Instant Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup Lightened Up

Unlike its stovetop version, in my version of Instant Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup (or as my husband calls it, “Instapot” Chicken Wild Rice Soup), you do not need to soak wild rice or use rotisserie chicken. Instead, you literally put all the ingredients in your pressure cooker and let it do its magic in about 45-50 minutes from start to finish. In my book, a healthy chicken and wild rice soup made with only a few ingredients and with only 10-15 minutes hands-on time is a weeknight dinner winner. Sounds good? Let’s break it all down.

Ingredients:

To make this pressure cooker chicken and wild rice soup recipe, you will need two sets of ingredients:

Ingredients for the soup:

Mirepoix (aka the magical combo of onions, carrots, and celery): Chop one medium-size onion, 2-3 carrots, and 2-3 stalks of celery. You need about 3 cups of mirepoix for this recipe.Flavoring Agents: In terms of flavoring agents, I used 5 cloves of minced garlic and fresh thyme. I also sprinkled it with some fresh parsley at the end.Mushrooms: You need a package of (usually sold in 8 oz. packages) white button or baby Bella mushrooms. Wild Rice: I used Lundberg’s organic wild rice (affiliate link), but you can also use any good quality Minnesota wild rice you can get your hands on. I do not recommend using quick-cooking wild rice or wild rice blends for this recipe as the time of cooking might be different.Chicken Thighs: I used a pound of chicken thighs as we love dark meat, but if you want a leaner cut of chicken, you can substitute chicken thighs with chicken breasts.Chicken Broth & Water: I used 4 cups of my homemade chicken stock and 2 cups of water as liquid.

Ingredients for the roux:

The “creamy” part of this instant pot wild rice soup recipe comes from a homemade roux. If you are not familiar, you can make a roux by first cooking butter with flour and then whisking in some milk and some liquid from the soup until it turns into a thick and creamy mixture. It is mostly used for thicking soups and stews. Most recipes you will find for a similar creamy wild rice and mushroom soup recipe uses the traditional method made with a stick of butter. While I think butter is one of the most delicious foods out there, in my lightened up version here, I chose to skip using butter as I believe combining flour, milk, and a cup of the soup liquid was all I need to make this soup deliciously creamy. So to make my lightened up roux, you will need:

All-Purpose Flour: You will need ½ cup all-purpose flour. If you are following a gluten-free diet, you can use gluten-free flour such as this one (affiliate link).Whole Milk: One cup of whole milk. You can use skim milk, but I think whole fat milk makes it more creamy.Liquid from the Soup: Ladle a cup of the soup once it is cooked to mix into the roux.

How to make Chicken Wild Rice Soup in an Instant Pot

To make this instant pot chicken and wild rice soup recipe you need to:

How To Cook Wild Rice (Stove Top Method)How To Cook Instant Pot Wild Rice (Pressure Cooker Method)

Other Healthy Chicken Soup Recipes You Might Like:

Chicken Noodle Soup with PotatoesChicken Tomatillo Soup – Crockpot methodChicken Vegetable SoupEasy Chicken Chili RecipeHealthy White Chicken Chili RecipeNeed more inspiration? Check out all our easy soup recipes and chicken recipes