With over 400 5-star reviews, this chicken tortilla soup is one of our most highly-rated soup recipes on the blog!
After spending years developing this recipe for our catering business, I thought I’d share a simplified version that can be made at home in your instant pot or on the stovetop- with very little hands-on time.
The secret is in the spices: our blend of spices creates the perfect balance of savory depth and mild heat that the whole family will love.
Why I love Instant Pot Tortilla Soup
- I love how adaptable this recipe is. Make it with chicken thighs or chicken breast. Use dry black beans or canned beans; for a low-carb version, use no beans at all; it’s totally up to you.
- The flavorful base of this soup is what makes this recipe shine. Once you nail that, the recipe is so versatile. We think it’s the best recipe for Chicken tortilla soup out there!
- It’s EASY! The best part is after you saute the veggies for a few minutes, you can dump everything else in the pot, and just let it cook and be totally hands-off.
Chicken Tortilla Soup Video (Instant Pot)
Table of Contents
- Why I love Instant Pot Tortilla Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup Video (Instant Pot)
- Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients
- How to make homemade Tortilla Chips:
- Tortilla Soup variations
- Chicken Tortilla Soup Toppings
- How to store Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup Faqs
- What to serve with Chicken Tortilla soup?
- Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe (Instant Pot)
Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients
- Tomatoes – use canned diced tomatoes, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, or use fresh diced tomatoes w/ their juices.
- Chilies -For ease, we use canned mild green chilies , but feel free to use a fresh poblano chili
- Chicken – boneless chicken thighs offer up great richness, while boneless chicken breast keeps this light and lean; both work great.
- Chicken Stock– use store-bought or make your own homemade chicken stock.
- Veggies: carrot, celery onion and garlic.
- Beans: We love using dry black beans if using the instant pot or canned black beans in the stovetop version, but both work in either instance. You can also leave the beans out completely or sub corn.
- Fresh Lime Juice and cilantro elevate.
- Spices: in addition to the Mexican seasonings, adding a little chipotle here elevates. Use ground chipotle or the adobo sauce from the can for a delicious smoky heat!
How to make homemade Tortilla Chips:
For the healthiest, tastiest tortilla chips, spray strips of fresh corn 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 entirely for a low-carb version.
Tortilla Soup variations
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup on the Stovetop
*See the recipe card for instant pot instructions.
In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, saute onions, garlic, carrots and celery, in olive oil, for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the chicken (whole), tomatoes, black beans, and chilies.
Add chicken stock, water, salt and all the spices. Give a good stir, and bring to a simmer. Cover, and gently simmer until chicken pulls apart easily, about 30 minutes.
Shred the chicken with two forks, either right in the pot or on a cutting board.
Squeeze with a generous amount of lime juice and taste for salt, adding more if necessary. Garnish with cilantro.
Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe Tips
- Use flavorful chicken stock and enough salt to ensure your soup has good flavor. You can always add a chicken bouillon cube if it tastes bland. Conversely, if your soup is too salty, add a little water.
- Add chipotle, whether ground or from the can, it really elevates the soup, adding a smoky heat. Add gradually to taste, remembering that the toppings will help moderate or mute the heat. If you are sensitive to heat but love the smoky flavor, add a little smoked paprika to taste.
- Fresh Lime enhances the soup. Start with a squeeze of half a lime, then add more to taste. If you added more tomato than the recipe called for, this will add acidity to the soup, so you’ll need less lime.
- Never cook jalapenos in the soup unless you like your soup extra spicy! I always add as a garnish at the end of cooking to moderate the heat better.
Chicken Tortilla Soup Toppings
These toppings elevate the tortilla soup- and ding flavor and texture. You don’t need all, but pick a few!
- Shredded Mexican cheese, or cheddar (or crumbled cotija)
- Sour cream- (or Mexican Crema) adds a nice creaminess and is especially lovely if your soup is tastes too spicy.
- Avocado– if going dairy-free, avocado adds a nice richness!
- Cilantro– it just belongs here. If you can’t tolerate it, scallions work too!
- Tortilla chips- homemade or store-bought, add a great texture!
- Fresh jalapeño- thinly sliced, or add hot sauce for heat.
- Lime wedges
Serve the chicken tortilla soup in bowls with a few of the toppings.
How to store Chicken Tortilla Soup
The soup will keep up to 4 days in the fridge or freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Leave all the toppings off when storing, and add right before serving.
Chicken Tortilla Soup Faqs
Chicken Tortilla Soup can be thickened in two ways- add soft corn tortillas, torn into small pieces, into the simmering soup; they will dissolve and thicken it. You can also use corn meal; create a slurry, whisking a few tablespoons of corn meal with water, then whisk this paste into the soup, simmering it for 15 minutes, thickening the soup, and giving it a beautiful corn flavor.
Chicken tortilla soup is very soothing for a sore throat or cold and healing and nourishing to the body. It is low in carbs, high in protein and nutrients while being low in calories. Black beans add good healthy fiber to the soup.
Find the balance between salt, spicy heat, and acid, in this case, lime. If the soup tastes bland, try adding more salt and lime.
Absolutely! Use veggie broth instead of chicken broth, and replace the chicken with pinto beans and corn. Feel free to add other veggies like bell pepper and zucchini.
What to serve with Chicken Tortilla soup?
We love this soup and hope you do too. ❤️
⭐️ Please rate it for us and share your adaptions or your thoughts in the comments below!
xoxo
More recipes you may like:
- Chicken Ramen
- Our top 25 Instant Pot recipes from around the Globe
- 35+ Chicken Breast Recipes
- 50+ Easy Dinner Ideas
- Feel Better Chicken Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- 20 Broth-Based Soups!
- Mexican Noodle Soup! (vegan-adaptable)
- Turmeric Detox Broth (customizable)
Need more dinner ideas? Check out our 40+Best Chicken Breast Recipes and our 50 Easy Dinner Ideas!
Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe (Instant Pot)
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 cups
- Category: soup, dinner idea,
- Method: stovetop, pressure cooker
- Cuisine: mexican
Description
Our Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe is highly rated- it’s a fast and flavorful soup that can be made on the stovetop or in an instant pot! ⭐️ Please rate it for us and share your adaptions or what you think of it in the comments below!
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
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes and juices (or fire-roasted) or 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes w/juices
- 4–ounce can, mild green chilies (or sub a poblano chili, diced)
- 2 lbs chicken (boneless, skinless, thighs or breasts) left whole –see cooking notes
- 1 cup dry black beans,or sub 1 to 2 14-ounce cans black beans (or sub corn) see notes
- 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
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- lime 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, and lime wedges.
Instructions
- In an Instant Pot set to “saute” (or Dutch oven over medium heat), saute onions, garlic, carrots and celery in olive oil, for 4 minutes or until fragrant, stirring (If using granulated garlic add with the spices, and if using fresh poblano chili, add it now).
- Add the diced tomatoes and their juices, green chilies, whole chicken, and black beans. Pour in the chicken stock, water, salt and all the spices and give a good stir.
- Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 25 minutes if using dry beans. See notes for canned beans. Manually release. See notes for modifications. Alternatively, if cooking on the stovetop, bring it to a boil, cover, and simmer on medium-low heat for 30 minutes, until chicken is tender and pulls apart easily.
- Shred the chicken with two forks, either right in the pot, or in a bowl. (At this point, you could add frozen corn to the soup, heating it up.) Return the shredded chicken to the pot and simmer on low 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, grated cheese, sour cream, scallions or avocado and cilantro. Add hot sauce for added heat.
Notes
I use a 6-quart Dutch Oven, or a 6-quart Instant Pot. Doubling the recipe will not fit in a 6-quart.
Black beans: If your dry black beans are very old, I recommend soaking them first or extending the pressure cooking time to 30-35 minutes. You can also use dry beans in the stovetop version, but I recommend soaking them first. For a more brothy soup, use only one can of beans vs. two. ( I prefer this soup brothy.)
Chicken Breast: If using whole chicken breasts and canned beans in the instant pot, lower the pressure cook time to 9-12 minutes (9 minutes for smaller breasts or 12 minutes for extra-large chicken breasts). Set the pressure cooker time to 14 minutes for chicken thighs and canned beans. If cooking on the stovetop, cutting extra-large chicken breasts in half will shorten the cooking time.
Frozen Chicken: If using frozen chicken breasts or chicken thighs in the instant pot, add 3-4 minutes (make sure they are not all stuck together in one block).
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.
For a bean-free version you could swap out 2 cups of corn for the beans ( Trader Joes, frozen fire-roasted corn is great) adding it to the soup after chicken is cooked.
For slow cooker version, do steps 1 & 2 as stated above, cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on High for 3 to 4 hours.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 3/4 cups
- Calories: 392
- Sugar: 3.9 g
- Sodium: 729.2 mg
- Fat: 22.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.6 g
- Fiber: 6.5 g
- Protein: 25.3 g
- Cholesterol: 111.3 mg
Just recently diagnosed with diabetes and looking for new healthy recipes that have lots of flavor with meat and veggies! This soup is absolutely delicious and did really well with my blood sugars, so I thank you! Added addition can of beans and omitted green chilies. Topped with cilantro, sour cream and avocado…yum! Great job and thanks so much for sharing 🙂
This was very yummy! I liked that you can put the chicken in whole and just shred it at the end when it’s already falling apart. I used chicken breasts instead of thighs b/c that’s all they had at the store, but they turned out a little overcooked when I cooked them for 12 min (maybe I should have done the 8 min option). I will definitely make this again and use chicken thighs next time and I’m sure it will be perfect!
Another fantastic recipe, Sylvia! I live in Alaska, and perfect after an afternoon of cross-country skiing. Just the right amount of heat and flavor! I am making sourdough starter (for the first time) and plan on making the Sourdough Baguettes this weekend. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes and lovely, accompanying thoughts.
thanks Kelly!!!
Excellent recipe! Followed it with using a fresh poblano pepper and adding a can of peas at the end (instead of beans or corn). Topped it with avocado, tortilla strips and monterey jack cheese. The flavors and spices were so good!
Had this for dinner and loved it. I made as written using thighs and precooked black beans and added one cup of corn at the end. Topped with avocado and tortilla strips. Will definitely make again. Thanks!
Thanks for the great recipe! My partner says it’s the best soup he ever had 😀
So yummy!!! Cooked exactly as the recipe states and it’s perfection!
Perfect instant pot recipe. Substituted hominy for corn at the end. The broth was flavorful with a little kick … yum!! Will be making it again and again, and share with my friends!
One of my favorite chicken tortilla recipe! Just want to make sure to rate this recipe so more people can be aware of this great recipe!
Awww thanks 🙌
I’ve made this a few times and it’s been great each time. I seem to not have all the ingredients each time, but I make it work with what I have on hand, and it’s still great.
If you want to use canned chipotle peppers, and have some on hand when needed, use a food processor to blend the peppers and adobo sauce from the can. Then divide evenly into an ice cube tray, freeze, and pop a frozen cube or two in as desired.
Great idea!
Delicious chicken tortilla soup! I made it exactly as the recipe instructed (with two cans of black beans) and it turned out absolutely perfect! Topped with avocado, cilantro, and tortilla strips. Sooo good!
good
Just got an instapot for Christmas. This was my first recipe. My wife and twin 15 year old boys loved it. Added the chipotle powder and did not use any beans. Avocado, cilantro, jalepenos, sour cream and cheese for add ons. We will definitely do this again. So delicious and very easy to make.
Great to hear!
This recipe is amazing. I’ve modified it slightly to omit the green chiles and I’ve added diced fire-roasted red bell peppers. My family LOVES this soup and it’s becoming our Sunday tradition.
Great recipe! I doubled the spices and the corn. And topped it with cotija cheese!! Very hearty and delicious!!
Amazing, right out of the pot!
I didn’t add water, used 2cans of tomatoes and black beans, 8 cloves of garlic and 1 1/2 large onion, but stuck to the recipe, especially the amount of spices.
No additional spices or salt needed.
So tasty, it blew my socks off!!!
I made this soup exactly as written, and my whole family gave it a “10” !! My husband said it was the best soup he has ever had and my 11 and 15 year old loved it. We garnished with tortilla strips, cilantro and sour cream!! YUM
YUM! This turned out even better than I was expecting.
I already had some chicken breasts that were cooked, but frozen, so I only cooked for 8 minutes at high pressure. I used canned beans and added a can of corn and some bell peppers. I didn’t have any cumin (ran out somehow) but it still tasted great. Will definitely make again.
Will this recipe freeze well?? It sounds delicious but I’m only one person and can’t eat this much soup!
I think it should freeze fine!
Are all instant pot recipes for a 6 quart pot? I was surprised the recipe did not list what size pot to use.
Yes the recipes on this site are for a 6-quart. I noted the recipe and sorry about that.
I have made this several times, minus the green chilies because of the little ones, and it comes out perfect every time. It’s simple, delicious, and perfect on a cold rainy day. This one is a keeper!
6 stars! Went by the recipe for the most part. We roasted, seeded and chopped a couple small pablano peppers and added a tablespoon of adobo and a chopped chipotle from the same can.
Served with fresh shredded NY sharp cheddar… Cilantro… Tortilla strips and a dollop of sour cream.
hi just wanted to make sure for the spices it’s teaspoons? In your video it looked more than teaspoons. So excited to try this soon!
thanks
Yes, teaspoons!
Delicious! We tried this recipe recently and it hit the spot for a cold winter evening. Omitted carrots and used corn instead. Also used 1/4 cup mild salsa verde because we didn’t have green chilies. Perfect amount of warmth and spice. Highly recommend serving with a side of tortilla chips for some crunch. The strips got soggy too quickly for us. Saving this recipe to our weekly rotation!
This was such a hit with my family. I’m a huge fan of chicken tortilla soup and never found anything I wanted to try. Omg this was so easy, fast and delicious !!!!!!!!! This will be my go to soup now!!! Thank you!