This instant pot chicken soup has fresh lemon juice added to it just before it finishes cooking. The result is a deliciously soothing lemony chicken soup. The ingredients are simple and few and this instant pot chicken soup comes together in only 30 minutes! The entire soup (including my broth) is made in the Instant Pot which means it cooks faster and doesn’t require you monitoring a pot of soup over the stove for an hour.
Because this soup contains few ingredients and the base is a chicken broth, I’d recommend using real chicken broth – not a stock you buy in liquid concentrate or powder form. The taste and the nutrients are much higher when using real chicken broth and you want a real chicken soup. I make my chicken broth using leftover bones and wings from a whole chicken and cooked it in the instant pot in an hour. My recipe and method for making chicken broth is here. It has an incredible flavor and lets you utilize pieces you’d otherwise throw away!
There is kale in the soup, which is added at the end and wilted down. If you usually don’t like it or can’t stomach kale, having it like this – soft and wilted makes it less bitter and easier to digest.
If you’d like more bulk to the dish, you can add in some noodles to the instant pot chicken soup to make it a more filling meal, but I like it just as is.
Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 carrots peeled and sliced into ½ inch slices
- 5 baby marrows washed and sliced into ½ inch slices
- 2 chicken breasts skin off
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- 8 C chicken broth
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 lemons juiced
- 3 C Kale shredded
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Turn the Instant Pot onto the Sauté mode and add the olive oil. Allow for it to warm up for 2 minutes and then add in the finely diced onion. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute, stirring often.
- Cancel the Sauté mode to switch the Instant Pot off.
- Add the sliced carrots, baby marrows, chicken breasts and fresh parsley to the Instant Pot.
- Pour the chicken broth into the Instant Pot.
- Add the salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Place the lid of the Instant Pot onto the Instant Pot, and make sure the pressure valve is sealed. Cook on manual High Pressure for 8 minutes. The Instant Pot will take a few minutes to come up to pressure.
- When the pressure cooking is complete the Instant Pot will beep to notify you. Use the quick release method by moving the pressure valve to the open position and letting it release. Once the float valve has dropped, open the lid.
- Press cancel to switch off the Instant Pot.
- Remove the chicken and shred it. Add it back into the Instant Pot.
- Add in your lemon juice and shredded kale. Stir to combine.
- Turn the Instant Pot onto the Sauté mode and sauté for about 5 minutes, just to allow the kale to wilt. It will start bubbling. Once the kale has wilted, switch off the instant pot and serve. Alternatively, you can turn on the “Keep Warm” function to allow it to stay hot if you are only serving it later.
Stove Top Directions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Add olive oil to a large pot and heat.
- Add in the finely diced onion. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute, stirring often.
- Add the carrots, chicken breasts, fresh parsley, salt and pepper.
- Pour over the chicken broth.
- Cook on a low-medium heat for 45 minutes to an hour – until the carrots are soft and the chicken is cooked through.
- About 15 minutes before it’s cooked add in the baby marrow. Baby marrow takes quicker to cook than carrots and chicken, so you don’t want to add it too early or it will get soft and mushy.
- When the chicken is fully cooked, switch off the stove.
- When the chicken is fully cooked, switch off the stove.
- Add in your lemon juice and shredded kale. Stir to combine.
- Cook over a medium flame for about 5 minutes until the kale has wilted enough.
