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I have been incredibly busy these past two weeks. Nothing like the New Year to motivate you to start new projects or push toward finishing old ones. But, despite all the work ahead of me on these projects, I want to ensure that I take care of myself. That’s when my Instant Pot Chicken, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soup comes to my rescue! This soup comes together in a hands-off way, letting me get more done with my extremely packed schedule.
The Instant Pot is Worth the Countertop Space
I was incredibly skeptical when my husband bought an Instant Pot for our kitchen. Was it just going to sit there, unused, taking up counterspace? Will it work with more than one or two recipes? Is the cleanup more effort than it’s worth?
Well, I was wrong.
The Instant Pot is one of my most used kitchen appliances. I probably use it more than my food processor. This is what enables me to make homemade chicken stock in less than a day, quickly cook rice and other grains without using up more burners on my stove, and doubles as a slow cooker. The Instant Pot is what allows this soup to be made in less than an hour, with much of that time being completely hands off. I love this thing, and if you’re anything like me, you will too!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Carrots, Celery, and Onions
These three aromatic vegetables make the vegetable base of this soup. The combination is referred to as mirepoix, the basis of French soups and stews. These are all excellent purchases at your winter farmers market.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms bump up the umami flavors in this soup. While I used sliced white mushrooms in my soup, you could easily substitute with a wild mushroom blend. Look for oyster, shiitake, or king trumpet mushrooms, as these are all extremely flavorful mushrooms that won’t disintegrate in the pressure cooking process.
Wild Rice
Wild rice is harvested from a native grass that grows in lakes and ponds throughout Minnesota. It’s chewy, nutty, and the perfect addition to provide contrast in a creamy soup. Look for 100% wild rice, not a wild rice blend; the blends are mixed with brown rice and just aren’t as good as the real thing.
A good substitute for wild rice in this soup recipe would be wheat berries, though these will take a little longer to cook in the Instant Pot.
Want more wild rice recipes? Try my Winter Wild Rice Salad or Chew Out Loud’s Wild Rice Pilaf.
Tips and Tricks
Don’t have an Instant Pot? Don’t feel left out, this wild rice soup can be cooked in a slow cooker or on the stovetop.
Slow Cooker
Toss all ingredients except for the milk into a slow cooker and stir together. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or high for 4 to 6 hours. Stir in the milk and you’re ready to serve!
Stovetop
Follow the same sauté steps as in the Instant Pot recipe, but in a thick bottomed stock pot on medium-high heat. After you add the wild rice and the chicken stock, bring the soup to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until the wild rice is fully cooked. Stir in the milk, and then serve.
Serving Suggestions
While I love how soups are a one-bowl meal, sometimes you want a little something more. Try serving this wild rice soup with a simple arugula side salad, or roast the leftover carrots for a simple vegetable side dish.
Also, leftover Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup is perfect for soup and sandwich lunch combos. My recommendation is A Couple Cooks’ Hummus Sandwich. The pickled vegetables create a nice contrast with the creamy hummus and rich flavors of the wild rice soup.
What about the leftovers?
One of my favorite things about soup is that the leftovers save beautifully. Save the leftover wild rice soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Alternatively, you can freeze the soup in individual portions for up to three months.
Instant Pot Chicken, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soup
My Instant Pot Chicken, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soup comes to my rescue on busy days! This hands-off soup lets me get more done in my packed schedule.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup ghee
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 stalks celery, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
- ½ tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 cup wild rice, rinsed
- 4 cups chicken stock
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
Instructions
- Turn on the Sauté function on the Instant Pot, and add the ghee, carrots, celery, and onions. Cook the mixture until the onions turn soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and mushrooms, and continue to sauté until the mushrooms cook down to about half their original volume.
- Add the chicken thighs, sage, thyme, wild rice, chicken stock, and salt and pepper to the Instant Pot. Stir soup together, then cover the Instant Pot. Turn off the Sauté function, then set to Pressure Cook. Set the timer for 45 minutes on high pressure. Ensure the vent is set to sealed.
- After the cook time is up, release the pressure in the Instant Pot. Stir in the milk and the white wine vinegar. Cook on low for an additional 5 minutes, then serve while soup is hot!
