Name: Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Instant Pot
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 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

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This Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Instant Pot with black beans and Rotel is creamy and cheesy, making it the best Mexican soup recipe in the land.

Chicken tortilla soup made in the Instant pot with chips and garnish.

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 this chicken tortilla soup every single day of the year and NEVER tire of it!

This soup makes a big batch in no time and has all the hearty flavors of Mexican food we all know and love.

Even better, the leftover soup reheats easily in the microwave with even more flavor and depth than when originally served. It makes it the perfect soup to bring for lunch the next day!

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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.

Shredded chicken in a soup made in a pressure cooker.

Ingredients

Cooked chicken breasts: You can substitute cooked thighs or even rotisserie chicken
Corn tortillas
Onion
Red bell pepper
Black beans
Diced tomatoes and green chilies
Garlic
Chicken broth
Tomato paste
Cumin
Chili powder
Olive oil
Cornmeal
Your favorite toppings: diced avocado, shredded cheese, salsa or pico de gall, cilantro, etc.

How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Instant Pot

Using the sauté setting on the Instant Pot, heat the oil, cooking the onions, garlic, and bell peppers with the cumin, chili powder, and the tomato paste for 1-2 minutes. Stir the mixture occasionally.

Add the cooked shredded chicken, diced tomatoes and green chilies, broth, and black beans to the Instant Pot.

With your Instant Pot on Saute, bring this mixture to a boil.

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.

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, you could add some smoky chipotle sauce, diced jalapenos, or a nice hot chili powder.

Spices first

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.

Boiling 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.

Keeping the 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.

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.

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

Southwestern Three Bean Soup is a hearty soup with simple ingredients. The southwest flavors complement a combination of chili beans, black beans and white kidney beans.