Instapot: Creamy Italian Chicken Soup
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I am desperate for cooler weather. I love autumn, it is my favorite season. I like to call it soup season. I LOVE soup, but I cannot consume it when the temperature outside is scorching. Soup just makes my body all cozy from the inside out, so when it is 100°F+ outside I just can’t eat soup…or anything else liquidy warm that will cause me to overheat.
While the rest of the northern hemisphere is experiencing leaves changing and cooler temperatures, Las Vegas is entering the fall season…in its own way. We are finally down to the 90s, the sun is rising later and setting earlier, …and that’s about it. Leaves don’t really being to change and fall until closer January (except at Mt. Charleston). We can even have days with warm (80-90°F) weather all the way until December.
Most days, it is still warm enough outside that I don’t even want to turn on the oven or stove. But sometimes I cannot help myself, which is how this creamy Italian chicken soup recipe began. I like to make this soup in the Instapot, but it can also be made on the stove top as well.
Creamy Italian Chicken Soup
Equipment
- pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 3 large chicken breasts
- 32 oz chicken stock low sodium
- 2 large shallots chopped
- 1 large bell pepper yellow
- 1 cup green beans fresh or frozen
- 15 oz canellini beans drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 lb pasta large size such as rigatoni
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup mozarella cheese shredded
- ½ cup parmesan cheese shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In the pressure cooker, place the chicken breasts inside with a ½ cup of water and steam cook on high for 15 minutes. When finished, rapid release the steam, take the chicken out and shred. Dispose of the leftover chicken water in the pressure cooker.
- While the chicken is cooking, chop the shallots, bell pepper, green beans, and rosemary. Also drain and rinse the cannellini beans.
- When the pressure cooker is empty from the chicken, place the cooker on the saute setting, drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil on the bottom and add in the shallots, bell pepper, and green beans into the cooker. Saute for 5 minutes or so, until the shallots and bell peppers begin to slightly brown.
- Turn the cooker off of the saute setting, and add in the shredded chicken, chicken stock, cannellini beans, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes.
- While the pressure cooker cooks, in a pasta pot, boil water for the noodles. Cook according to the instructions on the pasta box for al dente. Cooking the pasta before adding to the soup will keep the boodles from becoming soggy as well as from soaking up the chicken stock from the soup.
- When the pressure cooker finishes, rapid release the steam and add in the whole milk, mascarpone cheese, and parmesan cheese. Stir until completely combined. Add in the noodles. Serve immediately, top with shredded mozzarella cheese if desired.
Nutrition
Mascarpone cheese is the Italian equivalent to cream cheese. It isn’t as tart, but is just as creamy. I usually find it in the deli area where the stand alone refrigerated sections are. Occasionally it can be found by the cheese area where cream cheese is found.
Cooking the pasta separately from the soup keeps the noodles from becoming soggy and soaking up all of the liquid in the soup. It is an extra step, but it makes all the difference in texture of the soup. Plus it prevents you from having to add extra stock to the soup.
What are some of your favorite soup recipes? Are you like me and can only consume soup during certain times of the year? Do you prefer making soups on the stove, crockpot, or pressure cooker? Hope y’all have an amazing week, stay safe, and hug your loved ones.
