Pressure Cooker Italian Chicken Soup

Dont mess with the pressure cooker. I think in this instance it is way too much work. Plus having a soup simmering in the kitchen in the winter--sending its fragrance thru the house is a huge plus. The package of sausage (sweet italian) I bought had 5 in it...the package of chicken had 3...so I kinda scaled up from there. I sued the same ammt of barley and lentils. Also the same ammt of stock. I also used a cube of Mexican chicken/tomatoe boullion and that gave the stock a richer flavor. I simmered everything together for about 3.5 hours and everyone at the house said it smelled "heavenly" (my 14 year old) Next time I will leave out the barley--I dont think it contributes anything to the soup. I will also leave out the spinach--it was kinda slimey. Some carrots in the next batch and a bean mixture instead of the 'banzos. The stock was delicious and it is a definate base for experimentation. With potatoes, I think it will be very similar to the zuppa Toscana soup at the big olive chain restaurant.

I love this - used my trusty and favorite cooking method - the pressure cooker, absolutely wonderful. Very flavorful, and very quick. I was unsure about the barley and lentils - I added them dry from a package and it turned out beautiful, not mushy. The only change I made was frozen spinach - worked great - also I did not add the green salsa till I served it and it was a really nice garnish. Looks beautiful, and tastes really great! Also, I made my own chicken stock in the pressure cooker about 15 minutes prior to making soup - this makes such a nice soup base, better than any store bought!

This soup is very rich and healthy! I used 5 Italian turkey sausage links and added black pepper and red pepper powder. It gave it a hint if spicyness. I also added one can of diced tomatoes with no salt added and with garlic, oregano and basil. Since the recipe as is is very high in sodium per serving, I boiled the lentils and the garbanzo beans myself in water with no salt. I added one cube of chicken bouillon and it turned out perfect and even healthier. The barley helps to reduce cholesterol and by boiling the beans myself, it was low in sodium too. Perfect! Also, one tip: don't add the parsley until you are ready to turn off the heat. Parsley is a great antioxidant; however, if you boil it, it loses all properties. The same for the spinach.

First, let me say I do not have a pressure cooker, so used a slow cooker. Also, I was lazy and, rather than sautéing anything, I sliced the sausage and threw all of the ingredients into the slow cooker. I used fresh garbanzos that I had soaked for about four hours. I cooked on low for 6 hours. Chopped up the spinach in the food processor and added it and cooked another hour. Very satisfying.

Excellent! No modifications as mentioned by others. It's great just the way it is. The pressure cooker makes quick work of the chicken!

*I made this for three on the stove top* I sautéed a small onion, 2 clv garlic, 1/4c chopped bell pepper and some chopped hamsteak (instead of sausage) in olive oil. I transferred this mix to saucepan with 4c preheated chicken broth, uncooked chicken breast half, 1/4c chopped celery, 1/4c chopped carrots, 1/2 can corn, just over 1/4c chopped parsley (go fresh it's worth it!). I left it on the stove simmering covered for 1 1/2 hrs till the boys were hungry (except to remove chicken breast, shred meat and return to pot). I added 1/2 can chickpeas, a pureed 7.5oz can of spinach, a few handfuls of dry rotini (didn't have lentils or barley), and 1/2c medium salsa and a few dashes of hot sauce. This made just enough for three adults (two of which got seconds) and it was wonderful.

My husband loved this soup. It makes a very large portion & I only used 1/2 of the spinach (it seemed like a lot). After, I thought I should of added all 16oz since it cooks down so much...duh!

I have made this a few times a few slightly different ways but it's ALWAYS yummy! I admit I've never used a pressure cooker but I have used a SLOW cooker leaving it all day to cook and it was amazing. Last night I made it on the stove in a regular pot (without the chicken) in less than 30 minutes and it was still very good. So, MAKE IT!

Very nice suggestion for using up a pound of hot Italian turkey sausage. Tasty, even with a few substitutions because I didn't have some of the ingredients on hand (red lentils for green, cannelini for chick peas, Italian petite diced tomatoes for salsa). Since I like to make a LOT of soup if I'm going to go to the trouble, I added a lot more chicken and water. Figuring it might need a little spice, I added some extra Italian seasoning (Penzeys Tuscan Sunset), and I found a jar of chili paste in the cupboard and used only about 1/2 tsp for the 12 cups of water I used with Better Than Turkey bouillon (out of chicken). Still very tasty. Wish I'd had a little more spinach than I'd had on hand, but it looks beautiful just the same.

Just made this! A few changes: no pressure cooker, cooked first part (all prior to spinach/chickpea/salsa addition) for 1 hour, then remainder for 20 minutes. Instead of mild salsa, added 7 oz. chipotle salsa; quite spicy, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt is a nice counter to it. Omitted fresh parsley - didn't have any. Used split red lentils instead of green, no problems there. Great stuff!

Used a Dutch oven instead of a pressure cooker and it came out great. Freezes beautifully - I'm eating leftovers right now on a cold night and it's just wonderful.

This is a wonderful, hearty and healthy soup. I realize there are purists out there that say why rate a recipe 5 stars if modifications were made. Well, I say, it's ok! I made one or two modifications based upon what was on hand and to my taste -- but that does not negate the wonderful recipe shared! I used two Jenni-O HOT Italian turkey sausages and two regular mild italitan sausages. Followed the instructions exactly. The only other thing I changed was to add half a can of diced tomatoes (per another reviewer). The real kicker was adding fresh squeezed lemon juice of HALF of a SMALL lemon. To me, it added a nice bright freshness to the heaviness of the other ingredients. This is a wonderful recipe as is or with a modification or two. Make it your own and enjoy! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!

Wonderful. Substituted Italian wedding soup meatballs, next time smoked ham.

My husband loved this. I used chili powder instead of salsa but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. It was the perfect amount of hearty, spicy and delicious!

We make this every winter and love it. It also freezes really well. I make a large batch and seal them in individual serving size bags.

Very good soup.Mine needed more stock to make it soupy . Needs salt and pepper to taste.

Excellent and hearty soup! I cooked it on stovetop because I don't have a pressure cooker. Couldn't find italian turkey sausage so sauteed regular turkey sausage with italian seasoning and paprika. I also added some italian seasoning, paprika, salt and pepper to the broth while it simmered. It was delicious with parmasan cheese on top and a piece of toasted bread on the side. Already looking forward to having it for lunch tomorrow!

This was my first time using a pressure cooker and I'm in love! Super easy, super fast and super tasty! I did 2 bone-in chicken breasts and added a bit of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Will certainly make it again. Even my friends picky eating kids ate it.

This soup is really easy, super healthy and even my picky husband likes it. I add an extra onion, extra cup of broth, package of chicken breasts instead of one bone-in, and substitute blackbeans for garbanzo beans. Also doesn't hurt to give it some kick with medium/hot salsa or to use spicy sausage.

Loved it! I did, however make some substitutions based on what I had in the kitchen. Instead of salsa I added a small can of diced tomatoes, and instead of the parsley and spinach I substituted chopped, deveined kale. I also omitted the chicken, and doubled the chicken stock. There was a lot of flavour from the italian sausage, and the soup was very good.

Delicious! Just make sure to soak your lentils!

Wow - this was so good! I left out the barley, lentils and parsley (only because I didn't have it), and I used 5 cups of chicken broth. But it was just ridiculously good!! My husband even commented on how good it was and believe me, that is a high compliment!

Wonderful hearty soup! I doubled the recipe for a crowd and everyone loved it. I didn't make any substitutions except that I added a can of tomatoes with green chilis for an extra kick. This is definitely a recipe that I will make regularly and keep in the freezer.

EXCELLENT AND FAST! Very easy to substitute - I had no sausage so I used turkey bacon, and added split peas as well as lentils. Delicious! The kids love it and so does my husband. Definite keeper!!

Great flavor. Makes a very large batch

This was enjoyed by both my sand and my inlaws. (they seemed to enjoy it more the next day) only used one chicken sausage link and one bone-in chicken leg (on sale this week) and halved the rest of the recipe. Will def make this Again.

Fantastic flavor and texture! My 5 year old even eats it! I wouldn't change a single thing about it.

This soup was SOOO good! Especially if you are a soup lover as I am. I made it exactly as stated except I used a standard soup pot on the stove. I simmered it for a total of 1.5 hours, adding the chickpeas, spinach, salsa and parsley last (about 10 minutes before eating). I also noticed that the chicken stock amount is way under what is actually needed. I used a 48oz can and still had to add 2 cups of water and 3 bouillon cubes. This may vary depending on the amount of lentils and barley you add, though. I think I added a touch more than the recipe called for. My boyfriend loved it too, so it spans genders :) We had it with some toasted multigrain bread on a snowy night. YUM!!!!!

I loved this- I did not use a pressure cooker but cooked on the stove for a few hours and it was yummy!!! I used it as it except for the pressure cooker.

Wanted to try new electric pressure cooker. Great dish. Thank you.

Great tasting and healthy recipe.Seemed a little thick though with just three cups of broth.

Now THIS is why I love love love my pressure cooker! Under an hour from start to finish, healthy and tasted like I cooked it all day! I have a big Presto that I use for canning and large roasts, etc. I used my little stove top pressure cooker for this recipe. Followed it exactly except I didn't have any barley (I will include it next time as I think it would be a great addition), I used frozen microwave thawed spinach and I added some fresh oregano to the parsley. Also salt and pepper to taste. Just an all around GREAT pressure cooker recipe! My husband LOVED it!

Family really liked this soup. Even picky eater ate the spinach. Will be making this again and again.

Great recipe. I substituted chicken wings and boneless thighs for the chicken breasts called for in the recipe. When the soup was done, I strained out the chicken, de-boned and de-skinned the wings, diced the meat and added it back to the soup. The wings were messy to clean but I wanted bones for stock. The thigh meat was perfect for the soup, less expensive and more flavorful then breasts. I also substituted cannellini beans for the chick peas and red beans for the barley, because it was what I had in the house, and 1/2 box of frozen spinach, instead of fresh. The end product was almost a chicken and sausage minestrone. I am serious, you can't believe how delicious this soup was! Also low-carb and gluten-free made this way.

Delicious! At first I thought the recipe had an insane amount of spinach, but it cooked down nicely. This recipe is a keeper. The only thing I did different was add some pepper sauce at the end to liven it up just a tad. But I seem to season almost everything just a little to tweak it to my taste buds.

I made this for the 1st time today. One word... DELICIOUS!! The only thing I added was 1/2 teaspoon of poultry seasoning. I will be making this again and again and again!! Oh, I did use frozen spinach. This is an easy quick dinner with some left overs!

Delicious. I love my pressure cooker for this. I added butternut squash in big chunks. Also used skinless chicken thighs and left the bones in. The addition of chicken thighs, squash, onions and a dash of celery was like adding homemade stock. Great for a meal in one pot.

This soup as written was pretty good. To get the lentils soft enough I needed 11-12 minutes in the pressure cooker. The second time I made it I omitted the barley, used a tin of mixed beans, and substituted kale (for spinach) and Rotel for the salsa. Both versions were tasty but, of course, I preferred the one with my modifications. That's what makes recipes so great, you can change to suit your tastes :) Thanks Julie!!

I first time I made this I did not use a pressure cooker. I use hot turkey sausage, 1/2 box frozen spinach and small white beans instead of garbanzos. The next time I used a pressure cooker. I also used three quarts of stock. The recipe makes quite a lot, so I gave it everyone. The raves keep coming in. Easy and so delicious.

This was a great pressure cooker soup! I had dinner on the table with a hearty soup in no time at all. Very tasty.

You'll need a TON more broth. But it's awesome!

Made this for the first time exactly as directed. Everyone in the family loved it. It has its own little zing to it without adding any additional spice to it. Feel free to add to this as it is a great base recipe and it very tolerant to change.

Delicious! We are using an electronic p/c (T-Fal) and changed the following: We used Italian-style chicken & cheese sausage that had no casing, and just sliced it into bite-sized pieces. Everything was browned right in the p/c. We left it on the high setting for the 9 minute cook time. The amount of spinach was reduced to about 4-5 ounces. The chicken broth was low sodium commercial stuff that comes in a small carton. No seasoning was added, not even salt/pepper. The soup has a wonderful texture, with the lentils, barley, and the chickpeas all retaining some great "tooth." I hope it freezes well since we'll be making it often.

I have made this numerous times without the chickpeas and spinach and amazing everytime. Tastes even better the next day. I make mine in the pressure cooker and is super easy. yum!

Delicious and fast. Thanks for the recipe!

The wife and I really liked this one. Very colorful, very hearty. Definitely use fresh parsley and fresh spinach. The parsley adds a nice touch without being overpowering. Also used reduced sodium stock which really cut down the high sodium in this recipe making it a fairly nutritious dish.

this is amazing. we added some ground red pepper and italian seasoning and subbed frozen spinach for the fresh spinach and it was perfect.

Followed recipe to the letter for the first time out, and it was marvelous. Easy to make and far more flavorful than one might think with no "salt, pepper, or herb/spice" other than the flat leaf parsley. I used the pressure cooker, and with prep time, the recipe took less than an hour and tasted like it cooked all day. Skip crackers and serve with a hearty, crusty baguette. Next time, I might add a bit of pepper, and I did sprinkle a smidge of parm on top - so good for a winter day/evening.

Will definitely make this again! Hearty and I love the use of barley and lentils. I added 2 more cups of stock at the end and it was still really thick and hearty.

One of my favorite soup recipes!

Solid recipe! Easy, concise directions, perfect outcome. I made the soup ahead of time, and held back the spinach. At serving time, reheated, stirred in the spinach. You need a large pot when adding the spinach, or add and fold it in a bit at a time. It takes up a lot of room before it heats up.

Yes! and it freezes well. The prep time is pretty on target but worth it.

so easy and very tasty.

Loved it, so flavorful and very filling. Easy to make.

Very good, certainly a re-make in the future... I used Turkey sausage since I had it on hand and left out the spinach. Overall was a big hit with the family

We really enjoyed this. I haven't used my pressure cooker in so long, I chickened out and put this recipe in the slow cooker and it was excellent. I went with what I had on hand which meant omitting the barley and lentils and salsa and replacing spinach with kale. Will definitely make this again. YUM!!!

This was delicious! Instead of barley, I added about 1/2 c. Davinci Acini De Pepe noodles because I was afraid my family wouldn't like barley. After browning my sausage, onion, garlic and celery I added all other ingredients as indicated. I added 1c. extra of water because it was my first time using my electric power pressure cooker and I was nervous about not having enough liquid. Even though I cooked my spinach and parsley the full time, the flavor was wonderful. I thought I had garbanzo beans but when I went to get those they were gone. Next time I will make it exactly as instructed, but wanted to add my review in case anyone wonders if they can add some noodles instead of barley and cook it all at once...it still comes out so yummy!

I stumbled across this when trying to figure out what to do with leftover barley. My picky husband and even pickier son with autism both loved this! I don't have a pressure cooker so I let it simmer a couple of hours. Next time, I'll try the crockpot. I used 5 Italian sausage links, instead of 4, because that's what came in the package. I used tomato sauce seasoned with Italian seasonings instead of salsa.

omitted spinach and garabanzos, added extra stock, cooked on simmer/ stovetop 2 1/2 hrs. And love it!

Fast and really good. I made some changes out of necessity; I didn't have the lentils or the barley, so I used kidney beans and sweet potato orzo. Next, I left out the chicken breast because I had leftover rotisserie chicken I wanted to use up which I just shredded and stirred it in at the end with the spinach. Very satisfying and I will make again! My husband loved it.

Delicious! But the lentils and barley was a little too much for the soup. 3/4 of the pot was filled with them!

I have made this recipe several times. Family favorite. Freezes well. One of my favorite soups. GREAT RECIPE!

Really good! I used the Ninja Foodi. After cooking the sausage, onion and garlic, i followed the rest of the directions, then I set on high for 11min. Very good!

Substituted chicken breast for sausage.

This is a really good recipe; very filling. The alterations I'd suggest are: add 4 or 5 cups of chicken stock, use about 12 oz spinach (16 oz is a massive amount) and put it in for the last 10-20 mins so it can absorb the liquid under heat, add 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon pepper, and 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning, use a bit more barley and lentils, and actually take out the sausage and drain the liquid before adding everything else; I thought I'd save time and cook the sausage and onions at the same time but neither of them cooked well enough with all that liquid.

No changes at all. Made it to code. The only thing that happened to me was the 3 Cups of broth was not enough due to me leaving it in the pressure cooker while I picked up my kids from softball. So the beans absorbed all of the liquid, I simply added another 3 cups of broth and it's super awesome. Very very good recipe!

Excellent recipe!!

This is a great recipe. I didn't think it was going to have near as much flavor as it does. The pressure cooker made it so easy. It's delicious, quick and healthy.

Out of this world. My mouth is watering while I'm writing this. On my way to the fridge for another round.

This is a fantastic recipe. I do not change a thing, but add a bit of parmesan cheese to the top when serving. It is even better the next day. I can serve my family a wonderful, hearty soup on a weeknight! I love my pressure cooker.

Used pinto beans and it was good

Made it in my instapot following the recipe except using cooked chopped up sausage instead of ground. 17 min on high pressure, 6 min slow release, then released the rest at once. Turned out perfect!!

Love this recipe!!

The best soup I've had and made. Don't change a thing

Perfect as is! Don't mess with it. This whips up so quick and easy in my pressure cooker, makes the house smell AMAZING, and the whole family loved it! Thanks for a great recipe :)

I have made this soup about 10-15 times and it is awesome. The only thing I do differently is make my own stock from a whole chicken and use the meat in the soup instead of the breast it calls for. My family calls for this to be made at least once a month.

Did not use the spinach or chick peas. Versatile recipe.

I prepared this for my family and everyone loved it. I have a pressure cooker but didn't bother using it. This recipe can easily be done in a slow cooker. I just browned the chicken and sausage and then added all the ingredients to the slow cooker . . .Yummy!

I excluded the sausage and increased the beans. Yummy!

mods: 8 ounces spinach 5 cups broth 6 cloves garlic 20 minutes a low pressure setting (big chx breast) It was DELICIOUS but SUPER thick (more so than stew) so next time I will bump it up to 8 cups and reduce it down with the full 160 ounces of spinach.

I found this recipe to be easy to make and full of flavor. My family asked me to keep the recipe so I could make it again in the middle of winter. They said it was rich and filling and the broth was wonderful.

Delicious. Used 2 chicken breasts and no sausage. Otherwise followed the recipe exactly.

We just added a little more chicken stock than it called for and it was excellent. Even out two teenage daughters liked it after we told them it was healthy. Thanks.

Wonderful! The only change I made was to use 8 cups of stock and 5 sausage links (that's how many were in the package). I will definitely make this again!