Can I use chicken breasts instead of chicken legs?

If you prefer to use white meat like chicken breasts instead of dark meat, try using skin on, bone-in chicken breasts in order to recreate the same rich broth. I do not recommend using boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. I would also reduce the cooking time in Step 2 COOK STOCK to 20 minutes. Chicken breasts have a tendency to get dry if cooked too long.

Can I freeze this chicken noodle soup?

Yes, this is a great recipe to freeze! When stored in an airtight container - I personally use a freezer bag - it can keep for up to six months. My biggest tip if you are planning to freeze this soup is to skip the final step of cooking the egg noodles and just freeze the soup base. Later you would defrost, reheat, and cook the noodles in the soup just before serving. This will help ensure that the noodles do not get mushy.

Can I make this recipe on the stovetop instead of with an electric pressure cooker/Instant Pot?

Yes, you definitely can, it will just take longer. When cooking in a traditional pot on a stovetop, for the step 2 COOK STOCK, you’ll want to bring the liquid up to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours or longer until the chicken meat is tender. Then for the step 4 COOK SOUP, you would bring the liquid up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Then for Step 6 FINISH SOUP, you would bring the soup back to a boil, add the egg noodles and simmer according to package directions (approximately 10 minutes). By my estimation, cooking this recipe on the stovetop would take 3.5 - 4 hours or longer to make.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Name: Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 large carrots (approximately 1.5 lbs); 3 stalks celery (1 cup diced); 2 medium yellow onions; 4 chicken legs with skin on (approximately 3 lbs); 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns; ½ tablespoon olive oil; ½ teaspoon dried thyme; ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste; 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste; 3 cups extra wide egg noodles; ⅓ cup chopped parsley

Ingredients

Scale

3 large carrots (approximately 1.5 lbs)
3 stalks celery (1 cup diced)
2 medium yellow onions
4 chicken legs with skin on (approximately 3 lbs)
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
½ tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
3 cups extra wide egg noodles
⅓ cup chopped parsley

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Instructions

PREP VEGETABLES: Scrub the carrots clean of dirt, then peel and dice them, reserving the peels for later. Clean the celery stalks of any dirt and then remove the ends and dice them, reserving the ends for later. Remove the ends and peel the onions. Rinse the peels and ends to remove any dirt then reserve the peels. Quarter one of the onions and dice the other.
COOK STOCK: Add the chicken legs, reserved tops, ends and other scraps of the vegetables, as well as the quartered onion to the pressure cooker. Add whole black peppercorns and 9 cups of water. Add lid to pressure cooker and set the vent to sealed, then set it to MANUAL HIGH PRESSURE for 30 minutes (it will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure).
STRAIN STOCK: Once 30 minutes completes, perform a manual quick release and open the pressure cooker. Use tongs to gently remove the chicken legs to a plate and set aside to cool (the meat will be nearly falling off the bone). Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove as much of the cooked vegetable scraps from the liquid. Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl or stock pot and carefully pour the liquid into the bowl to remove any last bits of vegetables and the peppercorns.
COOK SOUP: Once liquid is removed, return pot to the pressure cooker and set to SAUTE again, Add the olive oil and the chopped reserved carrots, celery and onions. Saute vegetables for 5 minutes. Add in reserved stock, thyme, black pepper and salt. Add lid to the pot, set the vent to sealed, and cook on MANUAL HIGH PRESSURE for 10 minutes.
PREP CHICKEN MEAT: While soup is cooking and once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and set aside. (Note: The longer you let the chicken cool, the easier it will be to remove from the bone.)
FINISH SOUP: Once soup has completed cooking, perform a manual quick release and open the pressure cooker. Taste for salt. Set the pot to SAUTE and add the noodles (see NOTES below for tips on how to prevent mushy noodles). Cook according to the package directions. Stir in reserved chicken meat and parsley. Serve.

Notes

I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot to prepare this recipe.

How To Prevent Mushy Noodles:

If freezing or consuming later, I recommend waiting to add the egg noodles as they have a tendency to get mushy after a few days. I often freeze batches of this soup without the noodles and then complete the last step of boiling the noodles in the soup while reheating and just before serving.

Author: Christine
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Category: Soup
Method: Pressure Cooker
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1.5 cups
Calories: 622
Sugar: 4.1 g
Sodium: 241.9 mg
Fat: 40 g
Carbohydrates: 22.5 g
Protein: 41.3 g
Cholesterol: 238.6 mg