In Spanish, Fideo means noodle and is a type of pasta commonly used in soups in many different cuisines. Because it is a delicate pasta, Instant Pot Tex Mex Chicken and Black Bean Soup with Fideo cooks very quickly ....just perfect for speedy meals.
Prep Time: 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 2 minutesminutes
Approx. Time Needed for Instant Pot to Pressurize:: 10 minutesminutes
14oz.can black beansdrained and rinsed (or approx 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans)
4-6cupschicken brothdepending on how thick you prefer your soup to be
10oz.can diced tomatoes and green chilies
Salt and pepperto taste
Your favorite toppings, such as avocado, cilantro, salsa, black olives, shredded cheeses
Instructions
Using the saute setting on the Instant Pot, add a swish of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions, spices, and tomato paste, stirring and cooking until the tomato paste turns from bright red to more of a "brown-ish" color, adding chicken broth as needed during this process to keep the tomato paste from sticking to the bottom of the Instant Pot.
Add 2 cups of chicken broth, the fideo pasta, cooked chicken, beans, and the diced tomatoes and green chilies, bringing the soup to a high simmer.
Lock the Instant Pot lid into place, choosing the high pressure setting for 2 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.
Carefully unlock and remove the Instant Pot lid; gently stir the soup ingredients in the Instant Pot to combine. Add as much more broth as desired, depending on how you prefer the consistency of your soup. (Keep in mind that the fideo pasta will absorb a lot of the broth as it rests.)
Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper, as desired. Serve the soup garnished with your favorite toppings.
Notes
You can easily make this soup on your stove top or in a slow cooker. Using a Dutch oven or deep pot, cook the onion with the spices and the tomato pasta; add the broth and remaining ingredients. Bring the soup to a high simmer, cooking until the fideo is tender. Simmer the soup for 25-30 minutes so the flavors can blend. Fideo is a type of pasta that is very short and flat, with a bit of curve to it; you will typically find it in the Hispanic section of your grocery store. If you can’t find fideo for this recipe, substitute vermicelli or broken pieces of angel hair pasta. You can substitute any type of cooked or canned beans in this recipe. I like how the black beans look in contrast to chili beans or pinto beans and they make a delicious flavor combination, too. Any cooked meat can be used in this soup in place of the shredded chicken. I’ve used cooked pulled pork many times and it’s really good. Even leftover shredded roast beef would be a good substitute for the chicken. This soup is delicious when made as a vegetarian-style soup with no meat. Be sure you substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth and you’re good to go. Adding vegetables to this soup is a great addition – I’ve added both corn and hominy many times.