Instant Pot Creamy Wild Rice and Chicken Soup–pure comfort food made quickly in your electric pressure cooker. It’s a thick and hearty soup made with wild rice, brown rice, seasonings, vegetables and tender bites of chicken. You can also substitute leftover turkey in this soup. No rice-a-roni packages or pre-packaged foods are used in this version of the soup.
Get the SLOW COOKER version of the recipe here
Instant Pot Creamy Wild Rice and Chicken Soup
I’ve eaten many versions of this soup before and I love them all! There is nothing more creamy and comforting than a bowl of creamy soup with chewy wild rice. In the version that I’ve used for years it called for a package of long grain and wild rice rice-a-roni. I never have this on hand and would always have to make a special trip to the store. Today I decided to make a version that doesn’t have any pre-packaged items like this. It tastes just as good and you will know exactly what you’re eating. The only thing that I might change when I make this soup again is adding mushrooms to it! My kids don’t like mushrooms and so I left them out this time. But I think they would make this awesome instant pot creamy wild rice and chicken soup even better. A few notes about the ingredients I used:
Wild rice: wild rice is black and can be sort of hard to find. It’s also kind of pricey. I went to the bulk section at my grocery store (winco) and bought just the amount I needed, a half cup.
Better than Bouillon Chicken Base*: I love keeping this stuff in my fridge. It tastes so much better than regular bouillon. I buy a big jar of it at Costco. If you don’t have this or can’t have it for dietary reasons than simply use chicken broth instead. You can use 4 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of water.
Half and half: this is just an equal blend of whole milk and light cream that is sold in a carton. If you want to use milk instead you can totally do that. You can also use evaporated milk.
More Instant Pot Creamy Soup Recipes
Instant Pot parmesan, sausage and kale soup
Instant Pot chicken gnocchi soup
Instant Pot chicken pot pie soup
Instant Pot buffalo chicken chili
Instant Pot creamy chicken vegetable soup from Tasty Yummies
Instant Pot creamy enchilada soup from Center Cut Cook
What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?
To make Instant Pot Creamy Wild Rice and Chicken Soup I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I also own the 6 quart Instant Pot IP-LUX60 V3 Programmable Electric Pressure Cooker.* They are both great pressure cookers! The first one I mentioned has a yogurt making function but other than that they are fairly similar. The price difference between the two is about $20. If you had an 8 quart Instant Pot you could double this recipe.
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Instant Pot Creamy Wild Rice and Chicken Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Pure comfort food made quickly in your electric pressure cooker. It’s a thick and hearty soup made with wild rice, brown rice, seasonings, vegetables and tender bites of chicken. You can also substitute leftover turkey in this soup. No rice-a-roni packages or pre-packaged foods are used in this version of the soup.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs that have been trimmed of excess fat
- 1 cup or about 3 ribs of diced celery
- 1 cup of grated carrots (about 2 carrots)
- 6 cups water
- 4 tsp Better than Bouillon Chicken Base
- 1/2 cup wild rice (uncooked)
- 1/2 cup long grain brown rice (uncooked)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp thyme (optional)
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 cups half and half (you can also use plain milk or evaporated milk)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add chicken, celery, carrots, water, bouillon, rices, pepper, salt, parsley, sugar, garlic powder and thyme to the Instant Pot.
- Lock the lid into place. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Push the manual high pressure button and set the timer to 25 minutes. When the timer beeps let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then move the valve to “venting” to release the rest of the pressure.
- Remove the lid. Remove the chicken and shred it or cut into pieces. Put the chicken back into the pot.
- Melt the butter (I melted mine in a glass bowl in the microwave). Stir in the flour, a tablespoon at time. It will make a cookie dough type consistency. Ladle in a cup of the broth of the soup and stir until creamy. Turn the Instant Pot to the saute setting. Add the mixture into the Instant Pot and stir. The soup will thicken up. While it’s thickening, stir in the half and half.
- Salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!
Notes
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*.
Click here for the SLOW COOKER VERSION of this recipe.
Wild rice: wild rice is black and can be sort of hard to find. It’s also kind of pricey. I went to the bulk section at my grocery store (winco) and bought just the amount I needed, a half cup.
Better than Bouillon Chicken Base: I love keeping this stuff in my fridge. It tastes so much better than regular bouillon. I buy a big jar of it at Costco. If you don’t have this or can’t have it for dietary reasons than simply use chicken broth instead. You can use 4 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of water.
Half and half: this is just an equal blend of whole milk and light cream that is sold in a carton. If you want to use milk instead you can totally do that. You can also just evaporated milk.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot
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This soup is soooo good and it’s perfect for busy folks! I loved it!
I made a few tweaks for what I had on hand. I used 3 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of water instead of 4 cups water and bouillon. I also used frozen chicken breasts … just threw them in out of the freezer! I also added diced onion.
This will now be rotating through my meal plans on a regular basis! Thank you for the recipe!!
So glad you liked it Renae! Thanks for the review!
Don’t the veggies get way overcooked @ 25 minutes? I like my celery & carrots to have a little crunch to them.
They were fine for me but you may want to add them after pressure cooking time is up!
Very good recipe! Easy too. Next time I’ll add mushrooms 😄
★★★★★
Thanks for the 5 stars!
This is so yummy! Definitely adding to my soup rotation. I used a little over a pound of chicken breasts because that’s what I had on hand. Also, I found it plenty creamy after adding one cup of half and half, so I stopped there.
★★★★★
Thanks so much for the 5 stars!
This just finished and it is AMAZING! My very first time using an instant pot and I am amazed at how it works. I was wondering about using heavy cream instead of the milk, has anyone tried this?
★★★★★
Good job using your Instant Pot!!!
I always use heavy whipping cream. Turns out fabulous !
This recipe was easy to follow. Overall not difficult and I added some cream corn to it. Unfortunately I didn’t find this soup to have a robust flavor and therefore I gave it a 3 star rating… not sure if I’ll try it again.
★★★
It was better the second day!
We really enjoyed this! I made exactly as written except no parsley (it tastes like fish food to me lol) and I used 1 cup of brown rice instead of 1/2 since I didn’t have wild rice. I also made the roux separately in a small pan as one of the commenters mentioned. Will be making again!
★★★★★
fish food 😂 I know what you’re talking about. I can just picture sprinkling that on top of the fish bowl. Lol!
I only have a slow cooker and I couldn’t get it to open for the recipe. I tried on different days thinking maybe a glitch for a time. Can you look into the slow cooker version of this recipe. Thanks.
Here is the slow cooker version: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/day-301-creamy-wild-rice-and-chicken/
Delicious and easy! We had a wild rice mix so I used that and added mushrooms. I also used chicken breast that was partially frozen and cut it up beforehand. Thank you!
★★★★★
Sounds like a great version!
This recipe is good, but make the roux in a pot on the stove and get it a nice golden brown before you put it in the soup. You’re taste buds will thank you.
★★★★
Ok! Will try that next time 🙂
I use a wild rice mix as it is readily available. It has brown rice in it but I still use the brown rice as well. It turns out perfect! I love this soup so much!
★★★★★
Good tip! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve made this recipe several times now. I recently made it for my in laws and they LOVE it. My 3 picky kids even enjoy it 🙂
★★★★★
Yay! I love hearing this!
If I don’t have better than bouillon can I use bouillon cubes? If so how many would I use instead ?
I would use 4 cubes. And perhaps cut down on the salt…you can always add more salt later if needed.
I made this last night and I LOVED it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My favorite soup is Panera breads Chicken and wild rice soup, so I had high expectations. This soup made the mark, it could almost be a copy cat recipe, is was so creamy and flavorful. Will be making this again!
★★★★★
YAY!!!!!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
This is THE BEST soup I have ever made. My husband and two teenage boys RAVED about it! I accidentally added 4TBSP of the Better than Bullion chicken base instead of 4tsp. No problem! Flavor still amazing. It wasn’t too much. I also purchased a 6 oz box of uncle Ben’s original wild rice and added that along with the seasoning packet. I still added all of the other seasonings. I used half-and-half. The end product was a delicious pot of soup that did not need any extra salt and pepper or seasoning. We served it with a “take and bake” French baguette. I will be making the soup over and over and over again! Thank you so much for this recipe!
★★★★★
How great Susie! I love to hear this 👏👏👏
I made this today and boy what a hit with my husband! He said he could eat this everyday! I didn’t have any wild rice but used brown rice. Otherwise, I wouldn’t change a thing. This soup rivals anything a restaurant could offer!
★★★★★
Nice! So glad to hear he loved it Joy 🙂
My family loved it!
I’m my grandson said, “Can we have this every night?”
It turned out a little thick so I added a little boiling water. I also used cornstarch to thicken and I used 1C milk and 1C half and half.
Next time I think I would use more veggies and more rice.
★★★★★
Oh, how nice Diane. So glad your grandson loved it!
FYI Wild rice is not black or rice. It is a grass seed that grows wild in lakes and rivers.
Can I use only wild rice?
Sure!
Wonderful soup, perfect for the cold, rainy, winter night we have here tonight. It is the definition of comfort food!
★★★★★
Glad you liked it Scott! It is perfect for a cold night 🙂
Can you use cooked chicken? I have leftover chicken that I had made in my Instant pot. Thanks in advance.
Yes you can but I would add it in after the soup has pressure cooked or it might get stringy and overcooked.
What about white rice?
you could just 1 cup white rice in place of wild and brown rices. But you’d have to cut the chicken into chunks and only use a 5 minute cooking time.
So delicious! Next time I might add an extra carrot. Oh, if only my mother could hear me say that! The only thing I did differently is how I shredded the chicken. I left it in the pot and grabbed my trusty hand mixer with the dough hooks. Took seconds to shred! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Good tip Sue! Thanks!
1046.5 mg of sodium?? Please tell me that’s a typo.
Better than bouillon has 680 mg per teaspoon and then the salt has 2500 mg per teaspoon so that would equal 808 mg per serving for those two items alone. I am not sure which other items have sodium but this is what it said when I plugged it into a nutrition calculator.
Hello trying to round up the ingredients! Quick question. Fresh Thyme or dried? Salted or unsalted butter?
Thx!
dried thyme and unsalted butter is what I usually use!
Can I use the ninja foodi with the same settings?
Hi Randy, I’m not familiar with the Ninja but I am assuming it will be very similar! I would use the same cooking time as stated in the recipe.
Great recipe! A definite keeper! I used Uncle Ben’s Long Gran & Wild Rice in the box, it is exactly 1 cup, perfect for this recipe. Discarded the flavor packet.
★★★★★
Okay! Good to know 🙂
This is insanely good and super easy to make! This is only the second instant pot recipe I tried (the first was your chicken and broccoli mac n cheese) and it’s so good!! I’ve already shared it with my friends who have instant pots. I might up the spices next time but it’s definitely on the make again list! Thank you so much for sharing it with us!
★★★★★
Steph, I’m so happy you tried it and liked it! And thanks for sharing the love with your friends 🙂
I really liked this recipe the first time I tried it but I thought the next time I’d add more veggies. I wanted to make it again tonight but didn’t have all the ingredients- so I made it without the meat! I doubled the veggies, about 1.5 cup total rice, Half as much half and half, I had a bit of frozen corn I added at the end. Nice creamy vegetable soup! Next time I’ll add some potatoes!
★★★★★
Yum sounds like a great version of this soup! Thank you for sharing your experience.
If you use already cooked turkey, do you keep the cooking time the same?
Yes I would. You may want to add some turkey at the beginning and some after it has pressure cooked. Some to flavor the soup and some to be more intact.
Can you use boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of the thighs?
Yes but they’ll come out stringy because of the long cooking time.
This is my husband’s favorite IP recipe! Plus the rest of the family like it too. I freeze leftover rotisserie chicken and turkey and use it when I make the soup or just use 4-5 frozen chicken breasts if I don’t have anything else. It’s always excellent!! And so easy! I wondered if long grain and wild rices were necessary so I tried a mixed rice I bought at the store that had white, brown, red and wild rice. The rice soaked up most of the liquid and made it more like stew than soup. Taste was still fine, but the family prefered the texture of the rice and soupiness of the recipe using long and wild rices.
★★★★★
Oh that’s good to know! Thanks for sharing your experience!
Has anyone tried freezing it? Would love to know how if freezes. Thanks!
Hello Karen
I made this delicious soup for lunch! She’s so good! I didn’t have any wild rice, so I only used brown rice. In addition, I added a small can of corn cream.
My family really enjoyed it!
Thank you for all these good recipes!
Awesome! It’s good to know that brown rice works with this recipe. Thank you.
What if I used frozen chicken breast?
That will work!
I made this last Sunday and loved it so much I’m making again today. It was the first recipe I tried with my new Crock Pot Express Crock. Just one question, if using frozen breasts how much longer do you cook it?
★★★★★
Just keep the cooking time the same. The pot will just take longer to come to pressure.
What about using frozen chicken breast
That will work!
This is a really nice soup! I add in two to three cloves of chopped garlic and use all chicken broth (but I add a cup so it’s 7 cups, not 6). I also saute mushrooms before serving in a little vermouth and butter, then add them on top of the individual bowls. Super good!
★★★★★
Sounds fantastic!
Bobby on Flacity said Better Than Bullinon (ms) has some unhealthy ingredients in it. I’m getting educated by him but I always bought it before. Yipes
even the organic kind?
I’ve made this twice in two weeks now and we all LOVE it. My husband said he never craves soup but he was craving this one after the first time I made it, and that is amazing. We had the leftovers for lunch yesterday and were in soup heaven once again. Also, it’s so perfect with some easy dinner rolls. Yum, yum.
This soup is going to be a staple in our household for the rest of time.
Thank you so much for posting!!!
I made this tonight and it was amazing! There isn’t any nutritional information, is there?
★★★★★
I need to add that info into the recipe card!
I made this soup tonight in the Instant Pot – Wow – so good!!! I added a diced onion and sliced mushrooms. I will definitely make it again! Thanks for the recipe – yum!
Good call on the mushrooms!
This was excellent! I would make this again and wish I had doubled it for my 8qt instant pot. Just wanted to let you know that the recipe doesn’t indicate when to put in the rice.
Glad you liked it Jennifer. The rice is added in step one!
Does the 25 min cooking time apply after it’s built pressure? Or is it building pressure + pressured = 25 min. New to the pressure cooking! Just got mine 🙂
Hi Ali, Welcome! When you set the manual (or pressure cook button) to 25 minutes it will click over to a pressure building mode and build the pressure for about 10 minutes then it will start counting down from 25. So it will take at least 35 minutes. Plus the 10 extra minutes to release the pressure naturally. So it will take at least 45 minutes for the cooking process.
If I opt to not use the boullion and just use the 4 cups broth and 2 cups water, do I still add the 6 cups water in addition to that?
no, just the 6 cups of liquid total.
I made this tonight. I omitted the thickening part and kept it as a broth. Delicious! Getting very cool nights and this hit the spot. Thank you!
Nice!
This was easy to make and I think it would have tasted good, but it was way too salty! I think you must have meant 4 teaspoons of Better than Bouillon instead of tablespoons? That would be the same as 4 cups of broth plus 2 cups of water. I’m a person who likes things salty, but this was almost inedible. The whole teaspoon of pepper was a lot too. Now that I know this, I can make it with less bouillon and salt, but I wanted to leave a note for others.
Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention. You are right! It was supposed to be 4 tsp instead of tablespoons. I changed it. I feel horrible, I’m sorry!!
This recipe rocked! I used 2 cloves garlic instead of garlic salt, and I used chicken stock w/ 2 bullion cubes instead of water. I used a mandolin to slice 3 carrots, and I added a bit more celery. I also used 1 cup half & half & 1 cup heavy cream. I’ll make this often!
Nice! All your changes sound delish!
Does this stay in the refrigerator well after cooking? I am pretty sure I will have leftovers.
Yes it does. You could also freeze it.
If you use left over turkey, when do you add the turkey since it’s already cooked??
You can add it at the end. Just stir it in and heat up for a few minutes.
So adding cooked meat at the end doesn’t change the cooking time/settings of the other ingredients in the IP?
no you can keep the same. The rice will still need the time to cook through.
Trying this tonight! I have an 8qt. Do you think I have room to double this??
probably enough room to 1 1/2 times the recipe, I’m not sure about doubling the recipe. Did you do it? How did it work?
I have a 10 quart pressure cooker. I doubled the recipe without a problem. I like my soups with extra soup so I added a couple cups of stock. Absolutely marvelous!
Whoa that is a big pressure cooker! So glad you liked it.
Instead of using the flour and butter at the end of the recipe, I ised cornstarch and hot water to make a slurry to thicken. I also added a can of drained corn at he end. Great recipe! Everyone loved it!
Awesome! Glad you liked it 🙂