From Scratch Instant Pot Chicken Soup

Step 1

Add a couple of tablespoons olive oil to the Instant Pot and press the "Sauté" button. OPTIONAL STEP: After the oil heats up, add the chicken, breast side down and let cook 2-3 minutes to sear the chicken skin. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside as you prep the soup. Add a little more oil to the pot after searing it's looking dry.

Step 2

When the oil is simmering add the chopped onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook for about 4-5 minutes.

Step 3

Add the chicken breast side up to the pot (whole chicken or pieces) and cover with chicken stock, water and add the bay leaves.

Step 4

Press the "Keep Warm/Cancel" button to stop the sauté function. Secure the lid and make sure the steam valve is set to closed. Press 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' and set the timer to 20 minutes.

Step 5

After the time is up the Instant Pot will automatically switch the 'keep warm'. Let it keep warm for at least 15 minutes before releasing the steam valve.

Step 6

Once the steam has been fully released after opening the steam valve, remove the lid of the instant pot. Use a pair of tongs or slotted spoon to remove the chicken from the pot. Transfer to a plate or bowl to shred. The chicken will likely come apart as you remove it from the pot so be careful and move it slowly so that the hot soup doesn't splash on you. (Note: The chicken will be very hot so leave it until cool enough to comfortably handle or avoid using your hands and use forks or tongs to shred the chicken.)Remove the chicken from the skin and bones and discard the remaining carcass and cartilage. Shred the chicken meat into bite sized pieces.

Step 7

Add the shredded chicken back to the pot along with the lemon juice and fresh herbs. Give everything a good stir then taste and season with more salt, pepper and lemon juice as needed. How much salt you add at the end will depending on how salty your stock was.

Step 8

Serve warm and enjoy. Leftovers will keep in the fridge up to 5 days. Once completely cooled you can freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months.