Chicken and lentil soup made in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker) – a healthy, nourishing meal that will fill you up and make plenty of servings so you can have leftovers for lunch or freeze the rest!
I’ve been hearing a lot about the Instant Pot affil link (a multi-cooker that does the job of a slow cooker, electric pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, sauté/browning pan, and warming pot all in one) but it wasn’t until 2 weeks ago I started getting tons of requests for Instant Pot recipes. My curiosity led me to Amazon, where I found thousands of glowing reviews. Do I need one more appliance? Well of course I bought it to see what the big deal was and here is the first recipe I tried.
I decided to make a recipe I’m very familiar with (and my family loves) to see how it compares to my original and I have to tell you, I loved the results! I made some minor adjustments to my stove top Chicken and Lentil Soup, basically I reduced the liquid since nothing evaporates and I put all the ingredients in the pot at the same time. Closed the pot, pressed the “soup” button and let it cook 30 minutes (stove top takes closer to 2 hours). When it was ready I didn’t even have to shred the chicken, it was so tender it fell apart with my spoon.
This soup is so filling, I often make it with chicken thighs but breasts would also work.
Freezer Tips:
To freeze any leftovers, transfer to an air-tight freezer safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, transfer leftover soup to a sauce pot on the stove and slowly bring to a boil, then simmer until heated through.
You can see more Pressure Cooker Recipes and Soup Recipes here!
Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Chicken and Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried lentils
- 12 oz 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs, all fat trimmed
- 7 cups water
- 2 tbsp chicken Better than Bouillon
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 medium ripe tomato, diced
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp sazon, I used my homemade blend or paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into the instant pot, stir and cover. Use "Soup" button and cook 30 minutes. When done and the pressure releases, shred the chicken and stir. Makes about 11 cups.
I make the all the time, such great flavor. My youngest says “it’s desert” for him.
amazing!
How many calories is this? The recipe says 263 per serving BUT the pin just below says 126.
263 is correct.
If I will to make it in a slower cooker, how long should that be?
has anyone ever made this using frozen chicken breasts?
it should be fine
Really impressed with this recipe! I was afraid it would lack flavor or have the wrong texture but this was spot on!
SO easy to make
Love that it has lentils and veggies, no dairy, less meat
Tastes even better day after day 🙂
I have made this with the stove-top recipe before and loved it so thought I would try the Insta-Pot version. Also delicious — even though I actually forgot to add the Better Than Bouillon! I thought the only difference was that it needed a slight bit more salt. My family still loved it. Super simple and now even quicker. Great recipe!
Can you make this in a slow cooker?
Didn’t change a thing and it was amazingly delicious. Served with some crusty peasant bread and butter. Perfect for the fall !
I only had red lentils on hand so that is what I used and the lentils desintegrated. I did a quick google search and that’s is normal so use green or black lentils when cooking this. It was still really good but it had a puréed texture. I will try again with a different lentil next time.
My husband said he could eat this every day! I used the entire sazon packet instead of adding extra salt. I put it in the slow cooker all day and it was perfect. This is a great way to use less meat—I asked my butcher to repackage some boneless skinless thighs for the amount I needed.
Awesome!!
Can you add the WW builder so I can figure out points value?
Done! 🙂
This is ridiculously good and SO flavorful! I only had two chicken thighs and it turned out fine. Also made it on the stove.
“12 oz 3” for amount of chicken. What does this mean???
12 oz which is about 3 thighs.
I love this recipe. I have made it countless times and my family always requests it. My only recommendation for those making it is to let the lentils soak in water for 2 hours before making it, and dump put the water they soaked in. It helps with gas and bloating.
Is this natural release or quick release? Thanks!
This was delicious! I left out the cumin and made my own sazon without cumin since my fiance doesn’t like it. I used chicken breasts since that’s what we had on hand.
I’ve been trying to find more things to make with my instant pot and this was perfect! So easy! Love that I didn’t have to sauté anything, just dump it all in. Super filling too!
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make! Leftovers freeze well. Very happy with this recipe.
Natural release or quick release? I think natural release but not sure. I’m hungry, it smells good. I can’t wait. 😉
The easiest recipe to date. I did adjust it. I sauté the onions, garlic, added bacon and celery with it. Then added it to the instapot. I didn’t have better than chicken powder, scallions or 3 lbs of chicken breast. So I added the Goya chicken packets 3 of them due to 2 cup per packet, added 2 chicken breast approximately under 1.7 lbs of chicken (it was still a lot) and then sealed it for 30 mins. It was soooo good. I am on day 3 of my soup. Delicious. Thank you! I am going to try more bean based soup.
THE BEST!! SOOOOO good! First time trying lentils. Thank you for this delicious recipe =)
Love this soup! Going to make it again tonight, but only have red lentils. Think that will work?
Amazing! So easy full of flavor. Love this soup!
Thank you for the recipes! Are the points given for 1 cup serving?
For 1 and 1/3 cups.
This is one of my favorite soup recipes- delicious- I plan to make it for dinner this weekend- What are some good sides to go with it?
The Instant Pot Chicken Lentil Soup recipe is one of our absolute favorite recipes — we make this every week.
If I want to increase the recipe — and am using an 8-quart Instant Pot, instead of a 6-quart — can I just increase the ingredients in the same ratio? Has anyone else tried this?
I almost never comment on recipes, but this one is top-notch. I don’t really change anything, just add bacon at the start. My incredibly picky 8 year old requests this, eats 2-3 helpings of it AND asks for leftovers for lunch the next day, so most definitely a winner! (Plus it’s absolutely delicious!!)
Awesome!!!
Hi Gina! What size Instant Pot do you use? I have the small 3 qt and will probably need to adjust the recipe…
Thank you!
I have a 6 qt.
Delicious soup. I have made it many times
This gives me so many options. I do own an instant pot and love it! I make my own version of minestrone soup. About 2 points (blue) per serving on Weightwatchers.
3 types of beans, chopped zucchini tomato sauce, carrots, zucchini and yellow squash, 1/4 cup of olive oil. Seasoned with 1 clove of garlic, seasoned salt and pepper. Potatoes and/or pasta can be added (adjust WW points accordingly). Very tasty and filling meal. Thanks Gina for all your wonderful recipes. I love that they are tasty and healthy at the same time.
Oh my goodness! I’ve made this twice this month! Will continue to make regularly! My whole family, and extended, loved this! Didn’t change a thing except to add one more tomato and it is perfection! I’m having a bow right now.
I made this today but left out the chicken since I am not allowed to have meat at the moment. It is delicious. I added some celery and some eggplant that I had on hand. I think it would taste even better with a can of green chilis. I had to puree it and it still tastes fabulous!
I have made this twice in the past two weeks–it was delicious both times and incredibly easy. Omitted the tomato since my family doesn’t like tomatoes. I added some celery and carrots. The family loved it!
Could this be made on the stove or in a slow cooker? It looks SO good, but I don’t have an Instant Pot.
Yes. 🙂 look at this recipe https://www.skinnytaste.com/lentil-and-chicken-soup-3-pts/
Erin yes it can be made in a slow cooker. I have a recipe from WW to do Smoky Slow cooker Beans and Greens. this is from Dry Beans. Cook time is 4 hrs. and 20 minutes.
Dot
Our family enjoys so many of your recipes, Gina, but this might just be my all time favorite! Such wonderful flavors and so super easy to prepare. I didn’t have Sazon so I used smoked paprika. I used some Swansons low sodium chicken broth and some water with BTB – all combined to equal the 7 cups. Served it with hot sauce. This will be a frequent meal this winter. Thank you! Next up is the black bean soup with smoked turkey.
Glad you enjoyed it!
My soup turned out more like a “stew”. The broth completely evaporated. Any tips/suggestions? I thought I followed directions..
Still Delicious!!!
Thanks!!
I added more water (8 cups) and when I reheat it I put a couple tbsp of water in the container, shake it up and pour it over
This soup turned out great! I used frozen chicken breasts instead of thighs and cooked for 30 mins on the soup function.
Someone on another site asked for soup recipes, a couple of people mentioned this one and we just happened to have three bone-in thighs left from a big package we used for chicken cacciatore last night. We had already frozen the thighs so I used them without thawing (a big advantage of using a pressure cooker is not having to thaw ingredients, you just add cooking time).
I substituted four cups of broth for an equal amount of water and since I didn’t have Better than Bouillon used three teaspoons regular chicken bouillon with the last three cups of water. I used a teaspoon of garlic powder for each missing close of garlic (the cacciatore cleaned us out), added a cup of diced carrots and used paprika instead of the sazon. No cilantro either, but not something we’d miss.
This was not quite as skinny as the recipe intended because my thighs were skin on and bone in, but I pulled off the skin and pulled out the bones before serving.
I increased the cooking time to 36 min. to account for the frozen thighs and naturally released (not quite done after 49 minutes NR but easily vented in minutes when I turned the lever). Overall cooking time was almost two hours to include pressurizing and depressurizing the pot, which was fine since I started just after 9 a.m.!
This is a keeper!
I haven’t cooked lentils much. This soup was sooo easy, hearty and delicious!
I love a good throw everything in the pot and walk away meal! I was a little worried because 1. I’ve never made lEntil soup 2. I’m not a fan of cilantro and 3. I don’t think I’ve ever put so much water in my IP before 🤣🤣 The IP can sometimes be a mystery because you don’t really smell the flavors until you release the pressure so when I released the pressure , I knew it would be a winner! My 10 year old and I are total foodies and this hit the spot in such a comforting way. This is going on the rotation for sure!!! Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes !
So glad you both enjoyed it!
This is delicious! Made this today.. love it!
I just made this soup and all I can say is, WOW! I wasn’t sure about it, with there really being very little work, but it is fantastic! I cannot wait for my family to try it. I made it with Paprika, but I did order some of the annato seasoning, so next time I’m sure it will be even better. Thanks, Gina!
This is a delicious soup – hadn’t tried the “soup” function on the Instant Pot, and was really pleased with the result. This is flavorful and the tender chicken is great. I stirred in a cup of baby spinach in a lunch portion, and that was a good addition, too.
I forgot to buy a tomato, is there something else I can substitute it with? Maybe canned? Thanks!
I used a can of no salt added Rotel in place of tomato and it worked perfectly for me!
I love this recipe so much! This seemed so simple that my expectations were low, but this soup is amazing! It was so easy and the chicken just fell apart it was so tender. Can’t wait to enjoy for lunches this week. 🙂
Highly recommend
My kids request this soup almost weekly and eat multiple bowls. When I put in the nutrition information in the WW app, the soup comes up with 6 points for 1 1/3 cup, but the recipe shows 1 point for blue. Can anyone help me with this?
Thank you
The only things with points on blue would be the chicken thighs (7sp for 12oz.) and the Better than Bouillon (3sp for 2 tbsp). Everything else would be zero. So that works out to 1 sp per serving (11 servings).
Made this last night as written, w/a pot on the stove…Delecious!!!
2nd time making this and it was even better! I found the Sazon seasoning and it definitely added another layer of flavor to the dish. Since Im not really concerned about it being a “skinny” dish, I added some ground hot Italian sausage and it’s out of this world!! When I want a meal to last me a few days, this is my goto.
Can I make this vegetarian?
This recipe brought me back to my childhood when our Czech family friend would make us lentil soup that would last us several meals. Just like that recipe, this one only gets more flavorful as the flavors stew over the next couple of days after making it.
First dish in the Ninja Foodi/Pressure Cooker and it was delish! Was not able to find the Badia seasoning so up the cumin and garlic. We sprinkled some Trader Joe’s Chili Lime on top and it was a great addition!
This is seriously one of the best skinny taste soup recipes! I have made it many times with chicken thighs and breasts. I think the thighs taste better but it’s good either way. It freezes well and is great for lunch meal prep. This time I forgot to buy a tomato so I used a can of Rotel diced tomatoes. It was still very good in case anyone forgets to buy tomatoes!
It was fantastic! Used 1.38lbs turkey tenders instead of chicken. Soup was thick but still had plenty of liquid, went well with rice. My boyfriend went back for thirds, lol. Great winter stew.
Absolutely delicious! Made exactly as written except with about 2lbs chicken breast instead of the thighs. Delicious!!
just made this today…it will definitely be in my rotation of soups..it’s delicious!!! and it was easy to make!
Just made this. So easy, so delicious! Looking forward to eating the leftovers for lunch this week. I see myself making this often.
This is a family favorite in my house! Everyone loves it, even my very picky 8 year old. I have 4 kids and they always clear their bowls and ask for more. I usually use chicken breasts because I always have bags of frozen ones in the house, but it is delicious with them. It is a very unattractive meal, but so yummy, we call it green slop. But it is seriously the most requested meal in my family.
I don’t have an instant Pot did it on my slow cooker with 8 cups of water and it worked !!! Just delicious
This is going to be one of my favorite recipes. Made it today and was super fast to make. Just place everything in the pot and you are set to go.
I make this recipe all the time! My kids and hubby love it! I used leftover ham from Easter and it was delicious too!
My mom raved about this and my brother asked for the recipe! After it sat it really thickened up, so even with added water the consistency was more like chili. I’d never had lentils before (thank you for introducing this new ingredient to me!), and found the taste similar to refried beans.
We topped it with avocado and shredded cheese, and dipped tortilla chips in it. So good and very filling!
Fresh garlic and garlic powder?
I made this recipe tonight, using some left over shredded chicken (added after pressure was released) and I left out the cilantro. My husband was super skeptical about this recipe, but LOVED it!! We can’t wait to eat the left overs! It was a hearty meal, but healthy and full of delicious flavor. Thank you for coming up with this recipe!
This is so delicious and so very easy! I used a can of diced tomatoes as tomatoes are not in season here now. Also added more chicken the second time I made it. So good! Enjoy!
Thank you, Gina! Just made this today and enjoyed a big bowl for lunch. It’s light yet hearty – so easy, so tasty, and very comforting. Perfect for these freezing cold days. Will definitely make again. : )
Every one of my kids loved it!! That is a win in itself. Plus only 1 freestyle point! Yay!!
Has anyone tried this with Trader Joe’s Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage instead of thighs?
I don’t think it would be the right flavor profile for this dish. I’d suggest using ground chicken or a plain ground sausage perhaps. Chicken thighs seems the way to go in my opinion.
So yummy! I had the left overs the next day!
Wow! This soup was absolutely AMAZING! The only thing I did differently was add some cooked rice before serving. This recipe was super easy. I natural released for 5 mins and then quick released. Will definitely make this again, and again! Thanks for this recipe!
Love this recipe! Can I double it in my 8 quart instant pot or will that be too much liquid? If not, how about 1.5x? Thanks!
This is one of my favorite soup recipes. This time I made my own Sazon blend. So excited for dinner!!
Could I omit the chicken and use veg better than buillion? For a meat free version? This is my all time fav lentil recipe but I’ve stopped eating meat.
I don’t see why not.
Just made this as my first recipe, on my new instant pot! Came out great and tastes delicious! Thank you!
I love lentil soup. I used breasts, added 2 sliced carrots, 2 bay leaves, 1 tbsp dried cilantro, a 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes instead of fresh tomato, a large onion and omitted scallions. I added fresh spinach after pressure cooking and used saute setting until wilted. Next time I will also add sliced portobellos because I always have them on hand and they would be nice addition. I omitted the added salt and didn’t miss it.
I wish the nutrition facts could have been added in the cookbook.
I made this in my pressure cooker, I don’t have the Instant Pot brand, and it came out very mushy and hardly any liquid, still tasted good! When I took it out of the fridge the next day it solidified. Not sure if it’s because I don’t have Instant Pot or if I used too much chicken.
So easy…soooo delicious. I hate soup but my husband loves it. I made this for him but I had 2 helpings. I think this will be a regular on our weekly winter menus.
Great!
I made this exactly as written. Used 4 frozen boneless/skinless chicken thighs. Cooks for 30 min “soup” and allowed NPR (took about 20 min). The chicken fell apart. So yummy! Next time I will double the chicken.
Wow I just made this and it is delicious, even though it’s our spring here still love soups even in summer especially for lunches . Thanks so much ?
I just made this soup in my Breville Pressure Cooker. 30 minutes, soup, Hi pressure and quick release. Turned out perfect and the flavors really blended better then when I made it on the stove. I put all ingredients in at the same time. Thank you Gina.
Made the instant pot version and this is SO GOOD and filling for such low freestyle points! One note for others – manufacturer recommendations are to do natural release for soups so that the pressure valve doesn’t get clogged with broth and other things. With natural release this recipe takes about 60-75 min from starting to cook to the end.
I’m am about to make this a second time, since the first time was so delicious.
I used chicken breasts instead of thighs, and low sodium chicken broth instead of water. It was delicious. I had to add some water after a day in the fridge, as it thickened a lot, but I expected that would happen.
Followed directions….my soup ended up being SO thick….I did add all the water for cooking….well, it still is good…just need to add more water before reheating.
Delicious!! Perfect on a cool fall night. I omitted the scallions and cilantro so my kids wouldn’t turn their noses up because “what are all those green things?!” And I didn’t have Sazon seasoning so I substituted with Penzey’s adobo. Loved it!
I didn’t have any chicken on hand, but I still made this soup! Super easy and yummy. I added some grated cheese, fresh chopped cilantro, and a drizzle of EVOO on each bowl after it was ready. Thank you, Gina!
I’ve been making the stovetop version since it came out, and it’s even quicker in the IP! I start by sautéing (in the IP) the onion with some chopped carrot/celery, then add everything else and let it cook. I eyeball the seasonings and use a can of rotel instead of a tomato and it’s perfectly flavorful, healthy, and inexpensive. Awesome recipe!
Made this for dinner last night and it was A HIT. I prepped the whole recipe in the Instant Pot insert so all my husband had to do when he got home was put it in the instant pot & press the soup button. It took a little longer for it to come to pressure (to be expected, the insert was in the fridge all day), but it came out WONDERFULLY. Will definitely make again.
How long should I cook if using frozen beans?
This has become one of my favorite go-to recipes. I use a can of dices tomatoes and usually skip the cilantro if I don’t have it on hand. Easy with pantry items that most have on hand!
Loved this recipe! Such a good healthy and flavorful option!
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Love this! Tomatoes aren’t in season so I put in a can of Hunts Fire Roasted chopped tomatoes. So good!
I love this recipe. This soup is thick, rich, and is full of flavor – almost stewlike. And it was so easy to make. I adhered to some of the comments by others and used 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of the 12 ounces. I added 1/2 teaspoon more Better Than Bouillon (the equivalent of adding more salt and flavor). I also added 5 or 6 handfuls of baby spinach and a red bell pepper. I chopped the onion, scallions, garlic, tomato, and bell pepper in a food processor before adding them to the pot – everything was chopped very very fine. I used brown lentils. I used 7 cups of water. I did a natural release (mostly because I did not get back to the pot for 6 hours after it finished cooking). The soup came out thick and a rich dark brown, just like in the photo. As mentioned by others, you could add other vegetables to this. Next time I will add two tomatoes instead of one and another handful of baby spinach.
I have made this twice now and it was delicious both times. The second time around I added more chicken which we prefer. I also made the Sazon seasoning from the recipe she included. I put it in homemade guacamole tonight which gave it a wonderful flavor!
LOVED this the first time I made it. Just went to make it again in the Instant Pot and realized I don’t have lentils! Would dried black beans work? They’re a little bigger than lentils, so I wasn’t sure. Thanks in advance for any advice.
Adding to my Instant Pot repertoire!
Made this tonight for the first time and will make again I read the reviews before I made to get additional input. I used the chicken thighs. I increased to 1 lb as others suggested. I think that was a good suggestion. Still mostly lentils. I used green lentils. Recipe does not specify. I also added some additional veggies as others suggested. I added carrots and bell pepper. You can really add anything you want to for the most part. I also chose to add the cilantro after cooking as others suggested. I love cumin and will increase cumin next time. Think I will also add more garlic next time as I love garlic.
Regarding cooking times, I did 25 minutes in my Instant Pot on the soup setting. I chose a few minutes less than the recipe called for based on the recipe booklet that came with the Instant Pot. In the back it had shorter cook times for lentils and for chicken. I did NPR of 11 minutes (meant to do 10) and then quick release which took a while. The chicken shredded easily and the lentils weren’t mush as some people mentioned in reviews. I think I could get away with a shorter NPR time.
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Made this soup and it was pretty good but I think I added a little too much cilantro. The 1/2 teaspoon of salt was not enough so I added another 1/2 teaspoon. Also added a splash of apple cider vinegar for a little punch as it was a bit bland. Worth the points of using chicken thighs rather than chicken breast.
How can I implement this recipe with a crock pot? Also, can I use chicken breast instead? Since chicken breast is 0 points not on WW.
Thanks!
Could this be made with chicken wingettes?
sure
I add a loaf of crusty bread and some simply mixed greens and this has become my go to dish for friends who need a meal (new baby, recovering from surgery etc). I usually keep some for my family because it makes a lot! Thanks Gina for having so many easy and family friendly recipes that are also good for us!!
This was delicious! I made it in the Instant Pot exactly as written except that I didn’t have a tomato so left that out. My whole family loved it. So tasty and filling. This recipe is a keeper! Thanks Gina!
Made this many time and my family loves this!! Lately, we are trying to do less meat . Has anyone tried to do this without the chicken?
I am making this for my office today. I doubled the recipe, which brings it to the max fill for my 8qt. Do I double the time?
So, I made this tonight. I made a couple of minor changes: a full pound of chicken thighs, 10 cups chicken broth instead of water and bouillon, a can of fire-roasted, diced tomatoes instead of a fresh tomato, and I added 1/2 lb of sliced baby portobello mushrooms. It is awesome! I know what I’ll be having for lunch at work this week!
This was absolutely scrumptious! Thank you! I did add zucchini and carrots to give it extra nutrition but I am in love with this soup!
I made this last night for guests and it was a big hit! It was super easy to throw together (although I didn’t have any tomato) and it came out really delicious! My husband said it’s definitely a “make again” meal. The portion was enough to feed 4 adults and still have leftovers.
I made this recipe last week. I’ve never had lentil soup before but it came out great. I had a serving per day for lunch and it kept me satisfied all day long. I didn’t have fresh tomatoes so I used canned diced tomatoes. I also used chicken cutlets instead of thighs. I’m making it again today for the week ahead.
I used red lentils and natural release, and it came out creamy. I used 6c stock and 2 fresh tomatoes, and 1lb of baby carrots. Next time I would add more meat and use fire roasted diced tomatoes for extra flavor. Thanks!
Hi! Made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! One question though. The lentils cooked wayyyyy down and you couldn’t even see them in the soup, or feel the texture of them. What did I do wrong??
Will def. be making again though!
What kind of lentils did u use? Your lentils should not have disappeared into your soup. Did you use the soup button, 30 min? Natural pressure release? I do 20min npr, then move the valne to about 1/2 open until the pin drops.
This turned out delicious. Mine came out watery though! I think next time I’ll add less water. It’s not thick like the pic is but still yummy!
You can use saute button after and let it reduce uncovered.
I made this for the first time after continuing to hear rave reviews on instagram. It was delicious. I had never made lentils before and my husband was leery but it was fantastic. Very flavorful and I brought left overs to work. Mine turned out a bit thicker than the photo I think but I liked it. It had a hearty, filling vibe. So healthy and delicious!
Unbelievably good!
This was my first recipe used on my brand new Instant Pot.
It seriously couldn’t have been easier or more delicious!
Thank you so much
Super Easy! 🙂 Loved this reciepe and will have leftovers for awhile! I also froze some too for lunches later.
I made this tonight using 4 frozen chicken breast cutlets and a few more tweaks and my whole family really enjoyed it! I added about 2 more teaspoons of Better Than Boullion, 2 cans of chopped tomatoes, an extra onion, some carrot, red bell pepper (what ever you have on hand seems fine!) and tons of garlic. I followed the cooking directions and the chicken was fall-apart tender-perfect. Keep in mind, that the pot took more time to get up to cooking temp and over all, it took about an hour or more. Still better than a crockpot all day. Since there was no fat in it from thigh or rib meat, I added some butter to my bowl and my fam added sour cream to theirs.
This is one of my favorite recipes. I cook it as instructed in my Instant Pot and it is always delicious as it sounds. Thank you Gina, for sharing your recipes. Happy New Year to you and your family, And, may you continue to be blessed in 2018 and beyond.
Thank you Trish! You too!
I just made this (my very first instant pot recipe) and it was delicious. My husband even had seconds and requested to being some to work for lunch tomorrow. I’d call that a success!!!
Great!
Yummy! So good. I will make this again.
I just got an Instant Pot myself and am looking for healthy recipes, so your site is perfect for me!
If I am to halve the recipes, does that always halve the cooking time as well? Or does the cooking time stay the same?
I made this today and it had very little flavor. After the initial pressure cook, I added about triple the amount of spices and let it simmer on the stove for awhile, but it was just very bland. Also, my lentils fell apart and so my soup does not look like yours.
I have boneless, skinless “already cooked” chicken….why couldn’t I use that?
Sure
If using cooked chicken would you recommend putting in at the end of cooking time or do you think it would be okay to include with all other ingredients at the beginning?
Maybe towards the end.
This was the first recipe that I made in the instant pot and it turned out great! It was delicious and filling – perfect for a cold January day.
What is the size of your Instant Pot? If I have a 6 QT, is it big enough for this recipe?
yes I have a 6 qt
Gina – thank you so much for your recipes, meal plans, etc., they make my life infinitely easier!
Quick, probably stupid question on this recipe – what makes this 1 point? I don’t see any oil or other point laden ingredients in the list. Just curious…I plan on making it this weekend.
Chicken thighs aren’t free only the breasts.
Delicious. Quick and easy – longest part was trimming the fat off the chicken. Will definitely make again. Thank you.
What kind of lentils did you use? Red, brown or green?
In the picture it looks like green lentils (top of pot by chicken pieces).
This was great! I made a few small changes: skipped the scallion and just added more chopped onion. Added 2 tsp of curry powder instead of oregano. Did 3/4 tsp kosher salt. Waited until after cooking to stir in 1/2 cup cilantro. Super yummy. Could easily use 1 lb of chicken thighs next time. Also did natural release for 10 minutes then manual released it, stirred, added the cilantro. This is a major winner. Thanks!
What setting do you recommend for multi-cooker brands without a soup function? Simmer?
Is the garlic supposed to be chopped or minced? It doesn’t say in the recipe. Also, I threw all the ingredients in, like the instructions say, but I see that it’s sprinkled on the finished soup.
the cilantro
That is extra cilantro for garnish
Gina
Is the chicken lentil soup 1 point with chicken thighs?
yes
Do you have soak the beans first?
no, they are lentils. No need to soak.
Do we know if this is quick release or natural release?
I did quick release.
Is this natural release or quick release. I am making this right now and it just finished the 30 minutes.
did anyone figure out if it is supposed to be natural or quick realease?
I just recalculated with WW Freestyle and calculated 1 SP per serving. Is that correct? Yippee!
Is this recipe zero now with the new weight watchers plan?
This is zero points now. I’m in heaven 🙂
It was just okay but we found that there was no depth of flavour and that the Lentils were overcooked.
Has anyone used broth instead of better than bouillon? I prefer to use broth. Love that it only takes 30 mins and it is healthy.
Can I use frozen chicken with this? Will it take longer or the same time?
I was curious about the amount of carbs. When I enter the recipe into myfitnesspal it comes up with 40 carbs per serving. How did you come up with 16?
Just double checked…NI has been updated. Thanks for noticing!
Made this tonight for the first time in an Instant Pot. I’ve made it before on the stove. This time the “broth” of the soup tastes too watery with the 7 cups of water. Did this happen to anyone else?? Any suggestions on how to fix this batch so it doesn’t taste so watery?? Thanks!
I’ve not made yet – but whenever it’s soup I sub out my favorite broth instead of water. I will be using 7 cps of low sodium chicken broth instead! 🙂
This was GOOD! A big hit with all, even picky eaters – great flavor!
This was GOOD! A big hit with all, even picky eaters – great flavor!
Looks great! However, I’m wondering how you got 6 Smart Points. When I enter the nutritional info into my WW app, I get 2 SPs. I see some other people questioned it too, and you’re response was “it is 6 SPs.” How are you getting 6? Thank you.
Looks like your NI must be incorrect. When entering ingredients into the recipe builder, it does come out to 6.
Are you using the recipe builder? The only accurate way to determine any recipe’s SmartPoints® value is to plug the ingredients into the recipe builder on the Weight Watchers website (Click on “My Foods,” select “Recipe,” and click “Create a recipe.”) which does not count fruits and vegetables in recipes in the calculations as they are now 0 points.
The SmartPoints® calculator isn’t meant for recipes and will often give you the wrong points (usually higher) because it’s counting the fruits and vegetables. So if you see a recipe with a SmartPoints® value that’s different from what the calculator tells you, now you know why.
In the article you say that is 5 SP and the little “tag” at the bottom shows 5 SP, but the actual recipe nutrition information says 6 SP. Wasn’t sure if you were aware of the discrepancy. I’ll go with 5, ha! 🙂
Sorry it’s 6.
Hi, what kind of lentils did you use? I made this and it came out looking totally different – wasn’t dark looking like in your picture at all
Can’t wait to make this recipe! Is it really only 129 calories per serving that seems so low…
We don’t all have an Instant Pot. Can you also include instructions for crock pot or stove top for this recipe? Thank you.
https://www.skinnytaste.com/lentil-and-chicken-soup-3-pts/
Can I make this in a crock pot? If so, what would the cooking time be and what heat level? I don’t have a InstaPot, but I LOVE lentil soup! Thanks!
Stove top version https://www.skinnytaste.com/lentil-and-chicken-soup-3-pts/
Never mind my last comment, having trouble with the computer – There appears to be stove top instructions somewhere, I just need to find them. Apologies.
https://www.skinnytaste.com/lentil-and-chicken-soup-3-pts/
Can you use chicken stock instead of water? I am also new to the insta pot.
I don’t have an instapot brand; do I use high pressure and like 15 minutes?
Thank you!
Did you ever get an answer on this? I have a Cuisinart Pressure Cooker that I LOVE (it has a much better insert than the Instant Pot), but it drives me crazy when I find recipes like these that use Instant Pot specific instructions. Is the “Soup” setting supposed to be High or Low on a regular pressure cooker?
Soup setting is high pressure.
Pardon me for pointing out the obvious – which may be of use to someone weighing up the relative merits of electric pressure cookers – but the Cuisinart’s insert is actually much WORSE, not better, that the Instant Pot’s….unless you’re a fan of bits of non-stick coating in your food!
A stainless steel insert very rarely, if ever, sticks if you know what you’re doing in the kitchen.
I realize this is an old thread but I made this last night in my Cuisinart EPC. After some research I found a site that said the soup function brings the soup to 230F. That would be most similar to low pressure (6psi in the Cuisinart I have led Cuisinart customer service – high is 10psi). So I used low pressure and 25 minutes (I was on a time crunch) and felt the soup was perfect.
Hope this is helpful.
Hi Gina,
Going to attempt this recipe this week. I’m still unclear if we are supposed to use Quick release or Natural with this recipe. I’ve seen comments using both. I’m new to using the InstaPot. Love so many of your recipes! Thank you.
Can this lentil soup be made in a crock pot? (I don’t have an instant pot)
I love this recipe thank you! I add a bit more salt and some pepper but that’s it. So great.
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Hi there!
I would love to try this recipe by do not have a pressure cooker. Would you have timing for this if I used a slow cooker?
Thanks!
Morgan
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This was amazing in the instant pot! We added some lime and hot sauce, definitely the best recipe in our instant pot so far!
Thanks Kristen!
I just got my first Instant Pot and can’t wait to try this recipe! I have a question though. In the picture of the ingredients inside the pot it looks like there’s mustard on top but I don’t see any mustard in the list of ingredients. Did I miss it, or is that something else that just looks like mustard? Thanks, and I LOVE your recipes!
I made this last night! It’s DELICIOUS!!! I surfed in while looking for an Instant Pot recipe to make some lentils I had – now I’m scouring the other pressure cooker recipes! Thank you!!!
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What are the points? I am seeing 2 or 3 different ones, 5, 6 and 8. Thanks.
6 SP
I made this yesterday in a slow cooker, and it is absolutely delicious!!!! Thanks for the great recipe.
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