Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Whole bone-in thighs go in raw, come out fall-apart tender, and the noodles cook in the residual heat so they never turn to mush.
instant-pot Timer
Set for 10 mins @ High Pressure, plus residual Keep Warm
Ingredients
Base recipe calibrated for 6 adults.
Get to the Point
Sauté onion, carrots, celery 4 min; add 4 garlic cloves, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp dill.
Add 2 lbs bone-in thighs and 8 cups broth. Cook 10 min High Pressure, quick release.
Lift thighs, shred with 2 forks, return meat. Add 8 oz egg noodles, cover with lid off pressure.
Let sit 8 minutes on Keep Warm until noodles are tender. Squeeze lemon over each bowl.
Step-by-Step Guided Instructions
Set Instant Pot to Sauté Normal. Add 2 tbsp butter, 1 diced onion, 3 sliced carrots, and 3 sliced celery ribs. Cook 4 minutes, stirring, until the onion turns translucent. Add 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp dried thyme, and 1 tsp dried dill; stir 30 seconds.
Dill is the underrated MVP here — it is what makes homemade chicken soup taste like homemade chicken soup instead of just chicken with broth.
Cancel Sauté. Pour in 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth and scrape any fond off the bottom. Add 2 lbs bone-in skinless chicken thighs directly into the broth, tucking them into a single layer.
Cook the chicken raw — the pressure extracts far more flavor from a raw thigh than a pre-cooked or rotisserie one. Bones are non-negotiable for broth body.
Seal the lid and set the valve to Sealing. Cook at High Pressure for 10 minutes. When the cook cycle ends, carefully quick-release the pressure by opening the valve.
Quick release now is fine because there are no starches or pasta in the pot yet. Adding noodles first and then quick-releasing sprays starch through the valve.
Lift the thighs onto a cutting board. Using 2 forks, pull the meat off the bones in bite-sized shreds. Discard the bones. Stir shredded chicken back into the pot.
Shred the meat while hot — cold thighs go stringy and rubbery. This is a 90-second window.
Add 8 oz wide egg noodles to the pot. Do not press Sauté. Place the lid on loosely without sealing and let the residual heat cook the noodles for 8 minutes on Keep Warm.
Cooking noodles under pressure turns them to paste every time. Residual heat is the entire trick — the broth stays at 190°F for a full 10 minutes after depressurizing.
Taste and adjust with kosher salt and black pepper. Stir in 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley. Ladle into bowls with a fresh squeeze of lemon and a crack of black pepper.
Salt at the end — the broth reduces slightly as it sits, and salting up front leaves it over-seasoned by the time you plate.
The single upgrade that separates good chicken soup from great is 1 tsp of dried dill added with the thyme. It is what your grandmother used and it is what you have been missing.
Ladle broth and noodles into a shallow bowl with a small mound of shredded chicken on top. Kids reject soup with too much liquid — control the ratio at the ladle.
- Buttered saltine crackers
- Grilled cheese on sourdough
- Simple green salad with vinaigrette
Reheat in a saucepan over medium-low for 6 minutes, stirring often. Noodles keep absorbing broth in the fridge — thin with 1/2 cup extra broth per bowl as you warm it.