Welcome to the ultimate guide for a comforting and healthy Keto Low-Carb Instant Pot Chicken Noodle (Zoodle) Soup. This delightful recipe redefines classic chicken noodle soup, replacing traditional high-carb noodles with nutrient-rich zucchini spirals. It’s a perfect choice for anyone following a ketogenic or low-carb diet, seeking a delicious meal that’s both satisfying and easy to prepare. Whether you prefer the speed of an Instant Pot or the convenience of a Crockpot slow cooker, this homemade soup, rich in bone broth and fresh vegetables, is designed to fit seamlessly into your lifestyle. With only 7 net carbs per serving, it’s a guilt-free pleasure that doesn’t compromise on flavor or satiety. Beyond the recipe, we’ll explore the benefits of keto-friendly ingredients and offer tips to master your low-carb soup creations.
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As winter makes its grand entrance, bringing with it chilly temperatures, snowstorms, and icy conditions, there’s nothing quite as comforting as a warm bowl of homemade soup. This season, embrace the warmth and nourishment of our Keto Low-Carb Instant Pot Chicken Noodle (Zoodle) Soup. Unlike typical recipes, this one is packed with nutrient-rich bone broth, which is celebrated for its potential to boost immunity and help ward off seasonal colds and flu. It’s a hearty meal that truly nourishes your body from the inside out, keeping you cozy and healthy throughout the colder months.
How to Make Keto Chicken Noodle Soup in an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Making this delicious keto chicken zoodle soup in your Instant Pot is incredibly straightforward, allowing you to enjoy a flavorful meal in minimal time. The pressure cooking method infuses the chicken and broth with deep flavors while ensuring the chicken is perfectly tender.
- Sauté Aromatics: Begin by using the Instant Pot’s sauté function to soften chopped onions, minced garlic, and sliced celery. This step builds a foundational layer of flavor for your soup.
- Add Core Ingredients: Pour in the chicken broth and water, then add Better Than Bouillon chicken base for extra depth, along with your chicken breasts. Ensure the chicken is submerged in the liquid.
- Pressure Cook to Perfection: Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot to Manual (or Pressure Cook) on High for 10 minutes. This will cook the chicken thoroughly and infuse the broth with its essence.
- Natural Release for Flavor and Tenderness: Instead of a quick release, allow the steam to release naturally for 10 minutes. This gentle depressurization helps keep the chicken tender and allows flavors to meld beautifully.
- Shred and Combine: Once the pressure is fully released, carefully open the pot. Remove the cooked chicken and shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the pot, then add the spiralized zucchini and fresh spinach. Allow the soup to simmer for a few minutes until the zucchini noodles are tender and the spinach wilts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
The Appeal of Zucchini Noodles in Keto Soups
One of the most innovative and delightful aspects of this soup is the use of zucchini noodles, or “zoodles,” as a low-carb alternative to traditional wheat-based pasta. Zucchini is a versatile vegetable that offers a light, refreshing texture, making it an ideal substitute for noodles in a keto diet. It’s incredibly low in carbohydrates, allowing you to enjoy a satisfying bowl of “noodle” soup without derailing your carb count. Beyond being keto-friendly, zucchini is packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, including Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and potassium, contributing to overall health and well-being. Using zoodles not only keeps your soup light and healthy but also adds a wonderful, fresh dimension to the flavor profile.
Can You Eat Chicken Broth on Keto? Understanding Bone Broth Benefits
Absolutely, chicken broth is not only permissible but highly recommended for a keto diet due to its low calorie and carbohydrate content. For an even more beneficial boost, I strongly advocate for the use of bone broth. Bone broth, unlike regular chicken broth, is slow-simmered, extracting valuable collagen, amino acids, and minerals from bones and connective tissues. These components are incredibly supportive for gut health, joint function, skin elasticity, and electrolyte balance, which can be particularly helpful when transitioning to or maintaining a ketogenic lifestyle.
My personal preference is Kettle and Fire Bone Broth. It’s renowned for its rich flavor and high-quality ingredients, making it an excellent base for any soup or stew. The convenience of having it delivered directly to your home is an added bonus. Don’t forget to use my exclusive discount code STAYSNATCHED to save on your purchase. Incorporating high-quality bone broth is a simple yet powerful way to enhance both the flavor and nutritional value of your keto meals.
Understanding the Instant Pot Soup Setting
The Instant Pot offers a specialized “Soup” setting, which is a convenient feature designed to handle soups that typically require a longer cooking duration, generally between 20 to 40 minutes. This setting is programmed to achieve a gentle, rolling boil, ensuring even cooking and optimal flavor extraction without overcooking delicate ingredients. On most Instant Pot models, you have the flexibility to adjust this setting to either “High” or “Low” pressure, depending on the type of soup and ingredients you’re using. While this specific recipe calls for a manual high-pressure setting for optimal chicken cooking, understanding the dedicated soup function can be useful for other broth-based or vegetable-heavy keto soups you might explore.
How Long to Cook Keto Zoodle Soup in the Instant Pot
For this specific Keto Low-Carb Chicken Zoodle Soup, the Instant Pot cooking time is quite efficient. You will need to cook the chicken and broth under high pressure for precisely 10 minutes. Following this, it’s crucial to allow an additional 10 minutes for a natural pressure release. This natural release process is vital; it not only allows the chicken to finish cooking gently, preventing it from drying out, but also helps to deeply infuse the flavors from all the ingredients into the broth, resulting in a richer and more aromatic soup. The combination of active cooking and natural release ensures perfectly cooked chicken and a beautifully flavored broth.
Is Keto Chicken Zoodle Soup Freezer Friendly?
One of the many advantages of this Keto Chicken Zoodle Soup is its excellent freezer-friendly nature, making it an ideal candidate for meal prepping. To freeze, simply allow the soup to cool completely after cooking. Transfer it to airtight, freezer-safe containers or silicone soup molds. These molds are fantastic for portion control and easy storage. When you’re ready to enjoy a warm bowl, it’s best to defrost the soup in the refrigerator overnight. This gentle thawing process preserves the texture and integrity of the ingredients, especially the zucchini noodles. Avoid reheating from frozen, as this can lead to mushy zoodles and an unevenly heated soup.
For more delicious and healthy low-carb recipes, you may also enjoy my Keto Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole, Keto Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup, and Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Thighs recipes.
Keto Low-Carb Instant Pot Chicken Noodle (Zoodle) Soup
Brandi Crawford
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars from 1 vote.
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Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Freezer Soup Molds
- Soup Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 16-20 oz skinless chicken breasts (mine were 20oz) You can also use chicken thighs
- 6 cups chicken broth I used 2 packages of the Chicken Mushroom Flavor. You can also use chicken stock.
- 1 tablespoon Better than Bouillon Chicken Base
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ pounds spiralized zucchini, The amount of zucchini will vary based on size. This is about 3-4 zucchini.
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- For best results with zucchini noodles, chop them into smaller strands if desired and place them on paper towels. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and allow them to sit for at least 30 minutes to sweat out excess moisture. This step helps prevent the soup from becoming watery and keeps the zoodles from getting mushy. (While optional for some in broth-based soups, I find it greatly improves texture.)
- Activate the Sauté function on your Instant Pot. Once hot, add the olive oil to the inner pot.
- Add the chopped garlic, celery, and onions to the pot. Sauté until the onions are translucent and fragrant, typically 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Carefully add the bone broth, Better Than Bouillon chicken base, water, and chicken breasts into the Instant Pot. Ensure all ingredients are well combined.
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and ensure the sealing valve is in the “Sealing” position. Select the Manual or Pressure Cook function and set the cooking time for 10 minutes on High Pressure.
- Once the cooking cycle is complete, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. This means do not touch the steam release valve for this duration. After 10 minutes, manually release any remaining pressure.
- Carefully open the pot and remove the cooked chicken breasts to a cutting board.
- Return the Instant Pot to the Sauté function (if it isn’t already). Add the prepared zucchini noodles and fresh spinach to the hot broth. Stir gently to combine and cook until the zucchini noodles are tender-crisp and the spinach has wilted, usually just 2-3 minutes to avoid overcooking the zoodles.
- While the noodles cook, shred the chicken using two forks. Add the shredded chicken back into the pot with the soup.
- Taste the soup and adjust seasonings as needed, adding salt and freshly ground black pepper to achieve your desired flavor profile. Serve hot and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions
- In a separate skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions, celery, and garlic. Sauté until the vegetables are softened and aromatic, about 5-7 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked vegetables to your slow cooker. Add the bone broth, Better than Bouillon chicken base, water, and chicken breasts. Stir to combine all ingredients.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for 8 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and tender enough to shred easily.
- Once the cooking time is complete, carefully open the pot. Remove the chicken breasts and shred them using two forks. Set the slow cooker to the “Warm” setting.
- Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker. Add the zucchini noodles and fresh spinach. Stir everything together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Continue to cook on the “Warm” setting for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the zucchini noodles are tender and the spinach has wilted. Serve hot.
Video
A video tutorial for making this delicious Keto Low-Carb Instant Pot Chicken Noodle (Zoodle) Soup would typically be embedded here, guiding you through each step of the cooking process.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Data
Macros are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is calculated using MyFitnessPal.com. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.