Chicken Noodle Soup

Okay, all you chicken soup fanatics, forgive us. Our version is not pure yellow. We lobby for browning the chicken before cooking it in the broth with the vegetables and herbs (which we then discard since they’ve leached their flavor into the broth). The result is a cloudy stock, even brown. But the flavor is over the top: rich, decadent, and decidedly, well, chicken-y.
If you insist on old-school aesthetics, skip browning the chicken (omit the olive oil, too) and cook them in the broth with the vegetables and aromatics before carrying on as written. But honestly, why would anyone skimp on flavor for color?

Cuisine

Modern

Course

Soup

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

30-60 min

Cooking Technique

Max Pressure Cook, Pressure Cook

Keywords

30-60 min, 6 servings, bone-in skinless chicken breast, bone-in skinless chicken thighs, carrots, chicken broth, contributed, cook 33 min, easy, fresh dill fronds, fresh sage sprigs, fresh thyme sprigs, garlic cloves, ground black pepper, max pressure cook, modern, olive oil, prep 10 min, pressure cook, red onion, soup, table salt, wide egg or no-yolk noodles

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

33 min

Servings

6 servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 bone-in skinless chicken breast
2 bone-in skinless chicken thighs
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
6 cups chicken broth
1 medium red onion
4 medium carrots
2 garlic cloves
3 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh sage sprigs
4 ounces wide egg or no-yolk noodles
1 tbsp fresh dill fronds

Instructions

Press Saute, set time for 15 minutes.
Warm the oil in the cooker for a minute or two. Meanwhile, season the chicken pieces with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Set the breast in the cooker and brown well, turning a couple of times, about 6 minutes. Transfer the breast to a nearby plate and add the thighs. Brown them, too, turning them a couple of times, about 5 minutes. Transfer them to that plate as well.
Pour in the broth, turn off the SAUTE function, and scrape up every speak of browned stuff on the pot’s bottom. Return the chicken to the pot; add the onion, carrots, garlic, thyme, and sage. Lock the lid onto the cooker.
Optional 1 Max Pressure Cooker
Press Pressure cook on Max pressure for 15 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Optional 2 All Pressure Cookers
Press Soup/Broth or Pressure cook (Manual) on High pressure for 18 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Use the quick-release method to bring the pot’s pressure back to normal. Unlatch the lid and open the pot. Transfer the chicken pieces to a large cutting board. Scoop out and discard all the vegetables and herbs. Stir the noodles and dill into the broth. Lock the lid onto the pot again.
Optional 1 Max Pressure Cooker
Press Pressure cook on Max pressure for 3 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Optional 2 All Pressure Cookers
Press Soup/Broth or Pressure cook (Manual) on High pressure for 4 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Meanwhile, remove and discard any bones and tough cartilage from the meat. Chop the meat into small, spoon-sized bits.
When the machine has finished cooking, use the quick-release method to bring its pressure again back to normal. Unlatch the lid and open the pot. Stir in the chicken meat and check for salt before serving.

Notes

Beyond
• For a 3-quart cooker, you must omit the chicken breast and just use the two chicken thighs. Halve the remaining ingredients and cut the carrots into smaller pieces to fit in the pot.
• Substitute any herb sprigs you like: tarragon, rosemary, oregano, savory. And swap the dill out for just about any finely minced, leafy, green herb.
• For turkey noodle soup, substitute two 1-pound turkey thighs for the chicken breast and thighs; cook for 25 minutes at MAX or 30 minutes at HIGH, followed by a quick release.
• For more flavor, add up to 4 allspice berries with the herb sprigs during the first cooking (remove and discard the allspice as well).
• For a more peppery accent, skip sprinkling the chicken pieces with ground pepper and add up to 10 black peppercorns with the herbs during the first cooking (discard these peppercorns, too).

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