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When we first made the switch from processed food to real food, I didn’t know much about planning meals. Most of my short adult life at that time had consisted of purchasing freezer meals from the grocery store. There wasn’t any need to plan since meals never required any forethought.
As we made the shift from purchasing pre-packaged meals to ingredients (and home-cooked meals), I realized that some planning was going to need to take place on a weekly basis. If not, this real food lifestyle wasn’t going to last long.
Meal planning wasn’t easy for me at first. I struggled with this activity just as much as you probably did, or do.
In the beginning, creating a meal plan would take me at least an hour or two. Most of my time was spent looking through cookbooks. Using these cookbooks, I finally decided to create a list of our favorite recipes. The goal was to use this list as my meal plan guide versus paging through cookbooks each week.
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Here’s what to expect:
- printable charts (real food defined, a seasonal produce guide, meal planning)
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- how to create a meal plan and stay within a budget
- 7 real food recipes
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- Bonus: Step-By-Step Guide to Real Food
The list was an instant success. The time I spent creating an actual meal plan was reduced in half—all thanks to a piece of paper that soon became known as, Family Favorite Meals.
I still use my Family Favorite Meals list to create my weekly meal plans. The list, of course, has grown over the years. In the beginning, 7 meal ideas were listed. Now, there are well over 25 meal ideas on the list. Each time I prepare a new meal, and the meal is a winner with the family, the list grows.
Today’s soup recipe is the newest addition to my ever-growing Family Favorite Meals list (thanks to Helen, the LS Instant Pot Guru). It’s the kind of recipe that’s perfect for busy school nights, especially now that fall is right around the corner and I’m craving all the comfort food. And boots and sweaters. A Florida girl can dream–it’s still hurricane season down here.
Thanks to the Instant Pot, this creamed chicken and rice soup only takes about 30 minutes to make, from start to finish. We can enjoy the flavors and tastes of the fall season in half the time.
Instant Pot Creamed Chicken and Rice Soup (Pressure Cooker Recipe)
Thanks to the Instant Pot, this soup only takes less than 30 minutes to make. The soup is filling, creamy, and nourishing.
Ingredients
- 1 TB extra virgin olive oil
- 3 celery stalks chopped (1 cup once chopped)
- 2 medium carrots chopped (1 cup once chopped)
- 1/2 medium white onion chopped (1/2 cup once chopped)
- 8 ounces white mushrooms sliced
- 3/4 cup long grain white rice uncooked*
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 2 TB lemon juice (about one lemon, juiced)
- 1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 lb boneless and skinless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts, depending on size)
- 6 cups chicken broth or stock, low-sodium if using store-bought broth/stock
- 1 cup heavy cream **
Special Equipment:
- Instant Pot
- medium bowl for shredding the chicken
Instructions
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Set the Instant Pot to Saute, Normal Temperature. Once hot, add the olive oil.
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Add the celery, carrots, and onion. Saute the veggies until translucent and slightly soft.
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Add the mushrooms, rice, and garlic. Stir to evenly coat the ingredients. Add the lemon juice and parsley. Press the Cancel button.
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Add the broth, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot well.
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Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the pot.
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Lock the lid on and set the Instant Pot to Manual, High Pressure for 10 minutes. The valve on top should be set to Sealed.
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Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure (use a hot pad holder or towel) and opening the lid.
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Remove the chicken and shred.
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Return the shredded chicken to the pot, add the cream, and taste for seasoning (adding more salt or pepper as needed). Use the Saute function if the soup needs to be heated further after adding the cream. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes
*I wash (uncooked) rice in a fine mesh strainer before cooking it. To do this, simply pour the rice into a fine mesh strainer and run water over the rice until the water runs clear (from the strainer).
**If you're dairy free, you could try using coconut cream. The coconut cream will definitely change the taste of the soup--I haven't tried this substitute.
You could make this soup on the stove-top. You'll definitely have to adjust the cooking time.
If you're reheating the soup later in the week, add a bit more broth (or water) at the time of reheating.
The soup looks so rich and creamy! I wish I could take a taste from my screen, definitely trying this on my own this weekend. Thank you for sharing such a healthy recipe, Kristin!
Hey Ushmana Palmo Rai, Yay, I can’t wait to hear what you think! Enjoy!!
Ooooh…this is going on my meal plan next week! Looks so comforting and SO EASY!
This was delicious! I used almond milk in place of the heavy cream for dietary reasons, and it still turned out well. Definitely making this again!
Yay, Julie! I’m so glad you loved it. Thank you for the note about the almond milk working, too–I’m going to note this in the recipe for dairy-free folks.
Thank you!! I am dieting and do not put cream in anything!! I use almond milk all the time! Thanks for the recommendation!!
We had that soup yesterday for dinner and it was a huge hit! Everybody loved it, even my youngest daughter who usually doesn’t eat soup. New favorite family meal for us!
Oops, I forgot to rate the recipe !
That’s awesome, Charlotte! I’m thrilled to hear that.
decided last minute not to add the heavy cream and used wild rice instead. this recipe is QUICK and really delicious! Thank you!!
Awesome, Sharisse! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was easy to make and super delicious!
Yay, Katie! I’m so glad you liked it.
When do you add the rice? Recipe doesn’t say.
Hey Teresa, It’s in step 3, “Add the mushrooms, rice, and garlic. Stir to evenly coat the ingredients. Add the lemon juice and parsley. Press the Cancel button.” Enjoy!!
Aah, so sorry…didn’t catch it the first time. I see it now. Getting my IP friday! This will be my first ever recipe! Thank you!
No worries ;). Awesome, you’re going to love it! I have a bunch of new IP recipes coming in January, too.
I made this last night with a few substitute s:
1) I used 1 tbsp white vinegar instead of lemon juice (forgot to buy a lemon!)
2) as suggested in the notes, I used 1c coconut cream instead of regular cream since we are dairy free
3) I used a long grain rice “blend” bc it’s all we had
The result? AMAZING!!!! My husband is still talking about how it’s the “best soup I’ve made for him”!!!
Thank you for a great recipe!!! A keeper for sure!
That’s awesome, Caitlin! Great work!
I used our new instant pot for the first time and made this. I did make a modification though – I don’t like mushrooms. Instead I chopped up about 1.5 Yukon gold potatoes and put those in with the carrots onions and celery at the beginning. Also used three frozen chicken breasts. We loved it! It made a ton of food and was really hearty and filling – great for the super cold weather we are having!
How long did you cook it using frozen chicken breasts?
Hey Julie, I’m not 100% sure about this, but from my Google searching just now it looks like you would add 5 minutes to the cook time. I’m not sure what will happen with the rice and veggies with this extra five minutes.
How would substituting long brain brown rice change the cook time?
Hey Janice, Someone else substituted a long rice blend without issue, so you may not need to adjust the cooking time. I’m not sure since I’ve never tried brown rice in the recipe.
Made this tonight. So quick and delicious!! I left out mushrooms and celery because I didn’t have any. Added some lemon pepper seasoning at then end. We loved it! Thanks for sharing!
That sounds like a great addition, yum!
This soup is sooo good!! My kids and husband and I all love it, we make it weekly in the winter!
Thanks 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it.
Yay, Elie! That’s awesome!
I haven’t had a lot of luck finding recipes for my IP, but this one is a winner! I liked the hint of lemon, may put a dash more the next time I make it. My daughter thought it needed a little more flavor, so I added about a teaspoon of dill. My daughter doesn’t like mushrooms and I dislike pepper, so we left both out. I used half & half instead of heavy cream. It was still very creamy. There are only 3 of us, and we had very little left over.
That’s great to hear, Anne!
I’m lazy — it’s why I use the instant pot pressure cooker. I don’t understand this two carrots stuff. My wife and I LOVE the vegetables in soups. I used a one pound package of baby carrots and cut each carrot in half. We aren’t fans of cream soups so I eliminated the cream — added extra chicken broth and it was great. Here’s where extra work comes into play. We prefer a cup of rather finely chopped green onions — everything except the roots. (The onions can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator till needed so I can be lazy again.) Looking forward to cool — soup — weather.
Enjoy the soup, Carl!
I just made this for the first time tonight. I was a little skeptical about adding in the whole cup of heavy cream thinking it would be too rich, but I’m so glad I added it because it made the soup creamy, not heavy at all. It was absolutely delicious! My husband loved it so much he went back for seconds! I did want to ask what your thoughts are about freezing the leftovers since it has heavy cream in it? Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Diana, Yay! I’m so glad you loved the soup, and your hubby did too. For freezing, I would give it a try. Maybe try freezing just a cup of soup and see what happens. You may not run into any issues once the soup is reheated. You may need to add a bit more broth, or water once it’s reheated due to the rice and thickness of the soup.
HI Kristin, Do you add raw or cooked chicken to the IP? Thank you!
Hey Michelle, Raw chicken :).
Hi Kristin
I have 2 small non vegetable eaters in my home. Can I do it without? I could manage to hide the onion, maybe celery.
Karen,
I find that the onion and celery will “melt away.” Even when I have large onions like the Salisbury Steak here on the blog, the Instant Pot cooks them down to nothing. Leaving out the carrots won’t change the cook time or consistency 🙂
perfect, thank you!!