Panic Soup–a hearty and comforting chicken and vegetable soup with orzo, chickpeas, and Italian seasoning, made easily in the Instant Pot or slow cooker.
Panic Soup
Alright, let’s talk about this soup…It’s cozy, hearty, and packed with veggies and flavor without being heavy. Plus, it can be made in the Instant Pot or the Crockpot, so it’s mostly hands-off. This soup is a great mix of protein, veggies, and a little pasta to make it filling but not overly heavy. It’s like a cross between a classic chicken soup and a minestrone, with chickpeas adding some extra heartiness. The cabbage, carrots, celery, and zucchini bring in some freshness and texture, while the orzo gives it just the right amount of comfort food vibes. It’s light enough for lunch but satisfying enough for dinner. Plus, you can switch up the ingredients based on what you have in the fridge. Enjoy!
Recipe is adapted from Panic Soup on Chabad.org.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Olive oil–or canola, vegetable
- Onion–yellow or white
- Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon chicken base
- Carrots
- Celery
- Cabbage
- Crushed tomatoes–or petite diced tomatoes
- Chickpeas–you can also use a can of beans like great northern beans
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts–or thighs
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Kosher salt
- Red pepper flakes
- Orzo pasta
- Zucchini
- Parmesan cheese–the Parmesan on top is yummy, but a little shredded mozzarella or even a dollop of pesto could take it to another level.
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the oil and swirl around. Add in the onion and saute for 4 minutes.
Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
Add in the carrots, celery, cabbage, tomatoes, chickpeas, chicken, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, pepper, salt and red pepper.
Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the soup button to 10 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
Remove the chicken and place on a cutting board.
Add the orzo and zucchini into Instant Pot. Replace the lid. Pressure cook for 1 more minute. While that is cooking, shred or chop the chicken. Once time is up on the Instant Pot release the pressure. Stir in the chicken. Salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into bowls and serve. Top with parmesan cheese to taste.
Notes/Tips
- Serve with parmesan garlic knots.
- To make this gluten free leave out the orzo. This recipe is so packed with veggies and chickpeas you won’t miss it.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in an 8 quart pot or cut the recipe in half for a 3 quart Instant Pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with cabbage are Instant Pot Cabbage Roll Casserole and Instant Pot Amish Cabbage and Potato Casserole.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Panic Soup
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
A hearty and comforting chicken and vegetable soup with orzo, chickpeas, and Italian seasoning, made easily in the Instant Pot or slow cooker.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 rib of celery, sliced
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes or petite diced tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 12 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 4 ounces orzo pasta
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced
- Parmesan cheese, for topping
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the oil and swirl around. Add in the onion and saute for 4 minutes.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Add in the carrots, celery, cabbage, tomatoes, chickpeas, chicken, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, pepper, salt and red pepper.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the soup button to 10 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Remove the chicken and place on a cutting board.
- Add the orzo and zucchini into Instant Pot. Replace the lid. Pressure cook for 1 more minute. While that is cooking, shred or chop the chicken. Once time is up on the Instant Pot release the pressure. Stir in the chicken. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and serve. Top with parmesan cheese to taste.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Add in the onions, broth, carrots, celery, cabbage, tomatoes, chickpeas, chicken, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, pepper, salt and red pepper into slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.
- Add in the orzo and zucchini into the slow cooker. Cover and cook for 30 more minutes, or until orzo is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken and place on a cutting board. Chop or shred the chicken. Stir in the chicken. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and serve. Top with parmesan cheese to taste.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
More soups to try…
Metabolism Soup
A smoky, flavorful and low calorie vegetable soup with cabbage, beans, tomatoes, garlic, mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion and more. Make it in your Instant Pot or Crockpot.
Italian Penicillin Soup
A brothy chicken soup with carrot, kale and orzo pasta. Make it in the Instant Pot or slow cooker.
Mustgo Soup
A creamy chicken, rice and vegetable soup that is made with what you’ve got on hand! Make it in the Instant Pot or the slow cooker.
*Karen Petersen 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.
Wow, Karen, this one is a real winner. I made it in the IP. I need to watch my carb intake for health reasons, and the carbs in this are all the “right” ones. I used Red Lentil Rotini (Barelli), which is higher in protein, instead of Orzo, and it turned out fine. I’m thinking the next time I make this I may add spinach for an even healthier kick. Also, because I’m basically lazy, I used the prepackaged shredded Cole Slaw mix, instead of regular cabbage. At any rate, thanks for this…it’s definitely going in the rotation!
I like the idea of the cole slaw mix! Anything that makes it faster is a win!
Hi Karen. I have been enjoying many of your crockpot recipes lately. I’d like to make this Panic Soup in the crockpot, but with already-cooked roast chicken.
Can you please tell me when to add the cooked chicken and what other changes I’ll have to make.
Thank you.
Sounds like a great plan. I would just make the recipe as stated adding the chicken in from the beginning. It will be great.