Yep! Learn how to make Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup. This is the best Mexican soup recipe in the land….creamy, cheesy, and delicious. You’ll find this recipe covers all the bases and makes a quick and easy meal.

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
I know I’ve said this a jillion times here on my blog, but it’s true: I can eat soup every single day of the year and NEVER tire of it!
Recently, because my cousin gave me a 25 lb. bag of potatoes, I’ve been making ALOT of potato soup for my family.
Since I’m such a soup freak, I like to keep a pot of soup in my fridge for quick meals on the go. Tex Mex Corn Chowder is super fast and creamy. And don’t forget to try White Chicken and Rice Chili – it’s an unusual chili that we are in love with.
Are you a hominy fan like I am? Check out Rio Grande Ranch-Style Chili, a very unusual chili that’s hearty and filling.
Things to Love About This Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe –
- You can make a big, big batch in nothing flat.
- It’s cheesy and creamy Mexican food par deluxe!
- Leftovers in the fridge reheat like a champ.
What Ingredients Will You Need to Make Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup?
- Cumin and chili powder
- Chicken breasts or thighs (or use rotisserie chicken meat)
- Olive oil
- Aromatics: onion, red bell pepper, garlic
- Diced tomatoes and green chilies
- Chicken broth
- Tomato paste
- Black beans
- Cornmeal
- Corn tortillas
- Cilantro
- Your favorite toppings – diced avocado, shredded cheese, salsa or pico de gall, cilantro, etc.
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup in 3 Easy Steps
- Using the sauté setting on the Instant Pot, heat the oil, cooking the onions, garlic, and bell peppers with the spices and the tomato paste for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the cooked shredded chicken along with the diced tomatoes and green chilies, broth, and black beans to the Instant Pot.
- Pressurize the Instant Pot, cooking the soup for 5 minutes. Perform a quick release and serve the soup at once, topped with your favorite toppings.
Easy Recipe Tips for Making Tex Mex Chicken Tortilla Soup
Is this soup spicy?
This version of Chicken Tortilla Soup isn’t spicy as long as you use mild tomatoes and green chilies and mild chili powder. However, if you’d prefer to spice this soup up a bit, you could add some smoky chipotle sauce, diced jalapenos, or use a nice hot chili powder.
If I don’t have an Instant Pot, can I make this soup on my stove top?
If you don’t own an Instant Pot, feel free to make this soup in a pot on your stove. You will make it in the same exact manner, except it will need to simmer for 45-50 minutes on the stove.
Which is better – cooked chicken breast meat or cooked chicken thigh meat?
You can use any type of cooked chicken in this recipe. I actually prefer to cook up a big batch of boneless, skinless, chicken thighs so I can use the meat throughout the week for speedy meals. I think the dark meat from the thighs is more meaty and moist than meat from cooked chicken breasts.
Can I use the meat from a rotisserie chicken to make this soup?
I love to use the meat from a rotisserie chicken for making this soup – it works great and makes dinner go even faster!
Why do the spices go into the pot first, before any other ingredients?
Adding the spices to the first step of this recipe really intensifies the flavors of the spices because the heat forces them to release their essence.
Why does this recipe to instruct to bring the soup to a boil in the Instant Pot before pressurizing?
Always bringing the contents of your Instant Pot to a high boil before you pressurize is a kitchen hack that’s super helpful! Having the contents of the pot piping hot before you lock the Instant Pot lid into place ensures that contents will be able to come up to pressure much more quickly. Don’t skip this step.
Is this a healthy soup?
This is a healthy soup, that is low in fat and calories, but not in FLAVOR. As long as you don’t add to many toppings (like lots of sour cream and shredded cheese), you can eat a generous portion.
Can I use my Instant Pot to keep this soup warm?
When you make this soup in your Instant Pot, you will notice that the Instant Pot automatically switches to the “keep warm” setting until you’re ready to eat. Or, if you’d like to warm the soup up at a later time, you can use the sauté setting to reheat the soup right in your Instant Pot.
What should I serve with Chicken Tortilla Soup?
Chicken Tortilla Soup is a nice broth-y soup, so we really enjoy it with rolled flour tortillas to dip into the soup as we eat.
Or, sometimes I bake up a batch of our favorite Cheddar and Green Chili Sausage Cornbread. If you like chewy, crusty bread like we do, you’ll want to make Dutch Oven No-Knead Bread and One-Bowl Peasant Bread.
More Soup Recipes to Enjoy –
- Smoky Chicken and Black Bean Chili
- Big-Batch Pasta Fagioli
- Creamy Taco Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup Made with Easy Homemade Noodles
- Hillbilly Chili with Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
- Easy Ham and Corn Chowder
Printable Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded may substitute 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cooked and shredded
- 1-2 tsp. chili powder as desired
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1-2 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 red sweet bell pepper seeds and membranes removed, diced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed, may substitute 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic, if preferred
- 3 Tbs. tomato paste
- 10 oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies with juices
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups water
- 15 oz. black beans rinsed and drained
- 3 Tbs. corn meal
- 6 corn tortillas cut into strips about 1-inch, may substitute tortilla chips, if desired
- your favorite Mexican-inspired toppings such as sour cream, diced avocado, salsa or pico de gallo, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Using the sauté setting on the Instant Pot, heat the oil, cooking the onions, garlic, and bell peppers with the spices and the tomato paste for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the cooked shredded chicken along with the diced tomatoes and green chilies, broth, water, and black beans to the Instant Pot; bring the soup to a full boil, then turn off the sauté setting. (Bringing the soup to a full boil before you pressurize makes the Instant Pot come up to pressure a lot more quickly!) Now, immediately lock the Instant Pot lid into place, choosing the high pressure setting for 5 minutes, bringing the Instant Pot to full pressure. When the timer sounds, perform a quick release to remove all the pressure from the Instant Pot.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornmeal with a small amount of water, then stir it into the soup, along with the tortilla strips. To serve, top with your favorite Mexican-inspired ingredients, as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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Chef Alli
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