What happens when you combine two trends? You get Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup inspired by the Good Food Plan by Healthyish. We took some serious liberties with their original recipe and used our new favorite kitchen gadget, the Instant Pot.
This soup is a happy marriage of sweet potato, garlic, and ginger, making it the perfect cold weather soup to heat you from the inside out. If you don’t have an Instant Pot that is okay! A pressure cooker works great, as well as just a good old dutch oven. This soup also freezes well if you want to double the recipe and save it for a lazy evening.
Makes 8 cups
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2-3 leeks, rinsed of grit and thinly sliced in half moons
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 whole chicken
- 4 inch ginger piece, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2/3 cup jasmine rice, rinsed
- 2 medium/large sweet potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/4″ thick sliced
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, thinly sliced
- 1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 handful of spinach, or other greens you have on hand
- 1 bunch cilantro, stems coarsely chopped and leaves reserved for garnish
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced for garnish
- 1 avocado, sliced for garnish
Method
Turn Instant Pot to the high saute setting. Once hot, add coconut oil. Saute leeks and garlic. Season with 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 4 minutes.
Add the chicken, ginger, and 8 cups of water. Secure lid and set to pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.
Once pressure cook cycle is complete, quick release, unlock, and remove lid. Use a pair of tongs to remove the chicken from the pot and put into a large bowl to cool.
Meanwhile, return the Instant Pot to high saute setting and add the rinsed rice. Allow this to simmer while chicken is cooling. This gives the rice a little head start because it will need more cooking time than the other ingredients. You are not looking for this rice to be toothsome. By the time it’s done cooking (after the NEXT pressure cook) it should be extra swollen, soft, and comforting.
Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add them back to the pot, along with the sweet potatoes, cilantro stems, and braising greens. Secure the lid and set to pressure cook on high for 2 minutes.
After pressure cook cycle is complete, quick release, unlock and remove the lid. Add the lemon juice and soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
To serve, ladle into bowls and top with thinly sliced jalapenos, lime wedges, cilantro leaves, and sliced avocado. Enjoy!