Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Right after I had baby Olivia a friend brought over a version of this chicken noodle soup and I swear, I think it is what brought me back to life. My hospital stay had not been great - we were in a dark room with no natural light for three days and the food at the hospital was beyond disgusting. So when a friend made a version of this I pretty much ate all of it and finally started to feel like myself again.

She got the recipe from another friend who got the recipe from someone else so instead of tracking it down, I just decided to make my own version. The key to this soup is using a rotisserie chicken. The rotisserie chicken is going to give the soup a depth of flavor that you won’t get if you just use a regular chicken. Plus it makes it easier since you can just buy a precooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, it is totally fine, just simmer the chicken carcass for about 2 hours instead of the 45 minutes in a Dutch oven..

Enjoy!

• 1 lb favorite dried pasta such as penne or farfalle

• 4 carrots

• 4 stalks celery

• 1 whole rotisserie chicken, meat removed from the bones

• 1 onion, halved

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 Tbs. whole black peppercorns

• Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to packaging instructions. Strain and run under cool water. Set aside. (You can also do this step while the chicken cooks in the Instant Pot)

Peel and thinly slice half of the carrots and set aside. Cut the remaining carrots in half or in thirds if large. Dice half of the celery and set aside. Cut the remaining celery in half or in thirds if large.

Place the chicken carcass, onion, the halved carrots, the halved celery, bay leaf, and peppercorns into the bowl of the Instant Pot (or your favorite countertop pressure cooker). Add enough water to cover the top of the chicken. Place the Instant Pot cover on and set to manual for 45 minutes.

Once the timer has run out, let the Instant Pot come to pressure for 10 minutes manually, then carefully move the valve to allow the remaining steam to escape.

Carefully strain the stock, making sure to save the stock. Discard the chicken bones and vegetables.

Place the chicken stock, remaining sliced carrots and celery, as well as a big pinch of salt and pepper into a Dutch oven. (You could do this step in the Instant Pot, but I find it easier to do on the stovetop). Bring the stock to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes or until the carrots and celery are fork tender.

When ready to eat add a handful of the cooked pasta and rotisserie chicken meat to a bowl. Top with the hot vegetables and broth and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste