This Whole30 Instant Pot Chicken Zoodle Soup is a healthy and low carb version of your favorite comfort food. It is packed with flavor and nutrients, making it the perfect fall and winter meal. You will love the fresh ingredients and surprise lemony kick that this soup delivers.
*Originally Published Sept 2018. Updated Sept 2019; Sept 2020.
What You Need:
- Chicken Breasts or Thighs (about 2 – 2.5 lbs)
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Garlic
- Bay Leaves
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Chicken Broth
- Lemon
- Pepper
- Salt
- Zucchini
Make Chicken Zoodle Soup:
The first step in this recipe is to sauté the aromatics (onion, carrots, celery and garlic) in the Instant Pot. This helps build so much flavor for the soup and it only takes a few minutes.
Then we add in the remaining ingredients (except the zucchini). This even includes the halved lemon. I love the punch of lemon in the soup and it is so healing for the body. If you would prefer less lemon flavor, leave it out of the IP and just squeeze in some fresh juice when it is done cooking.
When the soup is done cooking, I use tongs to remove the chicken to shred it up and stir it back in. As for the zoodles, I spiralize them and then put a serving in the bottom of each bowl. They stay the perfect temperature when the hot soup gets poured over them. This way they do not get mushy and soggy.
How to Store/Freeze the Soup:
This soup is perfect for meal prep for the week or as a freezer meal! To store in the fridge for the week, let the soup cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days. Keep the zucchini separate until ready to serve.
To freeze the soup, let it cool completely and then fill an airtight container 3/4 of the way full (it will need room to expand as it freezes). Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, let thaw in the fridge and heat on the stove top.
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Whole30 Instant Pot Chicken Zoodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbls Avocado Oil
- 3 Carrots cut into rounds
- 2 Celery Stalks diced
- 1/2 cup Yellow Onion diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 3 Chicken Breasts or 4 thighs; about 2lbs
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 tsp Dried Rosemary or 1 sprig fresh
- 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Lemon halved; seeds removed
- 2 Zucchini spiralized
Instructions
- Put Instant Pot to 'saute' mode and add in the oilOnce hot, add in the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes and then hit 'off' button
- Add remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot, except the zucchini (see notes about lemon)*Place the lid on and seal the steam valve. Turn to 'pressure cook or manual' mode and set time to 20 minutes for breasts (15 minutes for thighs)
- While the soup is cooking, make your zucchini noodles using the spiralizer and place them into the bottom of the serving bowls
- When timer goes off, release the steam per Instant Pot instructions and take off the lidRemove the bay leaves, lemon, and thyme stems and discardShred the chicken using two forksLadle chicken soup over the zoodles in each bowl and serve
Such a great recipe!! Yummy!
Thank you so much!
Delicious! Hubby said it’s definitely a keeper!
So glad you loved it! And I love the hubby seal of approval, that’s a win in my book!
How much is a serving size?
This summer has been so unbearably hot and draining that I’m looking forward to soup weather! Can’t wait to try some of these!
How can I adapt this recipe to slow cooker or just pot on the stove? It is very delicious!!
I haven’t tested these methods with this soup, but you could probably do the slow cooker on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4. Just make sure the chicken is cooked through and tender enough to shred
What would you do to substitute potatoes for the doodles?
Can you please give the approximate weight of the chicken pieces? Breasts and thighs can vary so much in weight. I can’t wait to try this! Thank you!
Hi Marlene, it should be about 2lbs.
Love this recipe! It’s perfect for a cold winter day.
Hi Sara,
This recipe looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it. I have a question about the weight of your chicken breasts in this recipe. I’ve found some breasts that are 1/4 lb. each and others are over 1 lb! Thanks in advance for clarifying!
Hi Cassidy, it should be about 2lbs total
What if my chicken is already cooked? How long in the instant pot in that case?
Thanks!