Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup is a delicious, quick and easy dinner that you can throw together in less than thirty minutes.
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No Instant Pot? No problem! If you want to make this same recipe in the slow cooker, you can get that recipe here.
But back to this Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup recipe!
My whole family loved it. And it was one of those throw-it-all-in-and-press-a-button recipes that is totally hands off. My favorite kind of recipe!
The one thing you have to do is shred the chicken when it is ready, but that is no biggie.
It takes like three minutes tops. Then you just return all that yummy chicken to the pot, and serve it.
My preferred cut of chicken for the Instant Pot is the chicken thigh. Why? Because it is least likely to dry out. But! I wanted to do a chicken breast recipe for y’all because so many of y’all have been asking about recipe adaptions for chicken breasts. So this fits the bill.
That being said, you can make this recipe with chicken thighs, if you just adjust the cooking time to about 13 minutes. Quick release for fresh chicken thighs, or add ten minutes of natural release for frozen thighs. (Note: you will have to separate out the individual thighs because one big block of thighs will not cook all the way).
A note about those chicken breasts: You may need to adjust cook time if the size of your chicken breasts is significantly bigger or smaller than the ones I used. Mine were around 7 to 8 ounces each, FYI. I have not tested this recipe with frozen chicken breasts. But if I do, I will come back and update this!
Tools Used to Make Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
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Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
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Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 5 cups chicken stock or broth
- 14.5 ounces (1 can) diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander (ground)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
- 14.5 ounces (1 can) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups frozen corn kernels
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
- Optional toppings: tortilla chips, diced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream or guacamole. (not included in nutritional info)
Instructions
Add the chicken stock, onions, tomatoes and garlic to the pot.
Place the chicken breasts on top, and sprinkled the spices on top of that.
Last, add the black beans and corn on top, and do not stir.
Place the lid on, lock it, and cook the mixture on manual high pressure for 5 minutes. (Note: It will take several minutes to build pressure)
Let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes (do not use the quick lever for 10 minutes). Then quick release the rest, using the release lever.
When the pot has depressurized, remove the chicken and shred it with two forks.
Return the chicken to the pot, and add lime juice and ciliantro for additional flavor.
Top with whatever sounds good! Options: tortilla chips, diced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream or guacamole.
Recipe Notes
Note about those chicken breasts: You may need to adjust cook time if the size of your chicken breasts is significantly bigger or smaller than the ones I used. Mine were around 7 ounces each, FYI.
Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
Hi Rachel! I think it should work with cooked chicken, such as rotisserie chicken cut into pieces. I would cook the onions and garlic first for about 5 minutes on sauté. And then I would quick release after about 5 minutes of NPR, instead of 10. I make a chicken noodle soup this way, and it does fine. The chicken may or may not be as flavorful.I’d be curious to hear how it turns out.
Yep, and once you see the number 5 that means it is fully pressurized, and it has begun it’s cooking time. It will count down from there.
Hi, did you still use 1.5 pounds of boneless chicken thighs and cooked at 13 minutes correct? thanks
Hi Cathy! Yes, that is correct.👍🏻
Hi, did you still use 1.5 pounds of boneless chicken thighs? and cook at 13 minutes correct?? thanks
Yes, I would suggest halving the ingredients and using the same cook time. I hope it turns out delicious for you!
Made this for dinner and it was a huge hit. Tastes just like tortilla soup I have at restaurants. I used Better Than Bouillon instead of broth and I think that helped a lot for flavor. This recipe was so easy to follow! Thank you!
Yaaaay! So happy that you enjoyed it Nicole.💖
You could try adding more salt and pepper. I often use bullion + water as my chicken stock, which tends to be waaay saltier than regular broth/stock. Meaning that I add less salt. And you can always add more seasoning to taste too. But I would be willing to be you need more salt. Better luck next time!
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d3e7f844154eba3832d3d70ab629e7d2e648ea1fc8c8b4d6ab22344fd958b2cf.jpg Just made this recipe with frozen tenderloins at 6min manual. I used a red bell pepper instead of corn. Tastes and smells amazing. The chicken was slightly freezer burned so a tad dry but having in the soup helps and so easy to shred. Just falls apart.
SO glad you enjoyed it! 👏🏻
I made this last night and it was a HUGE hit in my house! My boyfriend devoured two bowls. When we went to pick my son up after we ate, my son said the car even smelled delicious – I guess we brought the smell with us. He devoured a bowl when he got home and they both took it for lunch today. I doubled the chicken but kept the liquid & time the same. I usually prefer chicken thighs for this type of soup, too, but I had breasts so I used those. The chicken was absolutely perfect and juicy – it tasted so good! Thanks so much for such a wonderful recipe. This will absolutely be going in our regular meal rotation. The Instant Pot makes things so easy – I was able to load it up, turn it on and then run to the store while it cooked.
Yay, I am so happy to hear y’all enjoyed it!💖 Thanks for taking the time to circle back and let me know.
Made this tonight -amazing! I didn’t have coriander so I left it out. My chicken breasts were a little over 8oz so I moved it up to 8 minutes.
I think it’s the best instant pot recipe we have tried so far.
Yaaay! 👏🏻 SO happy to hear that Diane. Thank you for taking the time to leave that feedback. 💖
This looks delicious! How would I make this if I was using frozen chicken?
Your chicken breasts would need to be un-frozen enough to split up into individual breasts, not one frozen block. I have heard others say that it should be the same cook time, with the rationale that it will take it longer to come to pressure. Makes sense, but I would add an extra minute or 2 to cook time, just to be sure. And it never hurts to use a meat thermomoter to make sure. Hope that helps!
Is there a way to do this with a slow cooker?
There sure is, and here is the slow cooker recipe: http://www.apinchofhealthy.com/chicken-tortilla-soup-in-the-slow-cooker/ Enjoy! 💖👍🏻
I notice you call for a can of black beans. How come you didn’t cook black beans from dry in the Instant Pot?
Great question! This is meant to be a quick and easy recipe. Dry beans would take about 40 minutes + NPR to cook, plus I would have to interrupt cooking to add the chicken. I was going for an easy weeknight type dinner.
I cubed the chicken breast and added the beans after pressure was released. Delish.
Yay! SO glad you enjoyed it Phyllis.👍🏻
How would I cook it , if I wanted to use dried black beans?
I try to avoid canned beans as much as I can.
Hmmmm, I have not tried this so I cannot guarantee results. But if I had to guess, I would say add everything (plus some extra stock since the beans will absorb – not exactly sure how much…maybe an extra 2 cups?) except the chicken and corn, and cook about 40 minutes. Then quick release pressure, add the chicken and corn, and cook another 5 minutes. If you do try it, let me know how it turns out!
I made this the other night, and it was awesome! I think this is my favorite soup ever. I usually won’t touch leftovers, but this has been my lunch for the last three days. Thank you for sharing!
That is awesome Dede! Thanks for letting me know. Funny, I am making this for our dinner tonight. 🙂
The cooking time of 11 min for chicken thighs, is that boneless/skinless or bone-in?
Thanks!
Hey Scott! It’s actually 13 minutes. And to answer your question: boneless, skinless thighs. Hope this helps!
Just choose Manual, push Adjust, and go up to 12 minutes and you’re all set! 🙂 Join almost 350,000 IP users on Facebook! There’s always lots of questions, answers, recipes–love it there! http://www.facebook.com/groups/InstantPotCommunity
This was so delicious!!! Thanks for this recipe! It may be our favorite IP recipe so far! Husband, son, and I all raved and couldn’t get enough! Chips and avocado is a must! 😀 https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c12cc384a0f97029597999bbdadb79326eb6b6e8cd27123e6f36de3400c148c3.jpg
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it! Looks delicious. 🙂
I can’t wait to try this!