Instant Pot Panera Rice Soup
Are you a fan of Panera Bread’s creamy chicken and wild rice soup? If so, you are going to love how easy it is to make this Instant Pot Panera Rice Soup right at home! It’s creamy, hearty, and packed with delicious flavors the whole family will love!
Why You’ll Love This Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
This is one of my favorite fall soups to make. It’s hearty and delicious, but don’t take my word for it! Here’s why you’ll love this recipe!
- Hearty vegetables. This soup is packed with hearty vegetables like mushrooms, carrots, spinach, and onions.
- Panera no longer makes it. Unfortunately, you can no longer buy this delicious soup at Panera Bread locations. The great news is, you can make it at home.
- It’s healthy. Packed with protein, fresh veggies, and healthy wild rice, this soup is both hearty and healthy.
Instant Pot Panera Rice Soup Ingredients
Get out your shopping list and head to the produce section because you’re going to need some fresh veggies for this recipe.
- Onion: Adds a sweet flavor that forms part of the soup’s base.
- Carrots: Add color, texture, and natural sweetness to the soup.
- Mushrooms: Depending on the type chosen, they add a meaty texture and an earthy flavor to the soup.
- Spinach: Offers fresh, slightly bitter flavor and contributes to the soup’s vibrant green color.
- Chicken Broth: Provides a savory richness and forms the liquid base of the soup.
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken adds protein and a hearty, savory flavor to the soup.
- Uncle Ben’s Long Grain Wild Rice: Contributes a chewy texture, nutty flavor, and the included seasoning packet enhances the overall flavor of the soup.
- Seasonings (Salt, Pepper, Italian Seasoning): Essential seasonings that enhance the overall flavor of the soup.
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of exact ingredients!
How to Make Instant Pot Panera Rice Soup
The best thing about your Instant Pot is how easy everything is to make. You can make the entire soup right in your Instant Pot. Follow the steps below!
Step 1: Saute the Veggies
First, push the saute button on your Instant Pot and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add your onion, carrots, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute them for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Add Everything to the Instant Pot
Press cancel to turn the saute off. Then, add the chicken, broth, water, rice and seasoning packet, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir the rice in.
Step 3: Pressure Cook
Next, close and lock the lid, and turn your pressure valve to the sealing position. Then hit pressure cook or manual and set the time for 20 minutes.
Step 4: Release the Pressure
For any soups, I recommend letting the Instant Pot naturally release so it doesn’t spray through the valve. However, if you are rushed for time, you can do a manual release.
Step 5: Add Spinach and Milk
Remove chicken and set aside. Add the spinach and milk and stir until soup thickens.
Step 6: Add the Chicken
Shred the chicken and stir back into the soup.
Serve and Enjoy!
Sides to Serve With Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
This chicken and wild rice soup recipe is super filling all on its own, but you may want some sides to go along with it. Here are some of my favorite side options:
- Tasty Broccoli Salad
- Weight Watchers Fruit Salad
- Instant Pot Garlic and Parmesan Monkey Bread
- Best Grilled Cheese
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Thicken the Soup?
If you find that this soup is too thin for your liking, you can always thicken it up. To thicken any soup, pull out a little broth into a separate bowl, add a few tablespoons of cornstarch or flour to it, and whisk it together. Then, whisk the mixture into your soup to thicken it. This will help prevent the starch from clumping and help it dissolve into the soup evenly.
How Long Does Soup Take To Naturally Release?
To prevent my soup from blowing out of the pressure release valve, I allow my soup to naturally release for at least 10 minutes, and then I manually release the rest. If you want to allow the soup to naturally release completely, it will take anywhere from 15-30 minutes.
Will Natural Release Overcook My Food?
Food does continue to cook while it naturally releases. Although this may not be a problem for your chicken, it may make your rice more cooked than you would like. To avoid overcooking your rice, I suggest just doing a natural release for 10 minutes.
Instant Pot Panera Wild Rice Soup
Are you a fan of the breads and soups at Panera Bread? If so, you are going to love this copycat Instant Pot Panera Rice Soup!
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
- 2/3 cup onion, diced
- 2/3 cup carrots, diced
- ½ cup mushrooms, diced
- 1 cup rough chopped spinach
- 4 cups homemade or low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 pkg long grain wild rice with seasoning packet, I used uncle ben’s
- ½ tsp salt (optional)
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Set the instant pot to sauté and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, carrots, garlic, and mushrooms. Sauté for 5 minutes
- Add the chicken breast, broth, water, rice and seasoning packet, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Make sure the rice is mixed in.
- Close the lid and pressure valve and cook for 20 minutes on high pressure. Manually release pressure when done.
- Remove chicken and set aside. Add the spinach and milk and stir until soup thickens.
- Shred the chicken and stir back into the soup.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 173Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 372mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 19g
Other Instant Pot Soup Recipes to Try
Looking for more?! Try some of our other delicious Instant Pot soup recipes, below!
- Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
- Instant Pot Tomato and Basil Soup
- Dump and Dash Taco Soup
- Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Instant Pot Keto Broccoli and Cheese Soup
This is such a great recipe! Please do pin it for later!
About Angela Milnes
Angela Milnes is a Qualified Early Years Teacher who has specialised in teaching. She has a wealth of experience teaching young children and adults. Angela has also taught cooking classes and loves to share both family recipes and easy instant pot recipes here on The Instant Pot Table. Follow her on Pinterest!
