My oldest stayed home from school today due to being sick. As soon as there is even a slight sniffle or cough in my household, I start gathering the ingredients for this soup. I save all my chicken bones from roast chicken dinners and rotisserie chickens in the freezer and I have recently started saving vegetable scraps (carrot tops, celery stalks, onion peels, tough broccoli stalks, fresh herbs that have started to wilt, etc ) and keep them in the freezer as well. Food is expensive as it is so I feel like I am getting the most out of it if I save everything. (I’m officially turning into my mother. 😉 ) I love homemade stock over store-bought since it has a much fuller flavor but when in a pinch, I do use store-bought. I find chicken noodle soup in the instant pot to be speedy and it makes it much easier to prepare than the old fashioned stove top method. I freeze my stock or can it and pull it out for when someone starts feeling under the weather. I’ve included a recipe for both the bone broth and the chicken noodle soup.

Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth

Adapted from: Budget Bytes

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 or more leftover cooked chicken carcass
• 2 cups of frozen vegetable scraps (this is a very loose estimation…you can add as much or as little as you like but the more you add, the more flavor!)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 10 cups of filtered water

1. Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add the olive oil and the chicken carcass pieces and sauté for a few minutes.
2. Add the frozen veggie scraps, sauté for an additional 2 minutes.
3. Add the bay leaves, black peppercorns, salt, vinegar and 10 cups of water. Bring to a gentle boil.
4. Turn off the Instant Pot. Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set on Manual mode for 60 minutes.
5. Let the Instant Pot reduce the pressure on its own naturally for about 30 minutes following cooking time.
6. Open the steam valve and remove the lid carefully.
7. Strain the liquid at least three times using a fine mesh sieve before using for soup.

The stock can be used right away or refrigerated for a couple days or after completely cooled, it can be frozen for use at another time.

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 cup of short grain pasta
• 8-10 cups of prepared chicken stock
• 2 cups of cooked chicken
• salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup of chopped fresh parsley

1. Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add olive oil.
2. Add carrots, onion, celery and sauté for a few minutes until vegetables have softened. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper.
3. Add 1 cup of short grain pasta. This is my favorite kind to use.
4. Add prepared chicken stock.
5. Close lid on Instant Pot and set on Soup setting for 4 minutes.
6. After cooking time, release pressure manually watching for excess pressure coming through the valve.
7. Add cooked chicken and parsley.
8. Stir and enjoy!

And sometimes, if I have time, I make a loaf of homemade bread to go along with it but today was not that day. 🙂