chicken soup with pesto made in the instant pot

Instant Pot Pesto Chicken Soup

Written by on in Gluten Free, Recipes, Soups

Chicken soup is nourishing, comforting and down-right delicious. By using store-bought basil pesto and cooking the soup in your Instant pot you can quickly brighten up a simple no-frills chicken soup recipe and turn it into the stuff dreams are made of.

Ok, that might be a pretty exaggerated statement, but really.  This soup is good. 

pesto chicken soup, instant pot chicken soup recipes, pesto soup

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I created this soup out of pure laziness.  It’s true.

It was cold outside and our fridge was pretty bare. I didn’t feel like getting out of my pajamas (#momlife?😅) and I most definitely didn’t feel like bundling up the kids for a trip to the grocery store. These days a simple errand can easily turn into a tantrum-filled afternoon adventure. It’s SUPER fun.

Because Arjun has been boycotting naps and his current goal in life is to ensure his baby brother also boycotts naps, I didn’t have a lot of time to cook. I turned to my new best friend, my Instant Pot, to help me out. I gave the kids a banana to buy myself a bit of time, and got to work.

baby eating banana, toddler cutting banana
These knives are perfect for teaching Arjun simple kitchen-skills. Epicurean cutting boards are also favorites–they’re made in Duluth, MN!

The banana only bought me about 10 minutes, so luckily this soup doesn’t take much prep-work. I chopped some onion, diced some carrots and celery and threw all the ingredients into the pot.

I noticed I had an open jar of basil pesto in the fridge and figured I might as well use it up. I was a bit worried that the pesto would make my soup a bit too oily, so I decided it’d be better to use chicken breast rather than thigh meat.

Because I’m not much of a planner, all I had was frozen chicken breasts. So that’s what I used.

The soup was done within 20 minutes, and it was pure bliss. Even the baby couldn’t get enough of the broth, he loved it!

pesto homestyle instant pot chicken soup

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[recipe title=”Easy Instant Pot Pesto Chicken Soup Recipe” servings=”4-6″ cook time=”30 minutes”  difficulty=”easy”]

Hearty and delicious, this Pesto Chicken Soup can be on your dinner table in less than a half hour.

Ingredients:
  • 100 g(s), Diced Onion (approx. 1/2 large onion)
  • 2 medium Carrots, diced
  • 2 med stalks Celery, diced
  • 2 clove Garlic, minced
  • 4 Cup, Low Sodium Chicken Stock
  • 1/2 cup, store-bought or homemade Basil Pesto
  • 1/2 tsp, ground black pepper
  • 1 lb Chicken Breast, fresh or frozen
  • salt, as required
  • fresh basil leaves, to garnish
Directions:
  • Plug in your Instant Pot and press the “Saute” function to get it a bit warm.  Add in the diced onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook for a minute before adding the prepared pesto and chicken stock. Stir.
  • Let the mixture cook for a minute or two, or until it comes to a boil. Once the stock begins to boil, lay the fresh or frozen chicken breasts in the pot and add black pepper.
  • Close the pressure cooker and turn the lid to “Sealing.”
  • Change the setting from “Saute” to “Pressure Cook.” Then Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow the cooker to release pressure naturally for 5 minutes before manually releasing the remaining pressure.
  • When safe, open the pot and stir everything to combine.
  • The chicken should be really tender. You can either shred the chicken right in the pot (this is how I do it!) or using a tongs remove the chicken onto a plate or cutting board. Shred or chop the chicken and add back into the pot.
  • Taste the soup and add salt if needed. If the soup becomes a bit too salty, add additional water until it is diluted to your preferences.
  • Garnish with fresh chopped basil leaves.
Notes:
  • This soup freezes extremely well!
  • If you prefer a bit more pesto flavor, go ahead and add a bit in before serving.
  • If you enjoy mushrooms you can add some, sliced very thinly, after the cooking process while the soup is still piping hot.
  • You could also add some cooked noodles to the soup once it’s finished cooking, if noodle soups are your jam (and you don’t mind the extra carbs 😜 ). I like farfalle pasta. Rice would also work well.
www.spicedupmom.com

[/recipe]

As always, if you make the recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Let me know in the comments below.
Looking for other Instant Pot soup recipes?

Check out this delicious Cauliflower, Sausage and Kale Soup