AIP Instant Pot Whole Chicken Soup

This AIP Instant Pot Whole Chicken Soup only uses one pot and minimal ingredients but has maximum flavor. It’s the perfect healthy chicken soup for chilly winter nights.

Ingredients for AIP Instant Pot Whole Chicken Soup

• Fresh Ginger
• Garlic Cloves: No need to chop up the garlic because the soup will get blended.
• Salt: Make sure to use sea salt as table salt is too ‘salty’ for this dish.
• Water
• Whole Chicken
• Spinach

How to make instant pot whole chicken soup

1. Combine ginger, garlic, and salt into the instant pot. Next add the chicken followed by the water.

2. Close the instant pot. Set to pressure cook for 20 minutes. Once it’s finished cooking, wait 10 minutes then switch then switch to venting (quick release). Once the stopper has dropped, then remove the top.

3. Remove the chicken and set aside on a cutting board. This allows the chicken to cool slightly. Then remove the meat from the bones and shred the meat.

4. Next add the spinach. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup in the instant pot.

5. Serve with the add-ins, if using (squeeze of lemon, avocado chunks and/or noodles).

Tips for making the best pressure-cooked chicken soup

• If you would like to add noodles, sweet potato noodles make a good add-in. You could also use jovial pasta. To cook them you need to bring the soup to a boil in the instant pot using the ‘sauté’ button after you blend the soup, add the pasta or noodles, and cook according to the package instructions.
• This recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of salt. It may seem like a lot, but it is flavoring 1 whole chicken, 6 cups of water plus 3 cups of spinach. Not to mention, I'm using sea salt which tastes less salty than table salt. The soup doesn’t taste ‘salty’ just perfectly flavored. Please note that I cook with sea salt, which isn’t nearly as ‘salty’ as table salt.
• If you’re adding avocado or noodles, then a squeeze of lemon will help add a little more flavor to your soup. Lemon adds enough flavor that you probably won’t have to add any additional salt.
• Set the bones aside and store them in the freezer to use in Homemade Chicken Stock (aka AIP bone broth) later.
• If you’ve got leftovers, don’t let them go to waste. Pack them up and then add them to the freezer.

How do I make soup in the Instant Pot?

It’s very easy to make AIP soup using a whole chicken in the instant pot. All you do is add water, aromatics and the chicken then let the pressure cooker do its thing. Next you add a few more ingredients, blend and add back in the shredded chicken.

 If you’re looking for other AIP instant pot soup recipes, try this Instant Pot Carrot Ginger Soup or AIP Instant Pot Congee.

Can you leave instant pot full of soup overnight?

While it’s possible to set your instant pot to warm, seal it then walk away for a few hours, I would not recommend leaving it overnight. The warming feature only stays on for a few hours before the instant pot automatically shuts off. The contents of the instant pot will not stay at temp which means you run the risk of food poisoning. And after all the hard work you put into making this recipe, I’d had to have you just pour it down the drain. Or worse, get sick.

Is chicken broth AIP compliant?

Not all chicken broth is AIP compliant. Honestly, most bone broth you find in stores will include ingredients like ground black pepper, tomato, mystery spices or ‘flavors.’ None of those ingredients are AIP friendly and it’s easier to make it yourself.

If you're interested in making AIP bone broth by itself try my homemade recipe here.

Is homemade chicken soup good for immune system?

This AIP Instant Pot Whole Chicken Soup is good for your immune system. Soup keeps you hydrated. Plus the warm broth helps break up congestion from a cold. Vegetables, like spinach, garlic, and ginger, are great sources of vitamins and minerals. But you don’t need to trust my word, it’s science! It’s been studied to show that the vegetables in the soup not only build a healthy immune system but also fight off viruses. [source]

What to serve with chicken soup?

• Paleo Cornbread (Grain Free, AIP)
• Chopped Salad
• AIP Mediterranean Salad
• AIP Focaccia Bread

Why you’ll love this soup?

There are so many reasons to love this soup but here are my top 5.

• It’s a twist on the classic chicken noodle soup because of the addition of ginger.
• It’s almost creamy without the use of coconut milk because of the blended spinach. If you're looking for a creamy, coconut based soup try my AIP Coconut Milk Curry Soup.
• It’s easy clean up because you only need one pot.
• It’s completely homemade but doesn’t take all day to cook (even though it tastes like you've slaved away over the hot stove all day).
• It only uses 6 ingredients. There are optional add-ins but they aren’t necessary.

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Helpful Info for All Recipes

• I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise.
• I always use Himalayan sea salt or Celtic sea salt, unless otherwise noted.
• The majority of my recipes are strict AIP or include notations for reintroductions. However while I make every effort to label non-AIP ingredients and recipes sometimes they slip past me. If you have questions, please ask in advance.

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