Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup makes the perfect meal on a busy night! The recipe takes about 30 minutes and is full of authentic Mexican flavors.
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine International, Mexican
Keyword instant pot chicken tortilla soup
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 25 minutesminutes
Servings 4people
Calories 371.52kcal
Equipment
instant pot
Ingredients
1onion
2-3clovesgarlic
sea salt
black pepper
2Tbspancho chili powder*see notes
2chicken breastsabout 10 oz each
4cupschicken broth
28ozcan fire-roasted tomatoes
6corn tortillas
1avocado
1cupcilantro
1/4cup queso fresco
2limes
Instructions
Peel and finely chop onion and garlic.
Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot to preheat and once the display says hot, add a splash of oil (whichever you like) and add chopped onion and garlic to it. Sauté until translucent. Then add sea salt, pepper, and ancho chili powder and give it a quick stir.
Add a splash of chicken broth to deglaze the bottom with a spatula or wooden spoon. Remove all the stuck on onion to avoid the burn warning during the high-pressure cooking time.
Add the rest of the chicken stock, the chicken breasts as a whole, and then dump the whole can of fire-roasted tomatoes ON TOP and do not stir in. (*see notes)
Put on the lid and turn the valve to the sealing position and set the Instant Pot to 10 minutes on high pressure. Then allow for full natural pressure release (this will take at least 15 minutes). (*see notes)
In the meantime, cut tortillas into thin strips and toast them on a baking sheet under the broiler for 3-6 minutes or until golden and crispy. Peel and cut avocado into slices, and wash and dry cilantro.
By now the Instant Pot should be finished. Remove the lid, take some tongs and remove the chicken breasts and place on a cutting board to shred with two forks.
Use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend the broth and tomatoes, then return the shredded chicken to the pot and give a quick stir.
Serve in a bowl and top with toasted tortilla strips, sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, crumbled queso fresco and drizzle the juice of half a lemon over it all. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
* Ancho chili powder is not very spicy, if you are using a different chili powder you may have to reduce the amount by quite a bit so it's not too spicy.* It is important NOT to stir in the tomatoes into the broth! Rather, have them sit on top of the chicken to avoid the "burn" warning of the Instant Pot. Tomato products are notorious for causing the burn warning.* Natural pressure release (NPR) means you do not touch the Instant Pot once the alarm goes off. You let the pressure release naturally and wait for the safety pin to drop on its own, without manipulating the valve.