Chicken Tortilla Soup Instant Pot

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Fast Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Instant Pot

Yield: 8

Author: Sage & Sesame

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 35 Min

This fast, easy, healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe for the Instant Pot will please the whole family

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 jalapeno (with seeds if you like it spicy!)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 lime
• 1 poblano pepper (green bell pepper if poblanos are not in season)
• 1 red or orange bell pepper
• 1 carrot (optional)
• 1 can corn (drained)
• 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 2 cans rotel (or similar tomatoes with chiles)
• 1 can green chiles
• 1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
• 1 box of chicken stock (32 ounces)
• 1/2 block of cream chesse
• 7 sprigs of fresh cilantro (leaves only)

Toppings

• sour cream
• avacado chunks
• fresh cilantro leaves
• shredded cheddar cheese
• crushed tortilla chips

Order Ingredients!

• This Aldi grocery list contains all the ingrdients for this recipe. Add teh items you don't have on hand to your cart and have instacart shop them for you. You can choose to have them delivered to you or you can pick them up for a 5% discount on your order! Please note - the quantities you need are not stored in the list, so remember to order 2 cans of Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chiles)

Instructions

1. Pour 1 tsp olive oil into instant pot
2. Press the saute button on the instant pot and let it heat up for 3 minutes
3. Dice the yellow onion, 3 cloves of garlic and jalapeno. I use my ninja for this, but any food processor will work for this step
4. Add diced veggies to the pot and saute for 5 minutes
5. While the onion, garlic and jalapeno are sauteeing, dice the poblano, bell pepper and carrot. I do this by hand because I like to have some larger veggie chunks, but if you are ok with a small dice go ahead and use your food processer to save time on this step. I slice the carrot into 4ths and dice to avoid large pieces of carrots.
6. Add the diced poblano and bell peppers and carrots to the pot and saute for 3 minutes
7. Juice 1 large lime and add it to the pot
8. Add the 1 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of paprika, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper to the pot
9. Add 2 cans of tomatoes with chiles (Rotel), 1 drained can of corn, 1 can of drained and rinsed black beans,1 can of green chiles and 1 can of tomato paste to the pot
10. Lay the pound of chicken thighs on top of all the other ingredients
11. Pour in 1 box of chicken stock
12. Seal your instant pot lid and cancel the saute function. Press the pressure cook button and set the time to 20 minutes
13. It will take the pot a few minutes to come up to pressure before it starts counting down the 20 minutes.
14. Once the 20 minutes is up, do a quick release
15. Shred the chicken. You can usualy do this with 2 forks right in the pot, but if you find that your chicken is not tender enough to just fall apart you can pull the chicken out into a bowl and shred with a hand mixer
16. Cut the 1/2 cream cheese block into 5 pieces so it will melt faster and add it to the pot
17. Top with a dollop of sour cream, avacado chunks, fresh cilantro leaves, shredded cheddar cheese and crushed gluten free tortilla chips
18. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Notes

Make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free tortilla chips

Reduce the sodium with reduced sodium chicken stock

Nutrition Facts

Calories

241.95

Fat

5.55

Sat. Fat

1.64

Carbs

28.07

Fiber

6.94

Net carbs

21.14

Sugar

6.61

Protein

21.43

Sodium

685.26

Cholesterol

42.61

https://www.sageandsesame.com/blog/fast-easy-chicken-tortilla-soup-for-the-instant-pot

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mexican

This Gluten Free Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup is a great hearty meal in itself, but I like to serve it with cornbread on the side and a side salad. To make this an easy weeknight meal I use a cornbread boxed mix. My favorite mix is Krusteaz Honey Cornbread & Muffin Mix. My favorite side salad to go with this is really simple. Romaine or butter lettuce, cherry tomatoes, crumbly blue cheese with a drizzle of oil and vinegar and garlic salt and pepper. For a more mexican take on the salad use crumbled queso fresco instead of blue cheese crumbles.

If you have a stackable steamer set for you instant pot you can make both gluten free cornbread and this gluten free instant pot chicken tortilla soup recipe at the same time in one pot! I love one pot recipes! They are my favorite. It makes for such easy meal prep and easy clean up. This recipe fits the bill of a one pot chicken tortilla soup recipe. You place all the ingredients in the instant pot and wait for it to be done cooking. Add your toppings and slice up the cornbread and you have a well balanced meal!

For a thicker creamy tortilla soup see our recipe for gluten free creamy chicken tortilla soup.

Questions

Can I make this recipe in the crock pot or slow cooker?

Yes, you can make this recipe in your crock pot. I find the chicken shreds better in the instant pot but if you prefer to use your crock pot the recipe is exactly the same, just cook on high for 4 hours.

Can I make this recipe on the stove in a soup pot?

Yes, to make on the stove you will follow the same steps but will have to simmer the soup for at least an hour to get that home cooked flavor simmered in. If you aren’t short on time I would simmer as long as you can up to three hours.

Can I freeze my leftover Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup after cooking?

Yes, feel free to freeze your left overs for another night, but this soup will also stay well in the refrigerator. My kids usually scoop up the leftovers in a thermos for their lunch the next day, but if you have enought to freeze it also freezes well. To freeze soup, make sure you follow these steps:

1. Let the soup cool completely

2. Leave room in your container for the soup to expand

3. remove as much air from the bag as you can if you are usign plastic freezer bags to freeze your soup. This helps prevent ice from forming in the freezer bag

4. When thawing make sure to place your freezer bag in a bowl in the refridgerator in case the bag got punctured in the freezer

Can I make this Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe dairy free?

Sure, just leave out the all cheeses including the cream cheese and shredded cheese topping and replace with diary free options. You can use diary free creamer if you still want this to be on the creamier side, and you can use your favorite plant based shredded cheese instead of cheese made with dairy.

What size Instant Pot Pressure Cooker do I use for this recipe?

This recipe will fit in any size instant pot. I have an 8 quart Instant Pot and it’s a great size for a family.

The most common Instant Pot Sizes are:

• 6 Quart Instant Pot

• 8 Quart Instant Pot

• 3 Quart Instant Pot

You can double this recipe and make it in your 10 Quart Instant Pot or your 12 Quart Instant Pot. as well. To modify the number of servings for any of our recipes you can click on the Yield drop down and change the number in that box. If it’s normally a 6 serving recipe and you want to double it, you would change the number in the box to 12 and the recipe will adjust the quantities of all the ingredients for you.

For a full overview of all the latest Instant Pot models and all the associated Instant Pot Sizes see our article titled “Instant Pot Sizes”

What is Traditional Chicken Tortilla Soup?

Traditional Mexican Tortilla Soup is typically prepared with fried tortilla pieces that are immersed in a hot broth made of tomato, onion, garlic, chili and herbs. The soup typically includes beans, chicken, pork and other meats, and is served with avocados, shredded cheese and shredded sour cream. It is traditionally cooked on the stove for hours, but with your pressure cooker, you can greatly reduce the time to make this savory soup.

The Best Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Make sure to use high-quality fresh ingredients to get the most delicious results when making soup. Our recipes are written for the easiest, fasted method of cooking, but if you the option to use fresh instead of canned or frozen for any ingredient please go for it. I always cook with whole fresh ingredients when they are avaiable, but like to write my recipes with ease in mind.

My fresh ingredient suggestions:

• Use fresh cilantro

• Use fresh squeezed lime juice

• Use freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• Use fresh Chili Peppers instead of Chili Powder

• Swirl a drizzle of fresh Coconut Milk on the top for a festive garnish

• Use fresh corn cut from the cob. You can place the whole cob in the pot when cooking for added flavor and slice the kernels off the cob once cooking is complete

• Use fresh garden diced tomatoes in place of canned diced tomatoes or fire roasted tomatoes when in season. There is nothing that can compare to a tomato fresh from the vine. Yum!

• Use homemade chicken broth if you have some made from the bones of a whole chicken

• Use fresh jalapeno (I’m experimenting growing jalapenos indoors in my lettuce grow farmstand right now!)

Should I use chicken thighs or chicken breasts?

I prefer to use boneless skinless chicken thighs in all my soup recipes. I find that chicken thighs shred better and stay more moist and tender than chicken breasts. This is really a personal preference though. If using chicken breats in place of chicken thighs then I would suggest increasing the cooking time by 5 minutes or cutting the chicken breasts into smaller pieces before cooking so they will shred easier after cooking. I like my shredded chicken to fall apart easily in soup so I do use a longer cooking time than you may see in other recipes. If you opt for a shorter cooking time you can also get nicely shredded chicken using your kitchen aid mixer with the paddle attachment or you can do a few pulses in your ninja express chopper.

How do I shred chicken in the instant pot?

I do not remove the chicken from the instant pot to shred it. I shred it right in the pot, but if you find it hard to shred in the pot then you can remove it from the pot and shred it in a bowl or on a cutting board. You could also use your ninja express chopper to shred your chicken. Just place the chunks of chicken in the chopper and pulse a few times until it gets to your desired consistency. If you choose to shred it in the instant pot and you don’t find that it is shredding easily, then turn the pot on the sauté function. Let it get heated up for a few minutes, and then try shredding again. If it’s still difficult, repeat until it becomes easy. Some times the chicken just needs to rest a bit after pressure cooking before it will shred easily.

What goes with Chicken Tortilla Soup?

I usually serve my southwest chicken tortilla soup with cornbread and side salad, but some other dishes that go nicely with your mexican themed dinner are:

Appetizers:

• quesadillas

• nachos

• fresh tortillas and salsa or quacamole

• warm tortillas with butter

Side Dishes:

• mexican rice

• rice and beans

• black beans

• refried beans

• mexican watermelon salad - I make this with watermelon, queso fresco, lime juice and Tanjin spice

• Roasted Corn on the Cob

Homemade vs. Store bought Chicken Broth

Homemade chicken broth is very easy to make. Every time I make a whole chicken or get a rotissere chicken from the store or even when my husband smokes a chicken in the smoker, I keep the carcass. I also save all my veggie scaps when I cook. I keep a gallon size bag in the freezer where I put all my scraps. When I have a chicken carcass or any bones really, I will put them in the instant pot with the veggie scraps and make a broth. It's super quick and easy in the instant pot and it's a beautiful bone broth that is super healthy. If you don't have any homemade broth on hand, you can use canned or boxed broth or stock for this recipe as well.

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup Toppings

I use the following ingrdients as toppings for my chicken tortilla soup:

• fresh cilantro

• freshly shredded sharp cheddar chesse

• sour cream

• tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips (use gluten free tortilla strips or crushed chips to make this recipe a gluten free chicken tortilla soup recipe)

• scallions or green onions

• jalapenos

Alternative Ways to Make this Soup

I make this soup in a few different ways. For the full recipes for these alternatives, please click the links below, or just use the recipe above and add the additional ingredients or substitued ingredients to the pot.

Chicken Tortilla Soup with Rice

Adding rice still keeps this recipe gluten free but makes takes it off the low carb list

Southwest Chicken Tortilla Soup

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe is very close to the one on this page, but it has a creamy, tangy delicious soup broth. The creamy texture is achieved by adding sour cream, cream cheese and tomato paste to the recipe. It’s a little heavier and less of a low calorie option than the recipe on this page, but oh so very yummy!

Whole 30 Chicken Tortilla Soup (chicken tortilla soup whole30)

You can adapt this recipe to fit the whole 30 program by eliminating the dairy toppings and eliminating the tortilla chips. We also swap out all the canned goods in this recipe and use their fresh variety instead. Use our adapted Whole 30 Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe when following the whole 30 program.

What is Chicken Tortilla Less Soup?

Chicken Tortilla Less Soup is chicken tortilla soup without the Tortillas. Eliminate the tortilla chips as a topping from this recipe for a Chicken Tortilla Less Soup that is grain free. This is an easy way to eliminate some carbs from you diet. Many Tortilla Chips and Strips are gluten free so this is also an easy swap if you are gluten free.

Grocery List Link

All of our recipes have an integrated Instacart List in the recipe instructions. The list for this recipe can be accessed by following this link to the Gluten Free Instant Pot Chicken Toritlla Soup Recipe Ingredient List. When you click on the link it will take you to a premade list in Instacart. You can simply add the ingredients you need to your cart and check out. Get delivery in a few hours and start cooking! It’s our modern take on “Meal Delivery Kits”. Find out more about our Instant Meal Kits on our Instant Meal Kits page!

More Soup Recipes

We love Soup! Try some of our other awesome soup recipes:

Gluten Free Minestrone Soup

Instant Pot Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Instant Pot Butternut Squash, Sausage and Kale Soup

Tuscan Gnocchi and Sausage Soup

Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Instant Pot Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup

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