Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

In this recipe

Instant Pot makes it easy
Time-Saving Tips
Serve tortilla soup
store leftovers

11 Chicken Thigh Recipes for your Instant Pot

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Chicken Tortilla Soup is filled with tender shredded chicken, diced onions, garlic and chilies and topped with a pile of crispy tortilla strips. The tomato broth is lighter than chili, but still hearty enough to enjoy as a standalone meal. This version is also spiced up with corn and beans.

Easy Tortilla Soup in the Instant Pot

This soup can be made any time of the day and is ready by dinner time. Sauté the onions and garlic, and then everything else goes into the pot, including raw chicken – no searing required! When ready to eat, the boneless chicken breasts or thighs are easy to shred and stir back in just before serving.

While the soup is pressure-cooking, you can prep your toppings — slice avocado, chop cilantro, and get your tortilla strips nice and crispy. Traditionally they’re fried, but I find it easier (and less greasy) to bake them in the oven, toaster, or air fryer.

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Time Saving Tips for Chicken Tortilla Soup

When making chicken tortilla soup, you can take the easy route in a few key steps:

Make your own tortilla strips as shown in this recipe
Or use store-bought tortilla chips or tostadas instead

Some recipes call for all fresh veggies to be shredded, but I think this is a great way to save a little time and pop open cans of peppers and tomatoes instead. (That’s how they’re always in season, after all!)

Oh, and fire-roasted chopped tomatoes give you the best flavor—if you can’t find those, add 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika to add some depth to your soup, or otherwise use a can of diced, roasted tomatoes. roasted tomatoes, pureed in a blender along with their liquid.

What to serve with tortilla soup

You don’t really need to serve anything with Chicken Tortilla Soup – it makes a great meal on its own! If you want to make it a real Mexican feast, serve the soup with sides of refried beans and rice or with cheese quesadillas for dipping.

How to Store Leftover Chicken Tortilla Soup

If you have leftovers, keep the soup separate from the tortilla strips to keep them from becoming soggy. I put my tortilla strips in a ziplock bag and leave them on the counter for the next time I want to reheat a bowl of soup.

The soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months. When I freeze the soup, I like to pour it into silicone molds to freeze in portion blocks, then take them out and store in bags. They thaw much quicker than a large, frozen block of soup and are easy to reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

More great soup recipes

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Turkey Tortilla Soup
Instant Pot Chicken Soup
Healthy Creamy Chicken Soup
Easy Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup
Chicken udon soup with bok choy

preparation time
5 minutes

cooking time
45 minutes

total time
50 minutes

portions
6 servings

2 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlicchopped
1 Middle yellow onionrolled
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups chicken soup
1 (4 ounce) can fire roasted green chili peppers
1 (15 oz) Can of black beansrinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups corn grits (fresh or frozen)
1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted tomato passata
1 lb chicken keeper or thighs, boneless and skinless

For the corn tortilla strips:

6 Street taco size Corn tortillas
1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For garnish:

3/4 Cup shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican mixed cheese
1 big avocadocut
1/2 Cup freshly chopped coriander
1 limecut into 6 columns

Sauté onions and garlic:

Set your pressure cooker to the sauté setting and heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, onion and salt and sauté until the onion softens, about 3 minutes.
Add the remaining soup ingredients:

Add the chicken broth and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Stir in green chiles, black beans, corn, tomatoes, and chicken.
Cook a soup:

Cancel the “Sauté” program to reset your pressure cooker. Place the lid on the pressure cooker. Make sure the pressure regulator is set to the “Sealing” position. Choose the Pressure Cook or Manual setting and set the cook time to 10 minutes at high pressure. (The pot needs about 15 minutes to build up pressure before the cooking program starts.)
While the soup is cooking, prepare the tortilla strips:

Preheat a toaster, air fryer, or oven to 350°F. Pour the oil into a bowl large enough to toss the tortilla strips. Cut the tortillas into 1/4-inch strips, then toss them in the bowl with the oil.

Bake or air fry the tortillas until golden and lightly browned on the edges, about 7-9 minutes. As soon as you take the strips out of the toaster or air fryer, sprinkle them with the salt. Set aside to cool.
Release and serve or keep warm:

When the Instant Pot has finished cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 15 minutes. The pot defaults to the Keep Warm setting. You can serve the soup immediately or let it steep for up to 10 hours.
Shred Chicken:

Once the pressure is released, open the pot. Use tongs to place the cooked chicken on a cutting board. Use a pair of forks to shred the chicken, then add it back to the soup and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning, add more salt if you like.
Serve soup:

Pour the soup into bowls. Top each bowl with shredded cheese, sliced avocado, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and tortillas.