So…Melody, Jacob and I have all contracted some form of what I am guessing is the common cold. This irritation has been lingering around our family for the past week and a half.

It started with Melody, then passed on to Jacob and now has settled upon me.

Among the fevers, runny noses, many tissues and toddler tantrums, a moment of rest is much needed for this mama.

I always joke that the worst part about getting sick last is that there is no one left to take care of you.

Regardless of how I may be feeling, we all still got to eat!!

One of my go to recipes is a quick and easy chicken soup that I literally throw into my Instant Pot.

For anyone who knows me, I LOVE my instant pot 🙂

It allows me to be a hot mess and still manage to get dinner on the table.

I would say that it is somewhat of a miracle worker.

*You can use any other brand of pressure cooker, but I will say that the Instant Pot is a great kitchen appliance to have 😉

*If you don’t have a pressure cooker this recipe also works well on the stovetop. Just keep in mind that the cooking time will need to be adjusted.

Start by gathering all the veggies that you want to include in your chicken soup.

I happened to have celery, carrots, onions and mushrooms in my fridge.

You can literally use any veggies that you have on hand. Sometimes, I just toss in a bag of a frozen mix of whatever, if I am having a “ain’t nobody got time for that,” moment.

Go ahead…

wash and cut the veggies into (toddler friendly) bite sized pieces.

You also want to have some sort of chicken stock as the base for your soup.

I used 4 chicken bouillon cubes (still don’t know how to pronounce this)

…and used a 1:2 ratio of water.

So…pretty much I used 4 cubes and 8 cups of water.

You can adjust this amount depending on the level of saltiness you desire.

I will add, that the proportions suggested yield a less saltier broth than a 1:1 ratio.

I prefer the flexibility that this allows to add more salt to taste if needed.

**Remember it is a lot easier to add more seasoning than it is to take away.**

You can’t forget the chicken that will go into your soup.

I personally prefer chicken thighs because you pretty much can’t mess them up unless you intentionally have it out to destroy them.

If you are like me and never remember to defrost anything ahead of time, it is going to be OK.

This recipe calls for a pound of frozen chicken thighs.

The crazy, cool, awesome thing about the instant pot is that…

you can chuck this frozen hunk of meat into the pot and it will come out tender and juicy within 30 minutes of cook time.

Like I said…MIRACLE worker!!

Next…

Heat up the instant pot by setting it on sauté mode.

Then…

add about 2-3 tbs. of cooking oil of your choice. I used olive oil.

At this point…

you should have already had your veggies washed and cut up.

Or for those of us having a moment…your bag of frozen whatever cut open (no judgement) 😉

Add them to your pot and cook for 4-5 minutes or until slightly tender.

The veggies don’t need to be cooked all the way through.

The instant pot will do the rest 😀

Next…

Add the soup base, chicken thighs and what you forgot to put in earlier…in my case it was the mushrooms 😀

Close the lid of your instant pot, set the valve to sealing, push the manual button and set the timer for 30 minutes.

While, the pot builds to pressure and the soup cooks, prepare your egg noodles or rice.

You can choose to go without either for a low carb option.

*Melody has an egg ALLERGY so, we went with jasmine rice instead of the traditional egg noodle.**

Once the timer goes off…

after 10 minutes, quick pressure release the steam from the instant pot.

Next…

add rice or noodles to a bowl…or three.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Then do like Melody and…

tear it up!!!!

 

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Quick and Easy Instant Pot Chicken Soup – For the Stuffy Family

Yields: 4 servings

Prep time: 5-10 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

1 pound of skinless/boneless chicken thighs

3 large carrots

3 large celery stalks

2 small onions

2 cups of sliced mushrooms

2-3 tbs. olive oil

4 chicken bouillon cubes

8 cups of water

4 cups prepared jasmine rice or egg noodles

*salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat instant pot on Sauté mode.
2. Add 2-3 tbs. olive oil to heated instant pot.
3. Wash and cut veggies into small pieces.
4. Add veggies to pot and cook 4-5 minutes or until slightly tender.
5. Add frozen chicken to pot and pour stock over chicken and veggies.
6. Place lid on top. Set valve to sealing.
7. Press manual button and set timer to 30 mins.
8. Prepare rice or egg noodles (optional).
9. Once timer goes off, let stand for 10 mins then quick pressure-release.
10. Add rice/noodle and soup to bowl.
11. Season to taste.
12. Enjoy!

 

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