Instant Pot chicken and wild rice soup with sweet potatoes, spinach and mushrooms is the perfect autumn meal. It’s cozy and homey and delicious!

Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
The temps here are going to dip this weekend and precipitation is in the forecast so it’s time to break out the sweaters and the soup recipes! Plus let’s make some homemade bread to go along with it! That sounds like heaven to me!
This recipe is perfectly cozy and it fills you up. It has lots of vegetables and uses healthier wild rice. You’ll have leftovers for lunches the next few days and this soup tastes even better the next day!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Olive oil–or butter
- Yellow onion
- Mushrooms–I used white button but you can also use baby bella
- Minced garlic–or 1 tsp of garlic powder
- Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
- Carrots
- Celery
- Bay leaf
- Old Bay Seasoning–find this at the grocery store next to the seasonings. You can also make your own.
- Wild rice–I buy mine in the bulk section at Winco for a good price. You can also use another type of rice. See notes below for how.
- Chicken drumsticks–or chicken thighs or 2 bone-in chicken breasts. You can also use boneless chicken pieces although they won’t come out as tender. Another option is to stir in cooked rotisserie chicken in when you add in the evaporated milk.
- Sweet potato–or cubes of butternut squash
- Spinach–fresh or frozen. You can also use kale.
- Evaporated milk–or heavy cream
Steps
- Saute onions: Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the oil and the onion and mushrooms. Saute for about 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
- Deglaze: Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so nothing is sticking.
- Add ingredients: Add in carrots, celery, bay leaf, Old Bay, wild rice and chicken.
- Pressure cook in two parts: Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the SOUP button to 15 minutes. When time is up move valve to venting and remove lid. Add in the sweet potatoes and spinach. Replace lid and set the soup button to another 10 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Debone chicken: Use tongs to remove the chicken pieces. Remove the meat off of the bone and add the meat into the Instant Pot (I discarded the skin). Discard the bay leaf.
- Add dairy: Stir in the evaporated milk (if using cream, temper it first).
- Serve: Ladle into bowls and serve.
Notes/Tips
- The sweet potatoes are added in later because they cook rather quickly and will be completely mushy if added in at the beginning. Another option is to steam the potatoes separately and then add them in when you add in the dairy.
- If you’d rather use another type of rice you can. If it’s a white rice (long grain, converted, basmati, jasmine) you will only need to pressure cook for 5 minutes. You can add the sweet potatoes in at the beginning of the cooking time in this case. If you want to use brown rice you will use the same cooking instructions as the wild rice.
- If you don’t have the soup button on your Instant Pot use the pressure cook button.
- This recipe is gluten-free. Just make sure to check your broth label. This recipe can be dairy-free if you use coconut milk instead of evaporated milk.
- Serve with French Bread or breadsticks.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in an 8 quart pot. Halve the recipe in the 3 quart 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 Old Bay Seasoning: Instant Pot 6 Layer Dinner, Instant Pot Smoked Sausage Country Boil and Instant Pot Crab Dip.

6 More Amazing Instant Pot Soups
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Instant Pot Panera Bread Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Creamy chicken and rice soup that tastes better than Panera Bread! Make this soup in your Instant Pot at home for a fraction of what you’d spend at a restaurant! Plus you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to make!
Instant Pot Apple Cider Beef Stew
A cozy stew with beef, carrots, celery and onions. The broth has a subtle sweetness that is a fun change from your usual savory stew.
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A hearty soup with beef, potatoes and cheese. A perfect supper for your hungry cowboys and cowgirls!
“THE” Soup
A family favorite soup with loads of flavor from sausage, cheese tortellini and parmesan. Serve up with fresh breadsticks or cornbread and honey butter.
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.Print

THE Perfect Autumn Meal
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Instant Pot chicken and wild rice soup with sweet potatoes, spinach and mushrooms is the perfect autumn meal. It’s cozy and homey and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 ribs of celery, sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 cup wild rice
- 4 chicken drumsticks or chicken thighs
- 1 medium sweet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and cut into cubes
- 3 cups chopped spinach
- 1 cup evaporated milk (or heavy cream)
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the oil and the onion and mushrooms. Saute for about 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so nothing is sticking.
- Add in carrots, celery, bay leaf, Old Bay, wild rice and chicken.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the SOUP button to 15 minutes. When time is up move valve to venting and remove lid. Add in the sweet potatoes and spinach. Replace lid and set the soup button to another 10 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Use tongs to remove the chicken pieces. Remove the meat off of the bone and add the meat into the Instant Pot (I discarded the skin). Discard the bay leaf.
- Stir in the evaporated milk (if using cream, temper it first).
- Ladle into bowls and serve.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot

*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.
Can I cook the autumn
Soup in the slow cooker ? Thanks ! Sandy
Excellent tasting soup. The only issue I had was that the sweet potatoes seemed to disintergrate. I don’t know if they were too small of cubes. Next time I will leave them bigger. Overall fantastic. Especially for the first time I had used the pressure cooker setting
★★★★★
You could reduce the second pressure cook time to 5 minutes. That would help them not get so mushy
This sounds delicious but we are not dark meat or wild rice fans. Can you tell me what the adjustments would be for white meat and white rice. Thanks so much in advance!
We love your recipes and your cookbook!
If you’d rather use another type of rice you can. If it’s a white rice (long grain, converted, basmati, jasmine) you will only need to pressure cook for 5 minutes. You can add the sweet potatoes in at the beginning of the cooking time in this case. I would cut the chicken breasts into filets so they aren’t so thick. That way they’ll cook in the 5 minutes of cooking time.
The soup itself is fabulous and I can’t wait to make it again – with less Old Bay Seasoning. I just want to double check to see if 1 1/2 TBSP of Old Bay Seasoning is correct? For us, it was VERY overpowering (when extended family showed up – they thought the smell was overwhelming). I am wondering if it was really TBSP or if it was meant to be TSP??
Just curious.
I love your recipes and make them all the time. This was the first one I made that the spice level was so off for us.
Yes that’s correct. I am sorry it was too strong. We liked it!