Warm up with some homemade chicken soup using the Instant Pot. Lemon and Parmesan along with homemade sourdough croutons will take this soup from ordinary to extraordinary! If you don’t own an Instant Pot, follow directions and at step 6, use a large pan on the stove top and simmer at medium heat for at least one hour.
(For 4 servings)
Prep time: 10 min
Cooking time: 40 min
Difficulty: easy
Can be frozen
Ingredients:
4 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
50 fl oz | 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh oregano sprigs
2 slices sourdough bread, cubed
3 1/2 oz | 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 lemon, zest only, finely grated
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Method:
1 Turn on the ‘sauté’ function on your Instant Pot.
2 Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper all over; drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil.
3 Sear chicken in Instant Pot until golden, turning a few times, 4-6 minutes. Remove to a plate.
4 Add 1 tbsp oil to Instant Pot followed by onion, celery, carrot, and a pinch of salt, sautéing until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.
5 Return chicken thighs to Instant Pot and stir in broth, 2 cups water, thyme, oregano, and some salt and pepper to taste.
6 Close the lid; follow the manufacturer’s guide for instructions on how to close the Instant Pot lid. Set the Instant Pot to the ‘Soup’ setting and set the timer to 10 minutes.
7 Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a skillet set over moderate heat. Add the cubed bread, sautéing until golden and crisp, tossing occasionally, about 5 minutes. Set off the heat and toss with half the chopped parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper.
8 Once the ‘Soup’ cycle is complete, wait until the natural release cycle is complete; about 10 minutes. Carefully unlock and remove the lid from the pot; turn off the Instant Pot.
9 Remove the chicken and roughly shred using two forks. Make sure all bones are removed. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup along with half the Parmesan and some salt and pepper to taste.
10 To serve, divide soup between bowls and top with the croutons, remaining Parmesan, remaining parsley, and some lemon zest.
Nutritional information:
cal: 490
protein (g): 29.6
carbs (g): 28.5
sugars (g): 6.8
fat (g): 29.0
sat. fat (g): 9.2
fiber (g): 3.7
sodium (g): 1.5