Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup is a delicious, quick and easy dinner that you can throw together in less than thirty minutes.
Did y’all catch the Amazon deals on the Instant Pot over the holidays? There were some CRAZY good deals! (Amazon affiliate)
If you are an Instant Pot newbie, welcome to the world of pressure cooking. There is a little bit of a learning curve, but once you get a few home run recipes under your belt, you will never look back. Check out my full Instant Pot recipe collection if you are interested.
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!
To start making this recipe, fist gather your ingredients.
Ingredients
For tastiest results, always use the best quality ingredients you have access to.
To make this Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup, you will need the following:
- chicken breasts
- olive oil or cooking spray
- canned black beans
- canned diced tomatoes
- corn
- chicken broth/ stock
- garlic
- chili powder
- cumin
- paprika
- ground coriander
- salt and pepper
- lime juice
- cilantro
How to make Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup
This is one of those throw-it-all-in-and-press-a-button recipes that is totally hands off. My favorite kind of recipe!😎👌🏻 Also known as “dump recipes.”
Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, onion 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.
Keep shredding until you break down all bits of the chicken. This takes about 2 to 3 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pot, and add lime juice and cilantro for additional flavor.
A cook time 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!
Toppings
Top Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup with whatever sounds good! Toppings really make it outstanding, in my humble opinion. Options:
- tortilla chips or tortilla strips
- diced avocado
- shredded cheese
- sour cream or Greek yogurt
- guacamole
How to sub chicken thighs in this recipe
My preferred cut of chicken for the Instant Pot is usually 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.🙌🏻 And it turned out great, y’all! The chicken was so tender and juicy.
That being said, you can make this Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup recipe as written with chicken breasts. Or you can opt to make it with chicken thighs instead, 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).
Tools used to make Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup
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Storing leftovers
Store in an airtight container. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to five days, and in the freezer for up to three months.
Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
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Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 5 cups chicken stock or broth (or 5 cups water + 1.5 Tablespoon Better Than Bullion chicken base)
- 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, tomatoes, onion 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 Video
Recipe Notes
Cook time includes time to come up to pressure.
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.
Original recipe is written for chicken breasts. But! If you prefer chicken thighs, you can follow the same recipe, and just increase the cook time to 13 minute with quick release.
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!
Note: This post originally appeared on A Pinch of healthy November 28, 2o16. The post has been refreshed with updated photos and a video. Here is an original photo, in case you are curious.
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
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.
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
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.
Cathy Farmer says
Hi, did you still use 1.5 pounds of boneless chicken thighs and cooked at 13 minutes correct? thanks
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Cathy! Yes, that is correct.👍🏻
Cathy Farmer says
Hi, did you still use 1.5 pounds of boneless chicken thighs? and cook at 13 minutes correct?? thanks
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Yes, I would suggest halving the ingredients and using the same cook time. I hope it turns out delicious for you!
Nicole Jean says
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!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Yaaaay! So happy that you enjoyed it Nicole.💖
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
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!
Jennifer Morhaime says
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.
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
SO glad you enjoyed it! 👏🏻
chicook13 says
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.
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Yay, I am so happy to hear y’all enjoyed it!💖 Thanks for taking the time to circle back and let me know.