Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup is exactly that! It’s an easy chicken soup recipe made in your instant pot so it’s ready in less than 30 minutes. It’s also a great freezer meal or you can prep all the ingredients and freeze it till you’re ready to make it!
You need to pin this so you can have it for later 😉 You can thank me when you have some happily stuffed bellies as you feed it to friends and family.
How to make Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup:
This recipe is so simple!
Just chop your onions and pepper, mince your garlic and chunk your chicken breast.
Saute the onions and garlic. Add beans, corn, tomatoes and spices.
Finally add the chicken and pressure cook for 7 minutes.
Stir in lime juice and heavy cream. And then ta-da, it’s ready to eat!
I don’t have an Instant Pot, can I still make this recipe?
Absolutely! I wouldn’t want you to miss out on this tasty recipe if you didn’t have an instant pot. You can make this on the stove on in a slow cooker (see below for instructions!)
How to make Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup if you don’t have an Instant Pot:
Slow cooker: You would make it similar to this recipe, except you would be slow cooking it, so for about 5-7 hours on low. But everything else would be the same. (Either skip the saute part or use a pan on the stove.)
On the stove: If you make this recipe on the stove, simply use a heavy base soup pot for the saute part and then follow the instructions on the recipe below. Allow to simmer for an hour or so until the chicken is cooked.
How much spice can I add to Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup?
This is entirely up to you! I added extra cayenne pepper for a bit more spice. If you love spice, you can add a poblano pepper, chipotle peppers or whatever form of spicy grabs your attention. If you’re serving kids, you can keep it light on the spice also.
How long do I cook my chicken for?
The chicken gives you lots of options! You can keep the breasts whole and cook for 12 minutes or chunk it and cook it for 7 minutes. If you keep the chicken breasts whole, you can simply shred it before eating the soup. I recommend chunking it and then slightly shredding it before serving.
P.s. You can also use boneless thighs!
Tips for using your Instant Pot while making Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup:
Make sure your lid is secure. You will hear a little sound that lets you know it locked.
Add the cream at the end, not during cooking time, or it could curdle.
Keep in mind when you set the Instant Pot to Pressure mode, it takes a few minutes to build pressure. So if you set it for 7 minutes, that time doesn’t actually start until pressure builds, which often takes about 10 minutes.
Make sure the lid valve is set to Sealing. Pressure will never build if the valve is set to Venting position. Ensure it’s in Sealing position when you lock the lid in place for pressure cooking.
Natural or manual release? For this recipe I recommend manual release so the chicken doesn’t overcook. Simply move the valve to the venting position and watch the steam release. Careful not to get burned! This may take a few minutes to release the pressure.
How to Make Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup a freezer meal:
Simply cook a large batch of this recipe or 2 batches and then skip the part about adding cream. (Do this step when you are reheating it to eat.) You can also prep all your ingredients and freeze them and have it all ready to go when you want to make this recipe.
More tips on how to use your instant pot.
Want more delicious fall recipes? Stay tuned for my pumpkin recipes to come. In the meantime, check out some inspiration from my quarantine cooking with What to Make in Quarantine: 25 Meal + Dessert Ideas.
Looking for more instant pot meals? Check out my friend Sarah’s Dump and Go Instant Pot Freezer Meals!
And finally what you came for, the recipe!
Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped fine
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic – minced
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3 teaspoons oregano
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes, including liquid
- 15 oz can black beans – drained and rinsed
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, chunked
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream OR
- 6-8 oz cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- TOPPING OPTIONS
- minced fresh cilantro or green onions
- tortilla strips
- lime slices
- sour cream
- avocado
- cheese
Instructions
- Chop onions and pepper, mince garlic and chunk chicken breast.
- Press the saute button on Instant pot. When it's hot, add the oil and onions. Add the garlic last and cook for about a minute.
- Add chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, and oregano and stir.
- Add can of tomatoes with liquid and stir making sure nothing is sticking to the bottom on the instant pot.
- Add in beans and corn and tomatoes. Stir all together.
- Place chicken breasts into the instant pot, cancelling the saute mode. Make sure the valve is set to "sealing" after securing the lid. Press the Pressure Cook or Manual button and use the +/- buttons to set the timer for 7 minutes.
- Once the timer beeps, let out the pressure by carefully moving the valve to “venting" to perform a quick release. This may take a few minutes.
- When the pin drops, remove lid. On saute, add heavy cream and lime juice. Heat for a few minutes, stirring till all the cream is mixed in.
- Press Cancel and unplug the Instant Pot.
- Shred chicken and stir all together.
- Serve hot and top with desired toppings.
Bobbie Blue says
I love chicken tortilla soup but I’ve never tried it in an instant pot. I will have to give it a try!
Catherine says
It’s so easy!!