The pot lid rattles and you know dinner is almost ready. That sound alone gets you kinda excited, right? Like a countdown to the best part of your day when you get to eat something warm and wholesome.
In your kitchen, that rattling lid means the float valve is doing its thing, and pressure is building up inside your cooker. It’s a little hiss here and there, telling you dinner is just minutes away. You sense that cozy feeling of a meal coming together fast.
Your kitchen smells full of garlic, herbs, and tender chicken. You recall how you threw all those veggies in, chopped just right, and now they’re perfectly soft. Soon you’ll get that tender pull as you taste the soup, knowing it came from your pressure cooker doing all the hard work.
The Real Reasons You Will Love This Method
- You get dinner on the table way quicker than waiting on the stove all evening.
- The soup’s full of flavor cause pressure cooking locks it in tight.
- The veggie pieces turn delightfully tender, but not mushy.
- The float valve and valve hiss signal exactly when the cooker’s working right and safe.
- You can do a quick release to jump straight into eating or natural release if you’re not rushing.
- The pressure cooker makes the chicken super juicy and easy to shred—never dry or overcooked.
- You waste less energy cause the cooker does it all sealed up fast.
All the Pieces for This Meal
First up your fresh produce. You spot the large onion chopped finely, two carrots peeled and diced small, celery ribs ready for their turn, and garlic cloves crushed just right to spread out their flavor. Don’t forget your broccoli though, gotta remove those stems and chop ‘em up fine.
Next, check your spices and flavorings. A bay leaf hanging out with dried mixed herbs gives your soup that homey taste. If you like a little heat, toss in a teaspoon of chili flakes or red pepper flakes.
Then comes the liquids and thickening stuff. You’ll mix chicken stock or broth—homemade or a trusty store-bought kind that you like—with milk to keep things creamy. Cornflour or cornstarch mixed with water helps thicken the soup nice and smooth.
Don’t forget to bring in the shredded chicken, rotisserie style makes it super easy, and salt and pepper for seasoning. A squeeze of lemon juice at the end brightens everything up like you’ll love.
How It All Comes Together Step by Step
Step 1, you heat a large pot (or pressure cooker on sauté) over medium heat. A splash of oil goes in, then you add the onion, carrots, and celery to soften them up over about five minutes.
Step 2, stir in crushed garlic, bay leaf, dried mixed herbs, and chili flakes if you’re using those. Just cook it all for another minute until the kitchen smells like heaven.
Step 3, toss in the chopped broccoli and pour in your chicken stock. You’ll bring it up to a boil so everything starts cooking fast together.
Step 4, seal your pressure cooker and wait for the float valve to pop up. Once it does, set your timer for 5 minutes of cooking under pressure. That’s all it takes for those veggies and chicken to get perfectly tender.
Step 5, once time’s up, do a quick release by carefully flipping the valve so you hear that valve hiss. Open the lid and fish out the bay leaf. Now, if you want a creamy texture, use an immersion blender and pulse a bit without breaking it all down. Keep it chunky if you want!
Step 6, stir in your milk and add the cornstarch-water mix to thicken. Turn the heat back on and warm it through for 5 more minutes. Taste it and season with salt, pepper, and a splash of lemon juice before serving.
Time Savers That Actually Work
Using a rotisserie chicken saves you peeling and cooking raw chicken, and it shreds effortlessly.
Buy pre-chopped frozen broccoli if you want to skip chopping and still get great flavor and texture.
Prep your veggies the night before so you just dump ‘em in when you cook after work.
Keep garlic already crushed in the fridge or freezer, ready to toss in without any fuss.
Your First Taste After the Wait
You scoop up that first bowl and feel the warmth hit instantly. It’s like a hug after a long day.
The broth’s creamy but light, with just enough thickness from the cornstarch slurry so it coats your spoon good.
Broccoli and chicken blend perfectly, with those soft little chunks you can bite into, making every spoonful a little bite of comfort.
The peppery hint wakes you up and that squeeze of lemon at the end? Yep, it’s the zing that makes you wanna go back for more.
Making It Last All Week Long
Let your soup cool completely before moving it to airtight containers. That helps keep it fresh longer and ready to grab.
Store in the fridge and it’ll keep good for about 3 to 4 days, but you gotta smell and look for any funny changes before eating.
For longer life, portion it into freezer-safe containers. It freezes like a dream and you just thaw in the fridge overnight or heat straight from frozen on low power.
What People Always Ask Me
- Can I use frozen broccoli? Heck yeah, just add it in with the fresh veggies in step 3. Frozen broccoli works real good in this soup.
- What type of chicken is best? Rotisserie chicken is your best buddy here for shredding. But cooked leftover chicken or even chicken breast you cook ahead works too.
- Do I have to blend the soup? Nope, it’s totally fine to leave it chunky if that’s how you like it. The immersion blender’s just if you want it creamy.
- How long does the natural release take? Usually about 10 to 15 minutes. You can do a quick release if you’re short on time.
- Can I skip the milk? You sure can, but the milk gives it that creamy feel. If you wanna keep it dairy-free, try coconut milk or almond milk.
- Is it spicy because of chili flakes? Only if you add those. They’re optional and you can leave ‘em out if you’re not feeling heat today.
Check out my Chicken Broccoli Soup recipe for another delicious, wholesome meal.
If you love easy dinners, you might also enjoy my Homemade Mounjaro Recipe or my Natural Mounjaro Recipe with 4 Ingredients.
Easy Healthy Chicken Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat a splash of oil in a large pot or pressure cooker on sauté mode over medium heat and sauté onions, carrots, and celery until soft (about 5 minutes).
- Add the garlic, bay leaf, dried herbs, and chili flakes. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the chopped broccoli and chicken stock. Bring to a boil.
- Seal the pressure cooker and cook under pressure for 5 minutes.
- Quick release steam, remove lid, and discard bay leaf. Optionally blend partly with immersion blender.
- Add milk and cornstarch slurry. Heat for another 5 minutes until thickened.
- Add shredded chicken. Stir and heat through.
- Season with salt, pepper and squeeze of lemon to taste. Serve hot.
