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Instant Pot Chicken Barley Soup

by Jackie Miao
written by Jackie Miao

Being a spanking new mom to a newborn, I have three main challenges. One is to rest sufficiently; two is managing my time and energy; three is to ensure that I keep my milk supply up for baby’s nutritional needs. For the latter, the name of the game is to breastfeed/pump often, and eat lactogenic foods to help increase milk production. Barley happens to be one of the ingredients said to stimulate prolactin secretion, which increases breast milk in breastfeeding moms.

Here’s a delicious, healthy soup that is easy to whip up in the instant pot (or any pressure cooker). The whole family can enjoy this during the colder months, or when a nourishing soup is desired. P.s. It goes well with a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. If you make this, let me know how you like it in the comments below.

Instant Pot Chicken Barley Soup

An all-organic healthy soup for the whole family. It’s especially great for nursing moms.
4.75 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: soup, lactogenic, milk supply, winter recipes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Quick release at: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6
Author: Jackie Miao, DiningHappy.com

Ingredients

  • 6 chicken drumsticks organic
  • 1 yellow onion roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 6 stalks celery chopped, 1/2 ” pieces
  • 6 medium carrots chopped, 1/2″ pieces
  • 2 medium yellow potatoes peeled, cubed 1″ pieces
  • 1 cup whole barley rinsed
  • 1 liter chicken broth low sodium
  • 1 liter water filtered
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp rosemary chopped, dry
  • 1 tsp Celtic sea salt, coarse or season to taste
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper ground
  • 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley chopped

Instructions

  • Set your 6 quart instant pot on the sauté function. When the pot is hot, add 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. 
  • Add the chopped onions, garlic, and dried rosemary. Sauté until fragrant and onions are translucent.
  • Add the barley, and continue stir-frying for another 2 minutes.
  • Add the chopped celery, and continue sautéing until fragrant (about 3 minutes).
  • Add the chopped carrots, and continue sautéing to release the carrot oil (about 3 minutes).
  • Add the chicken broth (1 liter), potatoes, and celtic sea salt. Mix the entire pot of ingredients evenly.
  • Then submerge the drumsticks into the broth, and add the water (Add 500 ml at a time. If the water looks like it will go past the maximum line, stop where the line is.)
  • Press the “cancel” button to reset the Instant Pot. Close the lid. (Make sure the valve is set to pressure setting.)
  • Press the “Soup/Broth” button, and set the time to 6 minutes. (It will take about 20 minutes for contents to come up to pressure.)
  • When the pressure cooking stage is complete, let contents sit for another 14 minutes before doing a “Quick Release” on the valve.
  • Once the float is down, open the lid, remove the chicken drumsticks, and separate the meat from the bones. Discard the skin, bones, and add the chicken meat back into the soup. Mix well. 
  • Add any final seasoning touches before serving. Scoop soup up into bowls, and finish with freshly chopped parsley.

Notes

LOW SODIUM DIET
Different brands of salt have different saltiness levels and therefore varies in measurements. For low sodium, use 1/2 tsp of celtic sea salt instead of 1. Ready-to-use broths can also vary in saltiness levels from one brand to another, so it is always best to go conservative on the salt, and season at the end to personal preference and taste.
FLAVOR VARIATION
To switch up the flavors, you can substitute the rosemary with thyme, or a soup blend of herbs that work well with chicken, like Bragg Organic Sprinkle Seasoning. Dry herbs can be substituted with fresh herbs of the same variety. Substitute fresh parsley with fresh cilantro/coriander leaves for a different taste.
 
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AmericanSoup

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

by Jackie Miao
written by Jackie Miao

So I just bought an Instant Pot DUO60, because the Prime day deal was too good to pass up. I finally managed to pop it open this week, and made a Chicken Noodle Soup loosely based on Joanna Cismaru’s recipe. I left the chicken breasts out, because, we prefer juicier dark cuts of meat to go with our stews and soups. I also modified the recipe a little for simplicity. For brevity, all fresh ingredients used are organic, non-GMO, cleaned, and rinsed thoroughly.

Instant Pot Expectations

It’s important to note that, the Instant Pot won’t get your soup done from start to finish in 7 minutes. You still need to prep your ingredients manually! Haha. It actually takes about an hour from start to finish if you factor in the prep time, time it takes for the IP to get up to pressure, and also for the time for the pressure release. What it does really well though, is reduce your active manual cooking time to about 10 mins. Which means, though the soup will be ready in an hour, you’re only spending a total of 20 mins active time prepping and cooking. Dinner will be ready in an hour though! Enjoy this! My husband has requested for this twice in a week.


Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Total Time: 55 mins | Pressure Cooking Time: 7 mins | Prep Time: 10 mins | Active Cooking Time: 10 mins.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs(1 kg) of chicken thighs or drumsticks pieces with skin on
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 tsp of Bragg Sprinkle Herb and Spice Seasoning **
  • 1/4 tsp of thyme
  • 1 tsp of ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp of celtic sea salt
  • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp chopped garlic (optional)
  • 1 cup of chopped celery
  • 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2″ thick round pieces
  • 3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2″ thick round pieces
  • 1 carton(1 litre) of chicken broth or stock (approx. 4 cups) *
  • 4 cups(1 litre) of filtered water
  • A bunch of chopped fresh flat-leaf pasley
  • 5 ounces (140 gm) Egg Noodles

Quick Explanation for Advanced Cooks

Basically, there are 3 stages of cooking.

  1. Saute Setting – Saute the onions and seasoning with butter and olive oil. Then add the vegetables after the former is translucent and fragrant. Then add your liquids, chicken pieces, and close the lid.
  2. Soup/Broth Setting – Set it on sealed, soup/broth setting for 7 minutes. It will take about 20-23 mins to get up to pressure, and then your soup will pressure cook for exactly 7 minutes. Let sit for Natural Release for 10 minutes, then do a Quick Release until the Floating Valve drops.
  3. Saute Setting – Press the cancel button, then open your lid, and set it on the saute setting again. Take out your chicken pieces to shred to remove the bones, add your pasta noodle of choice, and cook for another 6-7 mins depending on pasta thickness. After that, press the cancel button and put back the shredded chicken pieces into the soup, add chopped parsley into it, and you have your perfect chicken noodle soup.

Method

  1. Prepare all your ingredients mise en place style, and set aside.
  2. Set your IP to the sauté setting. After 1 min, add butter to the pan. Once it starts melting, add your olive oil.
  3. Add onions and sauté for 1 min. Add celery and sauté for 2 min.
  4. Add your dried herbs, black pepper, and seasoning, and sauté for 1 min.
  5. Add carrots and parsnips, and saute for 1 min.
  6. Add broth, water, salt, and stir evenly. Then add your chicken pieces.
  7. Press the cancel button, close the lid, and set your IP to the Soup/Broth setting and timer to 7 mins.
  8. After that you will hear a beep, and the Natural Release Cycle will start. After 10 minutes, do a Quick Release by moving the steam release handle to venting. Wait for the floating valve to drop.
  9. Press the cancel button, then the sauté button again.
  10. Remove chicken pieces. Add your egg noodles, stir and cook for 6 minutes. While you are waiting, shred chicken with two forks, and discard the bones and skin.
  11. Press the cancel button, mix in freshly chopped parsley, and adjust salt and pepper to taste (or not).

Your soup is ready!

Notes

* Chicken Broth Substitute – If you don’t use ready-made boxed broth, you can just leave it out. The soup with just 8 cups of water will taste fine, because the chicken bones will give it that bone broth flavor. I add stock because I find that it adds another umami dimension to the flavor. If you can’t get chicken stock in a carton, you can substitute with a chicken bouillon cube, chicken stock granules, or a teaspoon or two of better than bouillon.

** Herb Seasoning Substitute – If you can’t get Bragg’s sprinkle, just use a poultry-compatible multi-herb seasoning you like.

Gluten Free or Egg Free Versions – For gluten free, use gluten free egg noodles, and for eggless, use egg-free pasta.

Meal Prep Version – Boil your pasta separately. Rinse your al dente pasta with cold water, and store in a separate container. Scoop some cold pasta onto the containers of your cooled soups (I use pyrex or glass lunch boxes), and refrigerate. Microwave to reheat soup. This helps keep your noodles from sitting in hot soup and getting mush. It’s especially helpful if meal prepping for days.

Dining Happy Tip – Why Egg Noodles? The larger/wider surface area is exposed so it cools easier when you’re eating the noodles. The wider surface also wipes a smooth textural feeling and soup umami onto your tongue better than nuggety types of pasta. It’s also chunkier. Pasta with holes tend to trap the soup inside, and if your soup is hot, there’s a risk of micro bursts of hot soup that could burn your tongue. Other pastas that work well with this soup are ribbons and if you must macaroni, use small macaroni.

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