Never Go Back Chicken Soup

I meant to post this on Saturday, but the day got a little crazy after my purse, phone, both car key fobs, and ALL of the items needed for putting Easter gift bags together for our Drive-in service got locked in the car!!! I was going to meet a couple of my sisters-in-law at the church to put those bags together, but unfortunately things didn't go as planned! Our key fobs which were both in my purse and are NOT SUPPOSED to be able to get locked in the car, in fact DID get locked in the car. Five hours later, we finally got the car open, and moved on with our day (at 6:30 in the evening.)

Thankfully, I had leftovers of this soup in the fridge, so all I had to do for dinner was reheat the soup and pop our favorite rolls in the oven and boom...dinner is served.

Why "never go back" chicken soup? Because once I started making this recipe, I have never once bought a can of soup. This recipe is just SO GOOD and SO EASY and SO HEALTHY. I'm never going back to the canned stuff again! The awesome thing about this recipe, is that once you learn the basics of making this soup, you can pretty much turn it into whatever kind of soup you'd like.

This is one of those sentimental recipes that a friend quickly typed up for me. She made it for us when we went over there for dinner one night, and I immediately asked for the recipe because it was THE BEST SOUP I HAD EVER TASTED. She laughed and said every time she makes it, people say that. And just like her, I've had the same experience.

It is the perfect crowd pleaser (ask my book club friends), and it is our number one go-to for dinner on a chilly evening.

This version is specifically for the instant pot, but I have a stove top recipe too. If you'd like that one, just give me a holler, and I'll send it to you.

WHOLE BODY CHICKEN SOUP

(A lot of these measurements are personal preference. Adjust as needed.)

1 T. olive oil ½-1 c. sliced carrots ½-1 c. sliced celery 1 large diced onion 2 cloves minced garlic 5 bay leaves Salt and Pepper Whole Chicken 8 c. water Cauliflower rice Favorite Seasonings (I love thyme and oregano) *Substitute cauli rice for cooked rice or uncooked noodles.

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil on the high sauté setting. Add veggies, minced garlic, 1 T. salt, and a pinch of pepper. Cook veggies until slightly softened. 2. Lay the chicken on top of the cooked veggies. Add 8 cups water (don’t pass max fill line so it might be less), and bay leaves. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. 3. Remove the chicken from the instant pot with a pair of tongs. Set aside to cool for several minutes (or even place in fridge to speed things up.) 4. Turn instant pot back to sauté setting, and bring soup to a boil. Add in herbs and frozen cauliflower. Cook until heated through about 4 minutes. (Follow same procedure if using uncooked noodles instead of cauli rice and cook until al dente.) 5. Using two forks (or your fingers), peel chicken off the bone and add bite-size pieces back into soup. 6. Add salt and pepper to taste, and allow flavors to meld. 7. Round out this filling meal with Sister Schubert’s dinner rolls and a side salad with my favorite homemade salad dressing!

Print it here! Enjoy!