This Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is made with sautéd aromatic veggies mixed with a wild rice blend and chicken cooked in a silky, savory broth without any dairy needed.
Original recipe shared on October 23, 2017 – updated Dec 21, 2025 with improved photos, recipe, tips and ingredient explanations.
Chicken & Wild Rice Soup – Good to Know
- It’s made in the instant pot:
- You need a 6-quart instant pot or larger.
- It’s dairy free:
- Most wild rice soup recipes use heavy cream to create a thick, rich texture. Dairy free versions often include full fat coconut milk which imparts a coconut flavor. Instead of dairy, this soup is thickened with a little bit of flour stirred into the sautéd veggies.
- You need to use a wild-rice blend: two main reasons
- Speed: A blend cooks much faster than the sole-grain.
- Availability: I literally cannot find a full wild-rice variety that’s gluten free/free from cross contamination warnings local to me. I’m sure I could find something online, but that’s just one extra hurdle I don’t want to cross. If this is true for me, it’s likely true for many of you, so a wild-rice blend it is!
- Time Needed: a little over an hour
- prep: about 15-20 minutes to gather & dice
- pre-pressure cooking cook: about 15 minutes to sauté, etc
- warm up time: about 10 minutes (time will vary)
- pressure cook time: 9 minutes
- post cook, depressurising: 10 minutes
- final touches: 5 minutes to shred chicken & season
- Final Taste & Texture:
- This soup is rich & savory, a little earthy thanks to the mushrooms & nutty due to the wild-rice blend. Texturally, it’s got a thick and silky-like texture – even without the dairy.
How to Make this Instant Pot Chicken & Wild Rice Soup: Step-By-Step
Sauté the vegetable and herbs in oil or butter (dairy free butter if needed). Cook, about 8-10 minutes to soften the veggies. Stir often to keep things from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Add the flour. Stir into the vegetable mixture until well combined.
Deglaze with wine (or water). Pour the wine into the floured veggie mixture. Stir well until no lumps remain. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Add the wild rice blend. Stir the rice into the mixture until well combined.
Add chicken & stock or broth. Place the chicken over the veggies then add the remaining liquid. Stir everything one more time before covering.
Cover and cook. Set the pot to cook on high pressure for 9 minutes. Remember that the pot will need some time to warm up before the time starts counting down.
↳TIP: Let the pot depressurise a bit before venting.
After the time is up, leave the pot to keep warm & naturally depressurise for at least 10 minutes before switching the seal to vent the remaining pressure.
The extra time will allow the contents to keep cooking a bit and reduce the amount of steam that spits out at the end.
Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to a cutting board or plate. Use a couple of forks to shred into bite-sized pieces then return to the pot once more.
Add the final touches. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in some fresh chopped parsley for a final boost of flavor and serve.
↳TIP: You can thicken the soup even more with a starch slurry.
- Use a soup ladle to scoop out about 1/4 cup of broth from the pot (try to leave behind chunks of veggies and meat) and transfer to a heat-safe cup or bowl. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot starch until no lumps remain.
- Set the instant pot back to sauté (lid off) to bring the soup to a simmer/boil. While simmering, stir the slurry back into the soup and let it cook 1-2 minutes to thicken.
Serving Suggestions: Serve with herby, homemade gluten free croutons on top for a bit of crunch or cheesy crackers on the side. These soft and fluffy dinner rolls and breadsticks are perfect for dipping into the soup. Add a simple side salad like this Lebanese Cabbage Slaw or basic roasted vegetables for a healthy side. This soup also pairs well with a classic grilled cheese for an extra hearty meal.
More Instant Pot Recipes to Try
- Instant Pot Carne Desmechada
- Vietnamese Five Spice Pulled Pork (Instant Pot)
- Bacon & Chipotle Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
- From Scratch Instant Pot Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Adobada Tacos
- Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas
- See all → Instant Pot Recipes←
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try this instant pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!
Instant Pot Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
Made with sautéd veggies, a wild rice blend and chicken cooked in a silky + savory dairy-free broth. It’s a simple, nourishing dish that’s especially great for cold weather!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil or butter - dairy or non dairy (60g)
- 1 cup celery, diced (3 ribs)
- 1 cup carrots, diced (2 medium)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 cup mushrooms, trimmed & sliced (226g) - any variety
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp poultry seasoning
- ½ tsp salt and black pepper, each
- ¼ cup gluten free all purpose flour blend (35g)
- ¾ cup dry white wine or water (180ml)
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice blend - ensure gluten free (185g)
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts and/or thighs (450g)
- 6 cups chicken stock or broth (1.2L)
- small handful of fresh parsley, chopped for serving - optional
Instructions
- In a 6-quart instant pot: Press the sauté button on the instant pot and wait for it to heat up. Add the oil or butter. When the oil is simmering add the onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook for about 8-10 minutes until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the flour and coat the veggies.
- Stir in the wine, mixing well to ensure no lumps of flour remain. Make sure to scrape down the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to loosen up any stuck on bits. If needed, add a splash of water to the pot to help you loosen up stubborn bits. Cook about 2 minutes then stir in the rice.
- Add the chicken and chicken stock/broth to the pot. Stir everything together one last time.
- Secure the lid on the instant pot and make sure the dial on top is set to 'sealing'. Cook on high pressure for 9 minutes. (Press 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' and set the timer to 9 minutes.) After the time is up the Instant Pot will automatically switch the keep warm. Let it keep warm for 10 depressurising on its own then switch the seal to the venting position.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to a cutting board or a plate. Use a couple of forks shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces then carefully add back to the soup.
- Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as you see fit. Serve warm with parsley or other fresh herbs on top (optional) and serve.
Notes
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. Freeze in 1-2 cup portions up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Bring to a boil for a few minutes to reheat fully before serving. If needed, add a bit more water or chicken broth when reheating.
- Use pre-cooked chicken or turkey instead: If you have leftover roast chicken or turkey you can easily add them to this soup. Instead of adding the uncooked chicken breast before cooking just add the cooked shredded chicken/turkey at the end.
- Poultry Seasoning Substitute: 1½ tsp dried sage + 1 tsp dried thyme + ½ tsp dried rosemary + pinch of nutmeg.
- Wine: I recommend something like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Marsala. Feel free to just use water if you prefer.
Joseph Pierce says
Fresh mushrooms right???
Sarah Nevins says
Yes!
Joseph Pierce says
If I have frozen chicken and use true wild rice.. that takes 35 minutes.. shouldn’t have to increase cooking time like you would with wild rice blend right?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Joseph! Apologies if I’m just being daft here, but I’m not sure I understand your question.
Wild rice takes about 20 minutes to cook in the instant pot with an additional 10 minutes needed for the pot to depressurise. Frozen chicken breasts need about 10 minutes to cook with an additional 10 minutes to depressurise. So, in theory, if you were using true wild rice with frozen chicken you’d only need about 20 minutes to cook on high with 10 extra minutes of depressurising. I hope that helps!
Joseph says
Yep!!!!
Amanda says
Can I use a whole chicken? What about Jasmine rice?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Amanda! Both of the substitutions should work, but you’ll need to switch up the cook time. As a general rule of thumb when it comes to cooking whole chicken in the instant pot – you want to cook 6 minutes per pound. For example a three pound chicken you’ll cook it about 18 minutes.
Sara says
Can this be frozen? If so, how do you suggest freezing it?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Sara! I’ve actually frozen this myself but I’m almost certain you can freeze without any worries like other wild rice soups. I recommend just waiting until it cools completely and then storing in an airtight/freezer safe bag or container. It should keep about 3 months in the freezer.
Lauren says
Is the chicken thawed or frozen? Do you have a recommendation if I am using frozen chicken? Thank you!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Lauren! I use fresh chicken in this recipe but you can certain use thawed chicken as well. All you need to do is do is increase the cook time to 12 minutes and that should be more than enough. Hope you love it!
Shay Pascale says
I made this tonight, subbed lentils for rice, skipped the wine, added fish sauce for an umami flavor profile when it was finished. All turned out great!!
Sarah Nevins says
Oooh I’m intrigued by the fish sauce! I’m gonna need to try that myself! Thanks Shay!
Linda Davies says
Made this soup today and precooked the wild rice so it would be cooked enough. I didn’t use the wine just the chicken broth. The flavor was so good so will definitely be making this soup again. Great recipe, easy to follow and it turned out. Love using the insta pot for making soup and this was a definite winner. Thanks for sharing.
Linda
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Linda! Glad you enjoyed it!
Vivien Heyob says
I am going to try this for dinner. I am using backs and next and pulling the meat. We raise our own chickens and we like to use as much as we can. I even make my own broth at the same time. It works for me. I am using all wild rice as I have it. I love love love that you made your own thickening and not canned soup. Can’t wait to eat. I’m going to use my own cow milk as a creamy additive and yep, French bread! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Vivien! That sounds so cool – I bet having home raised chicken fresh stock make this even better! Hope you loved it!
Don says
I substituted a half teaspoon of tarragon leaves and used a half teaspoon of rosemary. Turned out to be delicious. Definitely will make this again.
Sarah says
Thanks Don! Love the sound of added tarragon!
Kaleena says
So we followed the instructions for the long grain wild rice and it was my first fail in an Instant Pot. The rice stuck and burned to the bottom. I would suggest changing those instructions to add the cooked wild rice after the cooking time since it’s already fully cooked at that point.
Sarah says
Hi Kaleena! I’m not sure I understand – did you add cooked wild rice to the instant pot before anything was cooked?