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bowl of chicken tortilla soup with toppings and cholula sauce

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

A hearty yet healthy(ish) soup packed full of veggies and shredded chicken.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Dinner, lunch, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken Tortilla Soup
  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
  • 2 tbsp ancho chili powder
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 cup onions diced small
  • 2 jalapenos seeded and diced small
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 oz diced green chili's (one small can)
  • 2 cans fire roasted tomatoes 14.5 oz each, typically
  • 32 oz chicken stock
  • 2 medium zucchini medium dice
  • 2 medium yellow squash medium dice
  • 4 green onions chopped thin
  • 1½ cups frozen corn I like the Trader Joes roasted frozen corn
  • 2 limes
  • salt and pepper to taste
Topping Options
  • fried tortilla strips or tortilla chips
  • sour cream
  • diced avocado
  • grated cheese
  • cilantro
  • fresh or pickled jalapeños
  • chopped green chiles
  • cotija cheese
  • diced red onion
  • chopped chives
  • chopped green onions

Equipment

  • Instant Pot

Method
 

  1. Turn Instant Pot on saute function set on high.
  2. Season chicken with salt, pepper and ancho chili powder. Add chicken to the hot Instant Pot and sear 4-5 minutes until beginning to brown. (Depending on the size of your Instant Pot you may have to work in batches to avoid over crowding the pot).
  3. Add the onions, jalapenos, garlic, green chili's, fire roasted tomatoes, and chicken stock to the Instant Pot with the seared chicken and put the top on with the valve set to "sealing".
  4. Change the Instant Pot setting to pressure cook for 13 minutes. Once the time is done manually release the pressure (making sure to wear an oven mitt to avoid burns).
  5. Once the pressure valve drops, remove the top. Remove chicken and place on a plate. Shred the chicken with two forks.
  6. Turn the Instant Pot to saute and add the shredded chicken back into the cooking liquid along with the zucchini, squash, corn and green onions. Allow soup to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the squash is tender.
  7. Add the juice of two limes and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Finish each bowl of soup with your preference of toppings. My picks are crispy fried tortilla strips, sour cream, diced avocado, grated cheese and cilantro.

Notes

Chicken thighs are perfect for this soup and are much cheaper than chicken breasts. If you don't like darker meat then go with chicken breasts. You can also use chicken tenderloins if that's what you have on hand.