The BEST Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup – made from scratch, in a fraction of the time! Delicious and healthy, loaded with chicken and veggies, this soup will warm you to your bones! Can also be made on the stovetop or slow cooker! With a video!
Hey friends, I’m so excited to share this Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup with you! Full of flavor it can be made in a fraction of the time- perfect for busy nights. Delicious and hearty, it is loaded with chicken and veggies, so comforting and soul-warming!
Perfect for cool fall and winter days this version is highly adaptable. Make it with dry beans, canned beans or no beans at all, it’s totally up to you. Top it with cheese and sour cream, or keep it dairy-free and add avocado. Make it as spicy as you want! Lots of options here friends!
The best part is after you saute the onions, you can just dump everything else in the pot and let the pressure cooker work its magic. No pressure cooker? No problem….make it on the stove or in a slow cooker (see recipe notes).
The nice part is you don’t even have to touch or cut the chicken, just drop it in whole. You can use fresh or frozen boneless, skinless thighs or use chicken breast, up to you!
So easy! Very tasty and satisfying, and the left-over soup just gets better and better over the next few days- perfect for midweek lunches or dinners.
Chicken Tortilla Soup!| a 60-second video
How to make Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Set the Instant pot to the Saute function. Saute onions in the oil while you prep the garlic, carrots and celery. Add them to the pot, and saute.
- Add the diced tomato, green chilies, chicken thighs (whole), dry black beans ( or canned, drained), chicken stock, water, salt and all the spices.
- Give a good stir, and set the Instant pot to pressure cook on high. If using dry black beans, pressure cook 25 minutes. If using canned black beans, pressure cook for 14 minutes (same for either fresh or frozen thighs).
- Manually let the pressure out, covering steam with a kitchen towel.
- Shred chicken thighs with two forks. Squeeze with a generous amount of lime juice and taste for salt, adding more if necessary- especially if you used dry beans, you will need to add more.
- Divide among bowls and top with tortilla strips, cheese, sour cream, scallions or avocado and cilantro. Add hot sauce for added heat.
Homemade tortilla chips:
For the healthiest, tastiest tortilla chips, spray strips of fresh tortillas with olive oil spray and a sprinkle of salt, and bake until crisp, or feel free to use store-bought tortilla chips, or leave them off completely for a lower carb version.
When the soup is done, shred the chicken, right in the pot with two forks.
Feel free to add corn or beans in this recipe- or both!
Tortilla Soup Toppings:
Make sure to garnish the Instant Pot Tortilla soup with either avocado or sour cream, and a squeeze of lime and fresh cilantro! The garnishes really make this! Garnishes: avocado, optional cheese (cotija or shredded), sour cream, cilantro, tortilla chips, fresh jalapeño or hot sauce for heat.
More recipes you may like:
- Our top 25 Instant Pot recipes from around the Globe
- Feel Better Chicken Soup
- 20 Healing Broth Based Soups!
- Mexican Noodle Soup! (vegan-adaptable)
- Turmeric Detox Broth (customizable)
So simple, so easy. So tasty! Make this Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup and save the left-overs for mid-week meals.
Have a delicious week!
xoxo
Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8
- Category: soup
- Method: instant pot
- Cuisine: mexican
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup – a fast and flavorful recipe that can be made using dry or canned beans, and using fresh or frozen thighs, or breast meat. Very adaptable! Very easy. Read the Notes!!!
Ingredients
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, rough chopped (or sub 1–2 tablespoons granulated garlic)
- 1–2 cups carrots, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 x 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, and juices (preferably fire-roasted) or 1 ½ cups diced tomatoes w/juices
- 1 small 4-ounce can, mild green chilies (or sub 1 poblano chili, diced)
- 2 lbs chicken thighs (boneless, skinless, fresh or frozen) left whole (or breasts -see cooking notes)
- 1 cup dry black beans or sub 1-2 cans black beans, or sub corn-see notes ( do not use dry beans with chicken breast as breasts will overcook.)
- 4 cups chicken stock or broth (or water with 4 chicken bouillon cubes)
- 2 cups water
- 2 teaspoons salt, more to taste
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- juice from 1–2 limes
- optional: for a smoky heat, add a little chipotle (either the adobo sauce from canned chipotles, or a little ground chipotle powder to taste. )
Garnish with any or all of the following: tortilla strips, grated cheese, sour cream, avocado, hot sauce, cilantro, fresh jalapeño, scallions
Instructions
- Set the Instant pot to the Saute function. Saute onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes while you prep the garlic, carrots and celery. Add them to the pot, and saute 3-4 minutes. (If using granulated garlic, add later with the spices)
- Add the diced tomato and their juices, green chilies, chicken thighs (whole), dry black beans ( or canned, drained), chicken stock, water, salt and all the spices. Give a good stir, and set the Instant pot to pressure cook on high. If using dry black beans, pressure cook 25 minutes. If using canned black beans, pressure cook for 14 minutes (same for either fresh or frozen thighs).
- Manually let the pressure out, covering steam with a kitchen towel. (Or feel free to let the pressure release naturally.)
- Shred chicken thighs with two forks (either right in the pot, or on a cutting board). The soup will thicken. (At this point you could add corn, and return to saute setting for a few minutes.) Squeeze with a generous amount of lime juice and taste for salt, adding more if necessary- especially if you used dry beans, you will need to add more. You want a good balance between lime and salt. ( If the soup tastes bland, it probably needs more of each.)
- Divide among bowls and top with tortilla strips, cheese, sour cream, scallions or avocado and cilantro. Add hot sauce for added heat.
- Enjoy!
Notes
I used a 6-quart Instant Pot.
For a more brothy soup, use only 1 can of beans vs. two. ( I prefer this brothy.)
Blackbeans: If your dry blackbeans are very old, I would recommend soaking first or extending the pressure cooking time to 30 minutes.
CHICKEN BREASTS If using whole chicken breasts, lower pressure cook time to 8-12 minutes and do not use dry beans (you will overcook the breasts). Set at 8 minutes for smaller breasts or 12 mins for extra-large breasts.
The toppings really add to the soup. Use them!
For the tastiest tortilla chips, spray strips of fresh tortillas with olive oil spray and a sprinkle of salt, and bake in a 300 F oven until crisp.
STOVE TOP: Use a big pot or dutch oven– follow the same directions, sauteeing over medium heat, then simmering covered until chicken thighs are cooked through and easily shreddable, and beans are tender, about 40 minutes. Soaking the beans first shortens this time!
For a bean-free version you could swap out 3 cups corn for the beans ( Trader Joes, frozen fire-roasted corn is great) adding it to the soup after you release the pressure.
For slow cooker version, cook as stated above then cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours, or on High for 3 to 4 hours.
If doubling the recipe, this will not fit in a 6 quart Instant Pot. I recommend making in a big pot on the stove.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 3/4 cups
Keywords: instant pot chicken tortilla soup, chicken tortilla soup, instant pot chicken soup recipes, instant pot tortilla soup, chicken tortilla soup instant pot,
Hi! Think I could swap out the chicken for frozen shrimps?
Yes Milly, but I would add them after pressure cooking so they don’t overcook. 🙂
A little salty for us so may leave out a bit, but best chicken tortilla soup hands down!
★★★★★
Thanks for the feedback Jen!
Flavor explosion! This recipe has me feeling so damn proud. I love this part in the directions: You want a good balance between lime and salt. (If the soup tastes bland, it probably needs more of each.) Lime 4 ever <3
★★★★★
Yay Liv! Glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutely delicious! I especially love that everything can be prepped ahead of time, which makes for a perfect weeknight meal!
★★★★★
Thanks Kathleen!
Delicious – thanks for posting. I used breasts and didn’t see note about reducing cooking time until after I made it, my mistake. Next time I’ll reduce time and it will be even better.
★★★★★
Perfect! I’ll try to highlight that more in the recipe card.
Delicious!! Although next time I’ll use chicken thighs- I used breasts and the were a bit tough and dry
★★★★★
Thighs work great here and if using breasts, thicker ones work best here.
this was fabulous! I followed it exactly and it was delicious. You are so talented and I love so many of your recipes. My 3 kids enjoyed it too. Thank you!
★★★★★
Great to hear- and thank you!
This is amazing. Fire roasted tomatoes is really a great idea that i hadn’t considered before. For the toppings i added a lime, sour cream, avocado cheese and homemade tortilla chips. HIGHLY reccomened the lime!
★★★★★
Perfect Lauren- thanks so much!
Great recipe. I changed it up a bit because I like creamy soups. After the instant pot was finished I added a brick of cream cheese to it….. it was amazing!
★★★★★
Sounds delicious Skye!
MAKE THIS SOUP!!! Literally the best soup I’ve EVER had!
★★★★★
thanks Brynn!
This is my go to soup… My 4 yo son loves it .. when it’s cold outside this is all he ask for .. I must say ..it’s my favorite too.
★★★★★
Great to hear!
Really great work night recipe!
We had homemade sourdough bread with ours – didn’t have any tortillas. Grateful for such a easy delicious dinner – several lunches too!
★★★★★
Great to hear Annie!
Everyone in my family loved it! My mom appreciated that it’s flavorful but not spicy.
★★★★★
New family favorite! Another wonderful Feasting at Home recipe to add to the collection! We kept the chicken separate (cooked in a second round of the instant pot with some of the broth from the soup) for our vegetarian daughter, and we all loved it! I added the frozen corn and used half the amount of tomatoes (used crushed as our kids prefer them more blended and less prominent). Absolutely agree that the toppings are key!
★★★★★
Glad you all enjoyed this Mollie!
Easy & delicious as heck! im glad I tried it 🙂
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed this Shanel!
So good! Made on the stovetop with canned black beans. Added some hominy instead of corn. So good! The lime really adds to this soup. Thank you for another great recipe !
★★★★★
thanks Marla!
I love this soup. Made it on stove top because I don’t have an instant pot.
Used 6 cups broth, no water and added a red bell pepper to the sautéed vegetables. Very colorful. Very delicious. Don’t skimp on the lime.
★★★★★
Sounds perfect Tina- thanks so much!
Exactly the tortilla soup recipe I’ve been looking for. Cooking for hours made us ready to put the spoon in our mouths. Mmmm good.
★★★★★
Great to hear!
Hi! I used chicken from a rotisserie chicken which was about a pound. How does that change the nutrition information?
Hi Mollie- I am guessing here, but I think it would be roughly the same. Less meat overall, but sounds like you used both thigh and breast meat.
Made this multiple times in insta pot already, and can’t get enough! This never disappoints! The best I have ever had!
★★★★★
Glad this works for you Tereza!
This soup had so many good reviews from hundred of people, so I decided to try it. I am glad I did. This recipe is killer. I added 2 cups of black beans instead of 1 because I love beans and I’m glad I did. I also used the leftover Thanksgiving turkey instead of chicken. Otherwise I followed the directions to the letter. I even measured the seasoning! Thank you!
★★★★★
Perfect, love that you used your leftover turkey!
Made this tonight and it was exceptional!!!
Realized when I was adding in the water that my instant pot was the smaller version and only held one cup of water, total! But it worked out perfect.
Adding the adobo pepper in its sauce really vamped up the dish I think, and added some good heat!
Super tasty and easy, thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed Hailey! What size instant pot do you have?