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Enjoy a warm, comforting bowl of Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup for one, easily prepared to bring classic, homestyle flavors to your table. Perfect for chilly days or when you need a quick pick-me-up, this simple and satisfying single serve soup recipe is a delightful blend of convenience and comfort.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick in the Instant Pot: This single serving chicken noodle soup cooks fast with very little hands-on time.
- Perfectly Portioned: Made as a small batch, this recipe serves one generously with no excess.
- Hearty and Balanced: Filled with tender chicken, vegetables, and noodles in a flavorful broth.
- Easy to Customize: Adjust the vegetables, noodles, or seasoning to suit your taste.
- Simple Ingredients: Uses everyday pantry and refrigerator staples.
Enjoy a big bowl of chicken noodle soup with a crusty slice of French Bread, a crisp, fresh salad drizzled with homemade vinaigrette, and conclude your meal with a rich, indulgent slice of Italian Cream Cake.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Choosing The Right Instant Pot For Single Serving Meals
- Ingredients
- Recipe Variations
- How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Expert Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Explore More Single Serving Soup Recipes
- Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup For One Recipe
Choosing The Right Instant Pot For Single Serving Meals
Embrace the convenience of Instant Pot cooking, especially if you’re preparing single serving meals. The 3-quart Instant Pot is the ideal size for those cooking for one, providing just the right portion without overwhelming your kitchen.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this small batch instant pot chicken noodle soup recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Olive oil: Wakes up the Instant Pot pressure cooker flavor base by sautéing aromatics and adds subtle richness. Substitute with butter or your preferred cooking oil.
- Vegetables: Onion, carrot, celery, and green beans build texture, nutrients, and savory depth in the broth. Swap in other favorite vegetables if desired.
- Chicken: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for lean protein or thighs for richer, more tender meat in this classic comforting soup. Extra chicken can be used in single serve kung pao chicken, chicken Parmesan for one, or small batch chicken nuggets.
- Broth: Low-sodium chicken broth creates a savory, flavor-rich broth; vegetable broth works for a lighter version. Use leftover broth can in chicken marsala for one or a small hashbrown casserole.
- Noodles: Classic egg noodles add heartiness and soak up the broth; any preferred noodle or gluten-free pasta works too. Use extra noodles in beef stroganoff for one.
Recipe Variations
This Instant Pot chicken noodle soup is easy to adapt. Try one of these simple variations:
- Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup: Stir in red pepper flakes or a few dashes of hot sauce to add gentle heat to the broth.
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup: Add a splash of heavy cream or half-and-half after pressure cooking for a richer, smoother soup.
- Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup: Finish the soup with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten the broth and balance the savory flavors.
- Rotisserie Chicken Shortcut: Use cooked rotisserie chicken and add it after pressure cooking to save time while keeping the soup flavorful.
How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
These step-by-step photos and instructions help you visualize how to make chicken noodle soup in the Instant Pot. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Sauté the vegetables: Set the Instant Pot to SAUTÉ. Add the oil, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients: Press CANCEL. Add the chicken, broth, seasonings, and any remaining ingredients except the noodles. Stir to combine.
- Pressure cook: Secure the lid and set the valve to SEALING. Select PRESSURE COOK on HIGH and set the timer for 15 minutes.
- Release pressure: When cooking is complete, carefully perform a quick release according to the manufacturer’s instructions, or allow the pressure to release naturally. Once the pin drops, unlock and remove the lid.
- Cook the noodles: Press SAUTÉ again. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, add the noodles, and cook until al dente, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Shred the chicken: Shred the chicken directly in the pot using two forks.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into a bowl and serve warm.
Expert Tips
- Use Caution With Quick Release: When releasing pressure, turn the valve carefully and keep your hands and face away from the steam. Soups contain a lot of liquid, so steam release can be strong.
- Natural Release for Extra Safety: For a gentler option, let the pressure release naturally before opening the lid. This works well and does not affect the texture or flavor of the soup.
- Add Noodles After Pressure Cooking: Always cook the noodles after pressure cooking to prevent them from becoming overly soft or breaking apart.
Frequently Asked Questions
For this Instant Pot recipe, it takes 45 minutes for the chicken noodle soup to cook.
The noodles will continue to absorb the liquid from the soup as it cools. Because of this, the noodles can get a little soft and mushy. If you prefer firm noodles, keep the pasta and soup separate and add the pasta to your bowl when you are ready to eat it.
Explore More Single Serving Soup Recipes
If you enjoyed the Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup recipe, don’t stop there! Try these single serving soup recipes, each packed with unique flavors and wholesome ingredients:
- Potato Soup
- Pumpkin Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Curried Butternut Squash Soup
- Carrot Soup
- Vegetable Soup
These and other single serving soups are perfect for anyone cooking for themselves and looking for variety and flavor in their meals.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
For this Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup recipe, I use a 3-quart Instant Pot. For best results, use this size Instant Pot.
If you would like additional information on the dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes we use, please visit our Store page.
RELATED: Easy Dinner Ideas For One
If you’ve tried this Instant Pot chicken noodle soup or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup For One
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped onions
- ½ cup chopped carrots (about 1 small carrot)
- ½ cup chopped celery (about 1 small celery stalk)
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 (4-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast (or thigh)
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup frozen green beans (or use fresh)
- ½ cup dry egg noodles
Instructions
- Remove the lid from a 3-quart Instant Pot and turn on the Sauté setting. (See your manufacturer's guide for detailed instructions on how to use your Instant Pot). Add the oil and once hot add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Season the vegetables with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are slightly softened, 4-5 minutes.
- Add the chicken, green beans, and chicken broth. Turn off Sauté function by pressing Cancel. Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, and turn the valve on top to Sealing. Set to Pressure Cook on High for 15 minutes.
- After the pressure cook cycle is complete the Instant Pot will beep. Use the natural release cycle to allow the cooker to cool naturally. This should take about 10 minutes. You may also follow the manufacturer's guide for quick release. When the valve drops, it is safe to open the Instant Pot. Unlock and remove the lid.
- Press the Sauté setting again. When the soup begins to boil, add the noodles to the pot and cook until al dente, 4-5 minutes.
- While the noodles are cooking, use two forks and shred the chicken into bite-size pieces.
- When the noodles are done, press Cancel on the Instant Pot. Season the soup with additional salt, if necessary. Ladle the soup in a bowl and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Mind the Quick-Release: Exercise caution when performing the quick-release on your Instant Pot, especially with soups or recipes containing a lot of liquids. This step can release a substantial amount of steam after cooking.
- Natural Pressure Release Option: If you prefer to avoid the quick-release, you can patiently wait for the pressure to release naturally. It’s a safer option that doesn’t compromise the quality of the dish.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Yummy recipe and easy to make!
Can the 6-quart Instannt Pot be used?
To use a 6-qt. Instant Pot, it would be best if you doubled the recipe.
I love love love this recipe. It’s delicious as written but I keep “kits” in my freezer ready to just drop in the instant pot with roasted carrots and fennel (my sub for the onions and celery) so I have the option of skipping the saute step. It’s a go-to easy and delicious meal.
This was my first attempt at using my new Mini Insta Pot and the results were wonderful! I did use frozen okra in place of the green beans just because I love what okra does for a soup and I did use my favorite pasta Penne in place of the noodles. The recipe actually made enough for two meals for me, so supper is already made for tomorrow night. I hope that Ms Zisk will add lots of Mini Insta Pot recipes to her website!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Doris. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Thank you, thank you, thank you – I have a 3qt Instant Pot and it is challenging finding 1-2 serving recipes specifically for that size.
I am saving this recipe for later in the fall when I start making soups and stews!!