Chicken soup is one of those comfort foods that I could eat every day. This Vietnamese-inspired version uses lemongrass, ginger, and garlic for a super fragrant soup. Bone-in chicken gets pressure cooked in the Instant Pot so that you end up with a mineral and collagen-rich broth and fall-apart tender chicken. Sweet potatoes and kale add complex carbs, calcium, fiber, and a healthy dose of greens.
Ingredient highlight
Lemongrass! This southeast Asian stalk is a part of the grass family. It has a very distinct citrusy flavor thanks to plant compound “citral”, which also gives it it’s anti-inflammatory effects. It’s traditionally be used remedy for digestive issues, pain relief, and fever.
You can find lemongrass in the herb section or near the ginger at most grocery stores or at any Asian grocery store. When buying lemongrass, look for firm stalks with a pale yellow lower stalk and green upper stalk. For cooking, it’s best to remove the tough outer stalks (use it them for tea!) and only use the tender white inner stalk.
Servings 6
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 40 minutes Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (dark green parts separated from light green/white parts)
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt, divided
- 6 cups water
- 2.5-3 lbs bone-in chicken pieces (drumsticks, thighs, etc…)
- 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes (about 1 lb), cut into ½-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
- 4- inch knob ginger, cut into large chunks
- 3-4 stalks lemongrass (light green bottoms smashed)*
- 2 tbsp fish sauce**
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 6-8 cups chopped greens (mustard, spinach, kale, etc…or use 4 cups frozen)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- Toasted coconut, for topping (optional)
- Lime wedges
- *Use the back of your knife to smash the light green bottoms of the lemongrass stalk until it starts to shred open. If you can’t find lemongrass, just double down on the ginger.
- **If you’re not into fish sauce, you can substitute with soy sauce or do one tablespoon of each.
Instructions
- In a 6-quart Instant Pot, press the sauté button set to “normal” or “medium”. Add oil and the white and light green parts of the scallions, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until softened, about 2 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning. Press “cancel”.
- Add in the water, chicken, sweet potatoes, ginger, lemongrass, fish sauce, red pepper flakes (if using), and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine, making sure the ginger, lemongrass, and chicken are submerged.
- Cover with the lid, set the valve to “sealing” and pressure cook on high for 12 minutes (it will take about 16 minutes to come to pressure). Once the timer goes off, let it naturally release for 10 minutes, then manually release the rest of the pressure.
- Remove the lid. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to cool off. Discard the ginger chunks and lemongrass. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, use your hands to remove skin and use a fork to shred up the meat. Stir the chicken back into the pot along with the greens and lime juice.
- Serve topped with coconut flakes (if using), the dark green parts of the scallions, and a fresh squeeze of lime.
Stovetop instructions:
- Follow the recipe using a large pot (or dutch oven). Once you’ve cooked the scallions/garlic. Turn off the heat and continue to follow the recipe as is, just increase the water amount to 8 cups.
- Once everything is in there, cover with a lid, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low to maintain a simmer for 1 hour, or until the chicken is very tender. Follow the rest of the recipe as is.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Thinly slice 1 bunch scallions (dark and light green parts separated)
- Chop 4 cloves garlic
- Cut 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes into ½-inch cubes
- Cut a 4-inch knob ginger into large chunks
- Trim and smash 3-4 stalks lemongrass (see video)
- Chop 6-8 cups greens
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian/vegan, sub chicken with cubed tofu and replace fish sauce with soy sauce. You could also just skip the chicken and just make that flavorful broth. Then you can top with two boiled or fried eggs or stir in any other protein.
- You could sub bone-in chicken with 1-1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken, but you won’t get the same mineral and collagen-rich broth. If doing so, you can reduce the pressure cooking time to 8 minutes with a 5 minute natural release.
- Use carrots, regular potatoes, or winter squash in place of sweet potatoes.
- Can’t find lemongrass? Just use more ginger! You could also add some fresh turmeric.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Reheat it on the stove or in the microwave. Top with a squeeze of lime, herbs, and coconut.
- Put a fried or boiled egg on top.
- Serve with buttered toast or stir in some cooked grains to bulk it up.
This soup was simply amazing!