Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I grew up in northern Wisconsin, where fall and winter comfort food means one thing: chicken and wild rice soup. My mom used to spend hours making it, simmering it on the stovetop or letting it go all day in the crock pot.

I live in the South now, and even though it’s currently 82 degrees out, fall still isn’t complete without this soup. The difference is that with my Instant Pot, I can have it on the table in a little under an hour. No more planning my whole day around dinner just to get my favorite comfort food.

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I’ll admit, there are still days I love pulling out the crock pot and letting something simmer away while we go about our day. But honestly? I like the flexibility the Instant Pot gives me. I can have my favorite dishes ready in a fraction of the time, which matters a lot more than I expected once homeschooling became the center of our days.

Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This Instant Pot chicken and wild rice soup is hearty, earthy, and naturally gluten-free comfort food that comes together in under an hour instead of simmering all day.

Here’s why it earns a permanent spot in my fall and winter rotation:

• It’s naturally gluten-free. As long as your broth is certified gluten-free, this soup already is – no swaps needed.
• It’s g fast. Under an hour from start to bowl, most of it hands-off while the Instant Pot does the work.
• It’s forgiving. You don’t have to start it at 8 a.m. to eat at 6 p.m. – which is the whole point if you, like me, are not a morning person.
• It’s real food. Shredded chicken, nutty wild rice, and finely chopped vegetables. Filling enough to be dinner on its own.

If your weekday afternoons have ever ended with you standing in front of the fridge at 3:30, wondering what on earth you’re going to feed everyone, this is the recipe that fixes that.

Why Wild Rice?

Where I grew up, wild rice is easy to find. It actually grows wild in a lot of the region – you’ll see it in grocery stores, gift shops, and farmers markets. It costs a little more than white rice, but nothing outrageous.

When I moved to Southern California for college and later to the South, I learned that’s not the case everywhere. That’s where Amazon comes in. If you have trouble finding wild rice locally, you can order several types and have it in a day or two. This blend is one of my favorites because it’s not just black wild rice, it won’t turn your soup purple as it cooks.

The reason wild rice is worth seeking out: it brings a mild, nutty flavor and a texture that holds up in soup without going mushy. It cooks closer to al dente – never crunchy, never falling apart. For this soup specifically, it’s the right choice.

Lundberg Family Farms – Organic Wild Blend Rice, Pantry Staple, Whole Grain Blend of Black, Brown, Red, & Wild Rice, Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, USDA Certified Organic, Vegan, Kosher (32 oz, 2-Pack)

 

Ingredients You’ll Need

Nothing exotic here. A few notes on the pieces that matter:

• Fresh parsley – Stirred in at the end for brightness.
• Wild rice blend – A blend (rather than pure black wild rice) keeps the color of the soup warm instead of purple, and the texture pleasant. Rinse it first.
• Boneless chicken breasts – They cook whole under pressure, then shred easily. Thighs work too if you prefer richer, more forgiving meat.
• Celery, carrot, and onion – Diced small. The finer you chop them, the more evenly their flavor runs through the whole pot.
• Baby portobello mushrooms – Earthy depth. Skip them if mushrooms aren’t your thing; the soup still works.
• Dried thyme and bay leaves – The backbone of the savory flavor.
• Chicken broth – Six cups. Use certified gluten-free broth if that matters for your family.

How to Make Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

You’ll sauté the vegetables right in the Instant Pot, then pressure cook everything together for 30 minutes and shred the chicken at the end – about 55 minutes total, mostly hands-off.

Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker, Warmer & Sterilizer, 6 Quart, Stainless Steel/BlackInstant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker, Warmer & Sterilizer, 8 Quart, Stainless Steel/BlackThe Step-by-Step Instant Pot Cookbook: 100 Simple Recipes for Spectacular Results — with Photographs of Every Step

 

The full measurements and timing are in the recipe card below, but here’s the shape of it so you know what you’re getting into:

1. Sauté the aromatics. Soften the celery, carrot, and onion in olive oil using the Sauté function, then add the mushrooms and thyme until they take on a little color.
2. Pressure cook. Add the rinsed wild rice, whole chicken breasts, bay leaves, and broth. Seal and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.
3. Release and shred. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick-release the rest. Pull out the chicken, shred it with two forks, and stir it back in with fresh parsley.

That natural release is doing real work – it lets the rice finish softening and keeps the chicken tender. Don’t skip it.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

A handful of small things separate a great pot of this soup from a disappointing one:

• Using the wrong rice. Quick-cooking or white rice will turn to mush under 30 minutes of pressure. This recipe is built for a true wild rice blend. If you swap the rice, you have to change the timing – they are not interchangeable.
• Skipping the sauté step. It’s tempting to dump and go, but those few minutes of softening the vegetables and browning the mushrooms are where the depth of flavor comes from.
• Chopping the vegetables too big. Large chunks give you bites of plain carrot or celery instead of flavor woven through every spoonful. Dice them small.
• Forcing the pressure release. Quick-releasing immediately can leave the rice underdone and the chicken tougher. Give it the 10-minute natural release first.
• Forgetting the broth-to-rice ratio. Wild rice keeps drinking liquid as the soup sits. If you cut the broth, you’ll end up with a casserole, not a soup.

Tips for the Best Chicken and Wild Rice Instant Pot Soup

A few things I’ve learned making this on repeat:

Already have cooked chicken? Skip the raw breasts and stir in shredded rotisserie or leftover chicken at the very end, just to warm through. (You’ll still want the 30 minutes for the rice.)

For firmer rice, drop the cook time to 28 minutes. Thirty minutes gives you soft-but-not-mushy rice; 28 keeps a little more bite.

Stretch your budget with a broth-and-water mix. Because you’re cooking the chicken and vegetables right in the liquid, you can use part broth and part water and still get great flavor for less.

Season at the end, not just the start. Wild rice and a big pot of broth can mute salt. Taste and adjust right before serving.

Variations and Substitutions

• Make it creamy. Stir in a splash of heavy cream, half-and-half, or a can of coconut milk after cooking for a richer, chowder-style soup.
• Change the protein. Boneless thighs make it richer; leftover turkey makes this a perfect post-Thanksgiving soup.
• Load up the vegetables. Spinach or kale stirred in at the end, or a handful of frozen peas, adds color and nutrition.
• Keep it dairy-free. As written, this soup already is – only the creamy variation adds dairy, and coconut milk keeps that version dairy-free too.

Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

This soup is a strong make-ahead option, which is exactly why it belongs in a busy week.

• Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The rice will keep absorbing liquid, so it thickens over time.
• Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of broth or water to loosen it back to soup consistency.
• Freeze for up to 3 months. Wild rice holds up to freezing far better than white rice, though it will still soften a bit. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat with extra broth.

This is the kind of thing I’ll make a double batch of and freeze half so on the inevitable day I forget to plan, dinner is already done. (I love Souper Cubes for this!)

Souper Cubes 1 Cup Silicone Freezer Molds, 100% Platinum-Cured Silicone Molds for Food, Oven and Microwave Safe, Perfect for Freezing Soup, Rice, Protein, Grains and More – Blueberry, 2-PackSilicone Freezer Tray With Lid – Soup Freezer Container Molds Set Makes 2-Cup & 1-Cup 1/2-cup Portions Cubes Perfect for preparing meals in different Portion Sizes Oven & Dishwasher-SafeSouper Cubes 2 Cup Silicone Molds for Food, 100% Platinum-Cured Silicone Freezer Molds, Oven and Microwave Safe, Perfect for Storing Lasagna, Casseroles, Portioned Meals and More – Blueberry, 2-PackSouper Cubes Silicone Freezer Molds Gift Set with 2 Tbsp, 1/2, 1, and 2 Cup Silicone Freezer Trays With Lids – Meal Prep and Kitchen Essentials Bundle – Blueberry

 

What to Serve With Wild Rice and Chicken Soup

It’s hearty enough to stand alone, but it loves a side:

• Crusty bread or warm dinner rolls for dipping
• A simple green salad to lighten the meal
• Roasted vegetables if you want to make it a fuller spread

Real Comfort Food, Minus the All-Day Plan

This is the soup that proves a good dinner doesn’t have to cost you your whole afternoon. You can plan ahead when you want to and still pull it off when you don’t. For a homeschool day that already asks a lot of you, that flexibility is the whole point.

Want more of these in your back pocket? Grab my roundup of 30 Instant Pot Recipes for the Homeschool Mom for a full rotation of fast, real dinners – including Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup and Instant Pot New England Clam Chowder.