Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Kick your feet up, relax, and welcome summer with this easy to make Chicken Taco Soup.

Inside: Kick your feet up, relax, and welcome summer with this easy to make Chicken Taco Soup. If you ask us, this is the best Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup out there!

Earlier this month I got to go home for two weeks, and I did not realize how much I have truly missed it down there.

Now, of course I’ve missed my family, the sunshine, and sweet tea that isn’t spiked with whatever artificial fruit is trending this week (I’m pretty sure they tried to pass of blueberry tea as sweet tea to me last week)…

But, I have really really missed good ole’ Tex-Mex.

Ok, so maybe we need to throw that sweet tea into the really missed pile and just call it southern cooking…cuz y’all what they try to pass off as sweet tea here is no joke.

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Anyways, while on vacation we went to this little hole in the wall restaurant (the best types to find when you are on vacation) and I had the most heavenly bowl of chicken taco soup.

It was so good that when I finally got back home to the frozen north and started craving a warm Tex-Mex soup, I knew I needed to recreate it.

And so I tried to make this Tex-Mex chicken soup in my pressure cooker, and the first couple of times it was a total flop. The texture was right but the flavor was just missing something.

Then I realized I was cooking without cilantro.

Y’all that’s like failing Tex-Mex 101.

Seriously, cilantro.

Then came round two, and viola, we had nailed down the Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup recipe!

Alrighty y’all, enough of my rambling. Let’s get cooking 😉

Yield: 4-6

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Cook Time 10 minutesTotal Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the Soup:

  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can Fire-roasted Rotel tomatoes, or regular Rotel Tomatoes *See note
  • 1 can (10 ¾ ounces) beef broth
  • 1 can (10 ¾ ounces) chicken broth
  • 1½ cups water
  • 1½ cups tomato juice
  • 3-4 cups cubed cooked chicken
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Juice from ½ lime
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon bottled steak sauce
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can corn
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

To Serve:

  • Squeeze of fresh lime juice
  • Tortilla chips or strips
  • Fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Sour Cream
  • Avocado Slices

Instructions

For the Soup:

  1. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. After 1 minute, add the diced onion and cook until the onion has softened and is translucent. Add the minced garlic and set the Instant Pot to Keep Warm/Cancel.
  2. Set the chicken thighs on top of the onion/garlic mixture and add all the remaining soup ingredients on top of the chicken.
  3. Set the Instant Pot to SOUP and adjust the timer to 10 minutes with a 10-minute natural release. After 10 minutes of natural release, place a clean dishcloth over the valve and turn the valve to quick release. When the red button (float valve) goes down, the lid is safe to open.
  4. Use tongs to transfer the meat to a cutting board and cut the chicken into 1-inch chunks (or use two forks to shred the chicken).
  5. Add the chicken back to the soup and serve.

Notes

To Make the Tortilla Strips stack 3 corn tortillas and cut in half. Slice the halved tortillas crosswise into ¼” strips. Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot and add 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil. Heat the oil until it shimmers and add the tortilla strips. Stir often until the strips are golden and crispy. Transfer the strips to a paper towel-lined plate to dry. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Set aside until the soup is ready to serve.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 4314Total Fat 201gSaturated Fat 61gCholesterol 1281mgSodium 3666mgCarbohydrates 215gSugar 50gProtein 413g

p.s. Not making this taco soup in your pressure cooker right this minute? Then pin this post so you can easily find it when you are ready to get cooking!

Instant Pot Cooking Times Cheat Sheet Printable