Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken and Lentil Soup

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Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken and Lentil Soup. A cross between a lentil curry and chicken soup, with homemade pressure cooker chicken broth from a rotisserie chicken.

I was leafing through Bon Appetit Magazine, and the picture of a lentil soup caught my attention. What a great idea for a frigid Tuesday in February. I picked up a rotisserie chicken for the broth, grabbed a bag of lentils from my pantry, and got to work.

Laurie Colwin was right. You’ll be hard pressed to find anything as consoling as lentil soup. Pressure Cooker broth takes a little over an hour, but it’s hands-free time; I start the broth the moment I get home from work, and it is ready for soup after I relax. And, my, does this soup help me relax. It has a velvety texture, thanks to the gelatin in the chicken broth and the starch released by the lentils. (My wife asked if I added some cream to it, thinking it had something added to bulk it up.)

Of course, you don’t have to buy a rotisserie chicken for the broth. You can use:

• Kitchen scraps
• Leftovers from a roast chicken
• Make ahead broth stored in your freezer (just defrost it first)
• A cut-up (uncooked) fryer
  

As I always say, chicken broth is kitchen alchemy, turning scraps into gold. Or, in this case, turning a rotisserie chicken into a simple, soothing lentil soup.

Recipe: Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken and Lentil Soup

Adapted from Bon Appetit: Chicken-Lentil Soup With Onions Recipe | Bon Appetit

Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken and Lentil Soup

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Mike Vrobel
• Total Time: 2 hours
• Yield: 10 cups of soup 1x

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Description

Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken and Lentil Soup. A cross between a lentil curry and chicken soup, with homemade pressure cooker chicken broth from a rotisserie chicken.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Rotisserie Chicken Broth

• 1 (2- to 4-pound) rotisserie chicken, breast meat removed and saved for later
• Juices from the rotisserie chicken container
• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 8 cups water

Chicken and Lentil Soup

• 1 cup lentils, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (a big pinch)
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 8 cups of Rotisserie Chicken Broth (from above)
• Breast meat from the rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 5 ounces baby spinach
• 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
• ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• Minced parsley for garnish
• Plain Greek yogurt for garnish (optional)

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Instructions

1. Pressure cook the broth for 60 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release: Cut the chicken breast meat off of the rotisserie chicken and set aside for later. Add the rotisserie chicken carcass, onion, garlic, and salt to the Instant Pot or pressure cooker, then add the 8 cups of water. (It should just cover the rotisserie chicken – it’s OK if the knobs of the drumsticks are poking up.) Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 60 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC (Manual or Pressure Cook mode in an Instant Pot) or for 50 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally – about 30 minutes. (It takes a long time for all that water to cool off.) If you’re in a hurry, let the pressure come down naturally for 20 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure. Scoop the chicken carcass and vegetables out of the pot with a slotted spoon and discard; they’ve given their all to the broth. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer, and set aside for later.
2. Rinse the lentils: Put the lentils in a strainer and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Let them drain while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
3. Sauté the aromatics and spices: Put the butter in the Instant Pot and heat until melted using Sauté mode adjusted to high. (Medium-high heat for a stovetop PC). Add the onion and garlic to the pot, and sprinkle with the turmeric, coriander, red pepper flakes, and ½ teaspoon salt . Sauté until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Pour in the 8 cups of broth, and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned onions or spices. Add the rinsed lentils, shredded chicken, baby spinach, and 1½ teaspoons of salt. Lock the lid.
4. Pressure cook the soup for 12 minutes with a quick release: Pressure cook on high pressure for 12 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC (Use “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot), or for 10 minutes in a stovetop PC. When the cooking time is done, quick release the pressure.
5. Serve: Remove the lid from the pressure cooker, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Stir in the ground black pepper and serve, adding a dollop of yogurt to and a sprinkle of minced parsley to each bowl.

Equipment

Fine Mesh Strainer

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6-Quart Pressure Cooker

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Notes

• Make ahead: You can make the entire batch of broth ahead of time if you need a quick weeknight recipe. Finish step 1, then freeze the broth in 2 cup containers. When you’re ready for soup, grab 8 cups of broth from the freezer, and continue with step 2.
• You can make this recipe from rotisserie chicken leftovers. Save the bones and any remaining meat from 2 rotisserie chickens. Pick the meat from the bones – you want about 2 cups of shredded chicken – and use the bones and any clinging meat to make the broth.
• If you have homemade broth, but don’t have cooked chicken for the soup, substitute 1 pound of uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch cubes. Add the chicken to the pot with the rinsed lentils and baby spinach.
• If you don’t want to make broth, you can substitute store bought low-sodium chicken broth. It won’t have the magic of homemade broth, but it will still be good.
• This soup makes great leftovers – I freeze it in 2-cup containers. (I use pint canning jars with reusable lids).

Tools

• 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot 6-Quart Pressure Cooker)
• Flat edged wooden spoon
• Fine Mesh Strainer

• Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Sunday Dinner
• Method: Pressure Cooker
• Cuisine: Indian

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