Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup is jam packed with delicious flavor and is so easy to prepare! This simple meal is ready in less than an hour.
Welcome to my family’s new favorite soup recipe!
I brought this Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup to my brother’s house, thinking it would be a nice little side dish to our traditional burrito bowls.
But guess what?
Everyone ditched the burrito bowls and just ate this yummy soup for dinner because it is just that tasty!
Truly, this chicken tortilla soup checks all the boxes and hits all the spots.
Delicious tender chicken with sweet corn, squishy beans, and all the flavors of your favorite enchiladas, this amazing healthy soup leaves you feeling full yet refreshed.
I love the variety of flavors and textures in addition to how magnificently tender the chicken becomes. If you’re a shredded chicken fanatic, you really must try this soup!
If you enjoy Mexican food, big hearty bowls of soup, or are wild about tender shredded chicken, you will go absolutely bonkers over this easy soup recipe!
Let’s discuss the fresh ingredients to make this easy Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe.
Ingredients for Chicken Tortilla Soup:
Avocado Oil: Used to sauté the onion and brown the chicken, avocado oil is a great high-temperature cooking oil as it has a high smoke point and neutral flavor. Use olive oil if you prefer!
Onion & Garlic: Yellow onion and fresh garlic are sauteed to perfection to unlock their delicious, bold flavor, adding depth to the soup.
Spices: ground cumin, chili powder, paprika, dried oregano and sea salt are the spices used to give the soup that Mexican flair. This combination adds sweet, smoky, earthy flavor so you’re getting a great deal of flavor with hardly any effort. Swap out these seasonings for taco seasoning if you have it, or add cayenne pepper for a little heat.
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: The star of the show! Boneless chicken thighs are cooked then shredded for a hearty, protein-packed meal. You can swap it out for rotisserie chicken to save time or use leftover cooked chicken.
Crushed Tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes add that acidic tang we all love in Mexican food. You can also use diced tomatoes or fire-roasted tomatoes. While it isn’t necessary, you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of tomato paste if you like it.
Canned Diced Green Chiles: Diced green chilies aren’t typically a staple ingredient of chicken tortilla soup, but I love adding them for some additional spunk. I use mild green chilis but for some heat you can use hot green chilis. You can also swap out the chiles for fresh green bell pepper.
Chicken Stock: The combination of crushed tomatoes and chicken broth are what make up the soupy portion of the broth here. Use your favorite broth or stock.
Sweet Corn: Little bursts of sweet corn give this soup some pep. I love the sweetness and texture the corn brings. I use frozen organic corn but fresh or canned corn work too.
Black Beans: One can of black beans is added for texture, flavor, and fiber. You can swap it out for any bean, including pinto beans or chickpeas.
Corn Tortillas: Corn tortillas get fried up to crispy perfection for topping the soup. If you want to save time and effort, you can buy crispy tortilla strips or regular corn tortilla chips for serving this healthy chicken tortilla soup recipe.
Serving Options:
I love chicken tortilla soup with just some crispy corn tortilla strips and fresh diced avocado. You can add any toppings you enjoy, such as sour cream, cilantro, chopped red onion, grated cheese, guacamole, salsa, and more.
Make it a creamy chicken tortilla soup by adding 1/2 cup to 1 cup of heavy cream once the soup has finished cooking.
Now that we’ve covered the simple ingredients for the best chicken tortilla soup, let’s make it!
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup:
Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot and add the chopped onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, dried oregano and sea salt. Allow this mixture to cook for 1 to 2 minutes to let the flavors of the spices open up.
Scoot the onions off to the side and add the boneless chicken thighs to the pot. Cook for 3 minutes per side.
Add the remaining ingredients to the pressure cooker (crushed tomatoes, diced green chilis, chicken broth, corn, and black beans).
Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, press ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’ and set the time for 15 minutes. Make sure the pressure release valve is set to the ‘Sealing’ or closed position.
The pressure cooker will take about 10-15 minutes to build the pressure, but once the pressure has built, it will go into its 15 minute high pressure cook cycle.
Once the 15 minutes is over, allow the instant pot to naturally release for at least 10 minutes (ideally longer. I let mine completely release for about 40 minutes. This process generates the most tender chicken).
Release any remaining pressure using the quick release valve and open the lid of the instant pot.
Transfer the chicken thighs to a cutting board and use two forks to shred the chicken.
Place the shredded chicken back into the Instant Pot and give everything a big stir. Serve immediately with fried corn strips (instructions below), fresh diced avocado, and any other toppings you like such as grated cheese or sour cream.
You can serve with fresh lime wedges for a drizzle of fresh lime juice as well.
This soup becomes even more flavorful and delicious the next day and the 2-3 days following preparation. For this reason, I recommend making it one day ahead of time if you can. Nevertheless, it will still be delicious if you eat it immediately after making it.
How to Make Homemade Tortilla Strips:
Stack 6 to 8 corn tortillas on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut them into strips that are about ¼” to ½” wide.
Heat ¼ cup of high temperature cooking oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. I use avocado oil but canola oil or vegetable oil work too.
Once the oil is sizzling hot, carefully add 4 to 6 strips of corn tortillas at a time to the oil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until the strips are golden brown and have reached your desired level of crisp.
Transfer the crunchy tortilla strips to a plate lined with a paper towel and repeat the process for the rest of the tortilla strips.
These fried corn tortillas are best when served immediately, but you can add any leftovers to the leftover soup.
Store any leftover chicken tortilla soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup:
If you don’t own an Instant Pot, no sweat!
You can also make this soup in a crock pot. Sauté the onion and garlic in a skillet, then and brown the chicken. Add everything to your slow cooker, give it a big stir, and cook for 6-8 hours on Low heat or 4 to 5 hours on High heat.
And that’s it! The most flavorful, delicious healthy chicken tortilla soup for enjoying on a chilly evening. A great recipe for the next time you’re craving comfort food.
Looking for more healthy soup recipes? Check out these reader favorites!
More Healthy Soups:
- Slow Cooker Lentil Soup
- Wild Rice Chicken Soup
- Chicken Yellow Curry Soup
- Rustic Tortellini Soup with Sausage
- Ground Beef and Cabbage Soup
- Creamy Carrot Soup
Enjoy this delightful Mexican-inspired meal!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground paprika
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 to 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 7-oz can diced green chilis
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup corn
- 1 15-oz can black beans, drained
Fried Corn Tortilla Strips (Optional):
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 6 to 8 corn tortillas, sliced
For Serving:
- Avocado, diced
- Shredded cheese
- Fresh cilantro
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot and add the chopped onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Stir in the minced garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, dried oregano and sea salt. Allow this mixture to cook for 1 to 2 minutes to let the flavors of the spices open up.
- Scoot the onions off to the side and add the boneless chicken thighs to the pot. Cook for 3 minutes per side.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pressure cooker (crushed tomatoes, diced green chilis, chicken broth, corn, and black beans).
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, press ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’ and set the time for 15 minutes. Make sure the pressure release valve is set to the ‘Sealing’ or closed position.
- The pressure cooker will take about 10-15 minutes to build the pressure, but once the pressure has built, it will go into its 15 minute high pressure cook cycle.
- Once the 15 minutes is over, allow the instant pot to naturally release for at least 10 minutes (ideally longer. I let mine completely release for about 40 minutes. This process generates the most tender chicken).
- Release any remaining pressure using the quick release valve and open the lid of the instant pot.
- Transfer the chicken thighs to a cutting board and use two forks to shred the chicken.
- Place the shredded chicken back into the Instant Pot and give everything a big stir. Serve immediately with fried corn strips (instructions below), fresh diced avocado, and any other toppings you like such as grated cheese or sour cream. You can serve with fresh lime wedges for a drizzle of fresh lime juice as well.
Homemade Tortilla Strips:
- Stack 6 to 8 corn tortillas on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut them into strips that are about ¼” to ½” wide.
- Heat ¼ cup of high temperature cooking oil (I use avocado oil) in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is sizzling hot, carefully add 4 to 6 strips of corn tortillas at a time to the oil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until the strips are golden brown and have reached your desired level of crisp.
- Transfer the crispy tortilla strips to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat for the remaining tortilla strips. For the best result, serve immediately on top of chicken tortilla soup with any additional toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
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Wendy Leanse
Thursday 14th of September 2023
I am very disappointed that I can no longer Pin your recipes!
Julia
Monday 18th of September 2023
Hi Wendy. I would recommend getting the pin extension for your toolbar so that you can pin any image from any webpage (including mine). I'm currently working on adding a pin button to my recipe cards so that will be available in the near future. In the meantime, there are multiple other ways you can pin images, including rolling your mouse over the image and clicking the pin button, or adding a pin extension to your toolbar. I hope this helps!