Instant Pot Cream of Chicken Soup is such a simple recipe that there’s no reason to use the canned version! This recipe is great for using up leftover Thanksgiving turkey or rotisserie chicken. Add rice, pasta, or even more vegetables to make this a substantial meal.
Tips and Substitutions
– Replace the cooked chicken with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. If you have leftover Thanksgiving stuffing, form them into 1-1/2 inch balls and bake them on a tray in a 350 degree preheated oven until lightly browned, and serve as dumplings in the soup!
– If you want to use uncooked chicken, cut into bite-size pieces and add with the mushrooms, pressure cook for 3 minutes, quick release and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
– Here’s another tip for you that I use all the time. Since white wine really doesn’t keep for more than a few days, I substitute dry white vermouth. It works really well if you don’t want to open a new bottle of white wine. See my Kitchen Hacks and Tips for more tips.
– You can substitute broth for the white wine.
– Substitute 1 to 1-1/2 tsp fresh thyme for the dried thyme.
– If you’re not able to find leeks, substitute about 1 cup of chopped onions.
– I sometimes add frozen peas to the soup at the same time I add the cooked chicken or turkey and let it cook in saute mode for a couple of minutes.
– Spice it up by adding chopped or sliced jalapenos when you’re sauteing the vegetables at the beginning, or add diced chipotle peppers at the end, when adding the cream.
– This recipe was made in a 6 quart Instant Pot Ultra and I’ve have had no sealing issues or burn errors.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot
and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Quick Start Guide or the Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Quick Start Guide first and then come back here to learn how to make this Instant Pot Cream of Chicken Soup.
Instant Pot Cream of Chicken Soup Ingredients
How to Make Instant Pot Cream of Chicken Soup (Step-by-Step Instructions)
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the ‘Saute’ function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the ‘Saute’ function and press ‘Start’.
- Once the Instant Pot has pre-heated, add butter and let it melt but not brown.
- Stir in leeks, celery, and carrots.
- Saute vegetables until leeks are soft, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, thyme, pepper, salt, nutmeg and saute for about a minute.
- Add flour and stir constantly for about a minute. *
* At any point, if you find the Instant Pot is getting too hot, press ‘Cancel’ and allow it to cool down a bit and then resume cooking.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and add wine to deglaze the pot. Stir to completely remove brown bits from the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- If not completely deglazed, add a few tablespoons of broth.
- Stir in remaining broth and mushrooms.
Instant Pot DUO Pressure Cook:
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
- Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘1′ (1 minute).
Instant Pot ULTRA Pressure Cook:
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 1 minute (00:01).
- Press ‘Start’.
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down from 1 to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’ or ’00 00′ and begin to count up.
- Wait for 10 minutes after cooking is complete, and release any remaining pressure.
- If you’re in a rush, you can do a quick release of pressure also.
Instant Pot DUO 10-minute Natural Pressure Release (NPR):
- Move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’. I like to place a folded towel over the steam release handle and move it to the venting position. Remove the towel after turning the knob.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot ULTRA 10-minute Natural Pressure Release (NPR):
- Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
- Stir in cooked chicken and cream.
- Select ‘Saute’ mode and cook for a couple of minutes until heated through, stirring gently.
- Serve garnished with green onions, chopped parsley, and bacon.
Instant Pot Cream of Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 cups leeks - sliced thin
- 1 cup celery - chopped
- 3/4 cup carrots - diced
- 1 Tbsp garlic - minced
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt - or to taste
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
- 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup dry white wine or dry sherry
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth - plus up to 1/4 cup more for deglazing
- 2 cups mushrooms - sliced or quartered
- 2 cups cooked chicken or turkey - diced
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Garnish: scallions - parsley and crumbled bacon
Instructions
- Select the ‘Saute’ function.
- Add butter to inner pot of Instant Pot and allow it to melt for a few seconds.
- Add leeks, celery, carrots, and garlic.
- Saute till vegetables have softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add thyme, pepper, salt, nutmeg and saute for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Stir in flour and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- At any point, if you find the Instant Pot is getting too hot, press 'Cancel' and allow to cool down and then resume cooking.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and add wine or sherry to deglaze the pot. Stir to remove brown bits from the bottom of the Instant Pot. If not completely deglazed, add a tablespoon or two of broth.
- Stir in remaining broth and mushrooms.
- Close the lid and select 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' and pressure cook for 1 minute.
- Do a 10-minute Natural Release of Pressure (NPR). If you're in a rush, a quick release (QR) would also be fine.
- Stir in chicken and cream.
- Select 'Saute' and allow the ingredients to simmer for a few minutes.
- Garnish each serving with scallions, parsley and/or crumbled bacon.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. chopped leeks, minced garlic, cubed carrots, etc.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips
Nutrition
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
If you loved this recipe, please give it a 5 Star rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much!
You might also like to try these Instant Pot Recipes:
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| Instant Pot Chicken Curry Soup | Instant Pot Chipotle Shrimp Soup | Instant Pot Beet Salad |
Amanda
Hi Neena,
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. It has become my favorite soup! I didn’t really cook with leeks before (they seemed costly), but after trying this soup, I am now a big fan. My husband doesn’t like mushrooms so I had to leave it out, but even without it, this is the best comfort food without being too heavy. By the way, I’ve also tried your red beans and rice recipe and it was also a big hit. Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful IP recipes and tips!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Oh, thanks Amanda! I’m glad you’ve discovered the joy of leeks. Thanks for taking a moment to leave a comment and for sharing your experience.
Laura
This soup is amazing! I’m making it now a second time, doubling everything and the house smells so good! Thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks, Laura – I’m so glad to hear it. It’s the definition of comfort food 🙂
Laura L. Murphy
Super (sooper?!) tasty! Only thing I did different was evaporated milk instead of cream. Thanks for this great recipe, so full of flavor, will be making this again and again – and doubling!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you, Laura – it’s very kind of you to take the time to comment. It’s such a simple and comforting soup!
Sandra
My husband I really enjoyed the soup and how you write the recipe is so bread. I am 77 and just wish someone could do chopping for me.lol
Paint the Kitchen Red
Sandra, I’m with you – I’d love a sous chef just to chop chicken, onions and garlic, haha! Thanks for taking the time to comment on the recipe!
Michelle Welle-Countiss
Holy cow! I just bought my first Instant Pot Duo and have been looking for recipes that I could “learn” on. This is fantastic! I used broth instead of wine. It is creamy, full of flavor, and perfect for a quick meal. Thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Michelle, you are very wise to try out a recipe like this to introduce yourself to the Instant Pot (or is it vice versa?) I love this recipe for thanksgiving leftovers!
Cynthia
Thank you so much for detailing this recipe. My husband and I love it,in fact I have made it twice in the last two weeks. I only came across your site recently and want to thank you for your lovely recipes, the little videos and the detailed instructions. I have printed out several more of your recipes this morning and tonight I am making the Morrocan soup.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you for taking a moment to comment and rate the recipe, Cynthia! I am so excited for you to try the Instant Pot Moroccan Stew. I think you’re going to love it – but do let me know what you think 🙂
Ben
Great soup for a cold winter day. The family loved it….
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Ben, it’s such a simple soup but so comforting in the winter. Thanks for taking a minute to comment!
John
If I wanted to add some cut up potatoes, rice, or pasta to this soup, when would be the best step to do so?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi John, you can add diced (1/3 inch cubed) potatoes with the mushrooms, etc and cook for the same amount of time. You can pressure cook some orzo with the soup ingredients, but you’ll need to increase the cooking time to 3 minutes or so (no potatoes though – they would overcook unless you cut them into larger chunks). You can add cooked rice or cooked pasta at the end and heat in saute mode. Enjoy.
Lynn Woods
I, perhaps mistakenly, bought an 8 qt IP. What would the formula be to convert a 6 qt recipe to an 8 qt? Thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Lynn – you should be able to make most 6 quart recipes in an 8 quart without much change. The only exception is recipes that have very little liquid, in which case you’ll need to increase the liquid by a bit. I’ve made most of my 6 quart recipes in my 8 quart with no problems.