left the Serrano out. The potato is genius! I will be trying this in other recipes. Thank you
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Elissa, that’s so great to hear 🙂 Thank you for letting me know how much you like this soup!
Kay says
This was really good, and relatively easy to make, but my 5 year old found it too spicy. I probably should’ve had the sense to skip the crushed chilli flakes..
My Heart Beets says
Thanks for sharing how it turned out for you!
Elissa says
This is silly, I’m a new Instapot user. You call for ghee as optional, but it says to just add everything to the pot at once, and I don’t see you say to use the saute function. Do you saute the veggies first, then add everything? (And I’m using left over turkey, I’m guessing you add that in to warn once the soup is cooked?)
My Heart Beets says
Hi Elissa, add everything except for the ingredients listed under “add later” – I’ll make a note in the instructions to make that more clear so thank you for asking! No need to sautĂ© anything beforehand. And yes, I would add the cooked turkey at the end 🙂
Radha says
thank you for this recipe, Ashley. Made it for dinner tonight ..it was healthy and tasty
My Heart Beets says
Hi Radha, happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out 🙂
Lisa says
If I use chicken breasts instead of thighs, should I shorten the cook time in the instant pot?
Katya S says
Delicious! Finally made it this week (with chicken breast), and we’ve been enjoying it for lunch last few days. Thanks you for the recipe!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Katya! I’m so happy to hear that you made and liked this! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Ali says
I omitted the mushrooms and pepper and added peas and corn instead. It was a big hit with my kids and husband! Thank you! So great to have a creamy soup that’s gluten free!
My Heart Beets says
Ali, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you and your family enjoyed this soup 🙂
Julia says
I just made this and it is delicious. I could not find plain wild rice at the store, so I bought a harvest rice mix which includes wild, white, and brown rice. I followed the rest of the recipe but it did not come out as a soup. I think the rice absorbed too much water. I did not end up doing the coconut milk and potato thing because it is already rich and creamy. Next time I make it, I will add more water, decrease the cooking time, and add more mushrooms because mushrooms are my favorite! It is so flavorful though. I am leaving it as is and will add broth if I want it to be a soup. Even though it was not as I thought it would be, it is delicious.
My Heart Beets says
Julia, good to know it still turned out fine, thank you for sharing 🙂