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    Home » Soups

    Instant Pot Chicken Cilantro Soup

    Published: Jan 19, 2022 by Archana · This post may contain affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases · 96 Comments

    3520 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Bright and spicy ginger and aromatic cilantro stand out in this Indian twist on traditional chicken soup. Filled with just-cooked fresh, crunchy cabbage and carrots, this one-dish meal is perfect for lunch or a light dinner. Look to the variations for a vegan option, and add whichever veggies you like.

    chicken cilantro soup served in a white bowl
    Jump to:
    • A healthy take on Indo Chinese Favorite
    • Variations
    • Instructions
    • Serving
    • Storing
    • Meal Prepping
    • Recipe

    A healthy take on Indo Chinese Favorite

    A delicacy from Indo-Chinese restaurants, Chicken Cilantro Soup has complementing flavors from lemon, ginger, and chilies, crunchy vegetables, and soft cooked chicken making it a flavor and nutrition-packed meal.

    This recipe is a combination of my mom's chicken soup and the lemon coriander soup from the Indo-Chinese restaurants that I have enjoyed for years. It uses mom's chicken soup loaded with ginger, garlic, and cilantro as a base, to which I add more vegetables and chicken to make it a one-pot meal that is feel-go and packed with immune-boosting nutrients.

    NOTE: Fresh cilantro in India is called coriander, this recipe does not use coriander seeds

    I love the convenience of making this in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. It perfectly cooks the Chicken breasts that can be shredded in minutes and makes a healthy flavor-packed broth at the same time.

    closeup photo of the lemon coriander soup

    This is a versatile recipe that can easily be adjusted to individual preferences. It can be made completely plant-based too, check out my vegetarian cilantro soup recipe!

    Variations

    • Skip the chicken all together and follow the remaining recipe to make a perfect vegan soup. Just replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth
    • Adjust the thickening, corn starch, or arrowroot powder,  to the textures you prefer. I enjoy the soupy texture, so for me, 3 tablespoon of cornstarch works well. You can adjust it from 3-6 tablespoons to get a thicker consistency
    • Add more or less green chilies and fresh ginger to take the spice level up or down
    • Go ahead and double up on cilantro if you have extra

    Instructions

    Step by step recipe to make Chicken Cilantro Soup in the Instant Pot:

    • Turn Instant Pot to Saute(more) mode and heat oil. Add garlic, green chilies, ginger, and cilantro stems. Mix well.
    • Add chicken breasts, black peppercorn, salt, water, and broth. Give a quick stir and close Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing.
    • Pressure cook for 10 minutes followed by Natural Pressure Release. Open Instant Pot and take the chicken breasts out.
    steps one through four of making chicken cilantro soup
    • Take a large bowl and strain the broth. Squeeze out any juices by gently pressing the stems in the strainer. Discard the stems from the strainer. Reserve the broth.
    • Shred the chicken with a fork and keep aside.
    • Rinse and dry the Instant Pot insert. Put the insert back and set the Instant Pot to sauté mode.
    • Add the remaining oil, cabbage, carrots, and remaining ginger. Mix well.
    steps five through eight of making chicken cilantro soup
    • Add shredded chicken, reserved broth, and corn starch water. Mix well and bring the soup to a gentle boil
    • Turn Instant Pot off. Add fresh ground pepper, lemon juice, and chopped cilantro. Mix well and enjoy hot
    steps none through twelve of making chicken cilantro soup

    Serving

    Serve this delicious soup as a light gluten-free meal for lunch or dinner. Pair it with Hakka Noodles or Kimchi Fried Rice for a hearty meal.

    Storing

    Any leftover soup can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days.

    Meal Prepping

    This soup is a good meal prep recipe. Simply pressure cook, shred the chicken and strain the broth. Add shredded chicken to the broth and refrigerate. When ready to serve, saute ginger, cabbage, and carrots for that perfect crunchy bite.

    Did you enjoy this healthy and delicious one-pot meal? We love soups year-round and here are some of our family favorites:

    • Low carb chicken mulligatawny soup
    • EASY chicken tortellini soup
    • Creamy Tomato Bisque
    • Mexican chicken tortilla soup
    • Vegetarian Coconut Curry Noodle Soup
    • Instant Pot French Onion Soup
    • Quick and comforting Lasagna Soup

    ★ Have you tried this recipe? We love your feedback, Please click on the stars in the recipe card below to rate.

    Recipe

    Tried this recipe? We love your feedback.Please click on the stars in the recipe card below
    chicken cilantro soup served in a white bowl
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    4.60 from 83 votes

    Instant Pot Chicken Coriander Soup

     A flavorful and healthy soup with chicken, lots of fresh cilantro, cabbage and carrots packed with nutrients. 
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Total Time30 minutes mins
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Indian
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 168kcal
    Author: Archana Mundhe

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons oil divided
    • 1 tablespoon garlic minced
    • 3 green chillies sliced or 1 to 2 jalapenos
    • 2 tablespoons grated ginger divided
    • 1 cup cilantro stems roughly chopped
    • 1 pound chicken breasts
    • 12 black peppercorns
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 2 cups water
    • 2 cups low sodium chicken broth we used better than bouillon
    • 1 cup cabbage thinly sliced
    • 1 cup carrots julienned
    • 3 tablespoons corn starch or arrowroot powder mixed in 1 cup of water
    • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper optional
    • ½ cup cilantro chopped
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

    Instructions

    • Turn Instant Pot to Saute(more) mode and heat half of the oil. Add garlic, green chilies, half of the ginger and cilantro stems. Mix well.
    • Add chicken breasts, black peppercorn, salt, water and broth. Give a quick stir and close Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing.
    • Pressure cook for 10 minutes followed by Natural Pressure Release.
    • Open Instant Pot and take the chicken breasts out. Shred the chicken with a fork and keep aside.
    • Take a large bowl and strain the broth. Squeeze out any juices by gently pressing the stems in the strainer. Discard the stems from the strainer. Reserve the broth.
    • Rinse and dry the Instant Pot insert. Put the insert back and set the Instant Pot to sauté mode. Add the remaining oil, cabbage, carrots, and remaining ginger. Mix well.
    • Add shredded chicken, reserved broth, and corn starch water.
    • Mix well and bring the soup to a gentle boil. Turn Instant Pot off. Add fresh ground pepper, lemon juice, and chopped cilantro. Enjoy hot!

    Video

    Notes

    Vegetarian Version
    • Skip the chicken all together and follow the remaining recipe to make a perfect vegan soup. Just replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth. If you can find enoki mushrooms, they add a great crunch too. Stir them in the end along with the carrots and cabbage  
    • Here is my vegan lemon coriander soup with tofu
    Variations
    • Adjust the corn starch or arrowroot powder, to the textures you prefer. 
    • Adjust green chilies and fresh ginger to take the spice level up or down. 
    • Go ahead and double up on cilantro if you have extra. 
    Storing
    Any leftover soup can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days.
    Meal Prepping
    This soup is a good meal prep recipe. Simply pressure cook, shred the chicken and strain the broth. Add shredded chicken to the broth and refrigerate. When ready to serve, saute ginger, cabbage, and carrots for that perfect crunchy bite.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 783mg | Potassium: 468mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3945IU | Vitamin C: 23.7mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 0.6mg
    Tried this recipe?Share your photo and tag @ministry_of_curry or tag #ministryofcurry

    ♥ We LOVE to hear from you! Did you try this recipe? Please share your food photo with hashtag #ministryofcurry on Facebook or Instagram, so we can see it and our followers can enjoy it too! Thank you and Happy Cooking ♥ Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for tasty and easy video recipes. Looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Check out our delicious Instant Pot Recipe board on Pinterest.

    Author: Archana

    Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live in New Jersey with my husband and two sons.
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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Candace says

      November 17, 2019 at 1:08 pm

      This has become one of my favorite instant pot recipes. I make it fairly often. Occasionally I will add a can of coconut cream to it in order to give it a creamy consistency,5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        November 21, 2019 at 12:37 pm

        Thank you for the feedback! Love the idea of coconut cream. Have you tried my Mulligatawny soup? https://ministryofcurry.com/instant-pot-chicken-mulligatawny-soup/

        Reply
    2. Cheryl Fulbright says

      December 14, 2019 at 9:19 pm

      Wow, This soup was awesome! So glad I tried it.5 stars

      Reply
    3. T shah says

      December 30, 2019 at 6:07 pm

      Do you think this would work if I added the chicken in separately? Trying to make some for the vegetarian folks in the family without the chicken but still want to have the chicken for non vegetarians.

      Reply
      • Archana says

        December 31, 2019 at 12:07 am

        yes! I do it many times when I make this recipe with tofu.

        Reply
    4. Niharika says

      January 22, 2020 at 2:03 am

      I just tried it. It came out fantastic5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        January 22, 2020 at 11:17 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
    5. Anindita says

      January 25, 2020 at 4:31 pm

      Loved it! Awesome flavor.5 stars

      Reply
    6. Christy Henderson says

      February 04, 2020 at 8:36 pm

      Can it be frozen and cooked later?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        February 07, 2020 at 12:12 pm

        yes you can use frozen chicken for this recipe. IF its easier you can also freeze ginger, jalapeño & cilantro.

        Reply
    7. Preeti says

      February 07, 2020 at 6:41 am

      If I don’t have chicken broth, can I use plain water? I don’t want to use Maggi cubes. I plan on using chicken with bone.
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Archana says

        February 07, 2020 at 12:07 pm

        Hi Preeti! Yes you can use plain water, you may need to adjust salt to taste.

        Reply
        • Preeti Kokkatt says

          February 08, 2020 at 8:54 am

          Thanks Archana, trying it today.

          Reply
    8. Pamela Berbos says

      February 08, 2020 at 4:45 am

      I am so excited to have come across this recipe!
      I have made it several times and love it exactly as it is written. So very flavorful! Thank you ....it is a 5 star recipe in my book!

      Reply
    9. Kay Grace says

      March 17, 2020 at 4:38 pm

      Did I miss something? Where is the coriander?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        March 17, 2020 at 6:11 pm

        There are no coriander seeds in this. In India we call cilantro as coriander. So the soup made with cilantro leaves and stems

        Reply
    10. Lisa Swedo says

      March 29, 2020 at 2:20 pm

      I love this soup and have recommended it to many friends! Making it again today! Thank you so much, Archana!!5 stars

      Reply
    11. Purvi Modi Monga says

      April 21, 2020 at 5:20 am

      Loved this recipe. Super easy and everyone enjoyed it

      Reply
      • Archana says

        April 23, 2020 at 9:40 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    12. Gauri Gopalakrishnan says

      June 18, 2020 at 4:10 pm

      Delicious soup! For those that want more of a gingery flavour, use small, organic ginger- they’re more flavorful.5 stars

      Reply
    13. Krupa Shinkre says

      July 06, 2020 at 2:34 am

      Hi Can i add noodles to this soup? Do i need to modify the recipe then , if yes how?

      Reply
    14. SHERENE JOSEPH says

      October 02, 2020 at 7:45 pm

      Fantastic Soup Archana! Perfect for a cool Fall Friday evening!5 stars

      Reply
    15. Manal says

      October 07, 2020 at 11:02 pm

      I made this today for my sis who is recovering from a surgery. Everyone loved it SO much! It will be astappe for happy/healthy days as well as sick days ❤️5 stars

      Reply
    16. Vidhi says

      October 13, 2020 at 10:25 pm

      Hi
      My IP does not have manual option... what can I do instead? Very tempted to make this

      Reply
      • Archana says

        October 16, 2020 at 11:10 am

        It is same as the "Pressure Cook" option on newer Instant Pots

        Reply
    17. Saniya says

      October 22, 2020 at 10:19 pm

      This is a very flavorful soup recepie! Love it!5 stars

      Reply
    18. Mansi Vacher says

      November 22, 2020 at 10:16 am

      Simply amazing ! Goodbye to restaurant lemon coriander soup for my family ! Thank you for sharing it

      Reply
    19. Ananya says

      November 29, 2020 at 3:19 pm

      I’ve tried this soup many times and love it so much. The best soothing soup for the winter months. Absolutely delicious!

      Reply
    20. Ragini says

      December 02, 2020 at 12:45 am

      Made this soup and it was fantastic! My 10yr old even loved it! Thank you!!5 stars

      Reply
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    Hi, I'm Archana: a former software engineer, now a full-time blogger. I am a mother of two boys who share my love for food and cooking. Words I love to hear are, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” The same words I say to my mom every time we speak. I live in the greater New York City Area with my husband and sons.

    Learn More About Me!

    Archana's Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook

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