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Simple, easy, and delicious Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup is the tastiest comfort food in under 30 minutes. Instant Pot, slow cooker, and stovetop instructions are included.
This chicken tortilla soup in the Instant Pot is pure comfort food made in a flash. Pile on your favorite toppings and let’s make some amazing soup together!
This recipe also uses one of my favorite recipe hacks for soups/stews and uses organic bottled vegetable juice! You get an awesome soup base, there are way more veggies than normal in your meal, and it adds a delicious flavor.
Meal Prep Tips
- Use rotisserie chicken to speed up your prep time. Add it with the other ingredients at the end of the cooking time.
- Use frozen garlic, frozen carrots, frozen onions, and frozen peppers for a true dump-and-go meal.
- If you’re pressed for time, slice the chicken breast into 3 large pieces and add them to the Instant Pot. Remove the chicken breasts once the soup has finished cooking, shred them with two forks in a bowl, and return the shredded chicken to the soup.
Fun pro tip: add 4 oz of warmed cream cheese to the hot soup after it has finished cooking, and put the lid back on for 10 minutes to let it get good and melty. Then stir! You’ll now have an amazing creamy tortilla soup.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes:
- I used jasmine rice for this recipe, but feel free to use brown. Increase the cooking time for brown rice to 20 minutes in the Instant Pot and double it for the stovetop. For brown rice, the time remains the same for the slow cooker set on high.
- Use the full amount of chili powder recommended for a version with more heat. Use the lower amount recommended in the recipe below for a kid-friendly soup.
- The recipe can be made into a soup or stew depending on your desired consistency. See recipe notes for details.
- If you don’t have all the seasonings called for in this recipe, use your favorite packaged taco seasoning (or even homemade Gluten-Free Taco Seasoning). The flavor will be different but still tasty.
Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Simple, easy, and delicious Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup is the tastiest comfort food in under 30 minutes. Instant Pot, slow cooker, and stovetop instructions are included.
Ingredients
- 1 cup onion {diced}
- 2 cups carrots {peeled and chopped}
- 1 green pepper {chopped}
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast {cut into bite-sized pieces}
- 5 cloves garlic {minced}
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups vegetable juice blend
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 can black beans, drained {15 oz}
- 1/3 cup rice {uncooked}
- 2 tsp mild chili powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot.1 cup onion, 2 cups carrots, 1 green pepper, 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast , 5 cloves garlic, 3 cups chicken stock, 3 cups vegetable juice blend, 1 cup frozen corn, 1 can black beans, drained, 1/3 cup rice, 2 tsp mild chili powder, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- Lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle (valve on top) to “Sealing”. Press Manual>High Pressure>6 minutes.
- When the soup has finished cooking, the Instant Pot will beep and switch to ”keep warm". Allow it to sit with the lid on for 5 minutes and then do a manual release with the nozzle set to venting.
- Top with your favorite toppings.salt & pepper to taste
Notes
- 2 tsp of chili powder is perfect for people who don’t like spicy. 3 tsp (1 tbsp) would be better for those who like a bit of heat.
- If you prefer more of a soup consistency, use 5 cups of chicken broth. If you want it more stew-like, only use 3 cups of chicken broth.
- Use rotisserie chicken to speed up your prep time. Add it with the other ingredients at the end of the cooking time.
- If you want to use brown rice, you’ll need to increase the cooking time to 20 minutes in the Instant Pot and stovetop. Cook time remains the same for the slow cooker set to high.
- Add all the ingredients (note: increase liquids by 2 cups) but rice to the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 8 hours.
- Add rice in the last hour of cooking.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute carrots, onion, and chicken for 4 minutes. Add green pepper and garlic and saute for 1 more minute.
- Add all the other ingredients, place the lid on the pot and cook over medium heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may need to increase the liquids by 1-2 cups.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 216kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 14gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 125mgPotassium: 754mgFiber: 6gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 6610IUVitamin C: 50.4mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 2.2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Just made this taco soup. I used the stove top version and added a little salsa to it to give a “little” more spiciness.
It was easy and yummy.
Loved the idea of adding sour cream, cilantro and cheese, and green onions on top.
So glad there are leftovers for tomorrow!!!
You know nothing makes me happier than leftover soup! So glad this one was a hit for you!
We had friends over with picky kids, a total of 4 adults and 5 kids, and everyone loved it. The kids named it Burrito Gut Soup!
I think I’m officially renaming this “Burrito Gut Soup”. Love that! 🙂
The hubby and I made this in the crockpot this morning and we were both drooling by dinner time!
I used all frozen veggies for this and upped the rice to one cup (the hubby loves soup but only without the soup consistency), and it was amazing! I’m super excited for lunch tomorrow AND for all the left overs we will be freezing!
So glad this one was a hit for you, Tina! Troy is similar with the consistency of soup (wants it to be stew), so I’m always pleased when people adjust my recipes to fit their needs.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Yum yum yum! Huge hit in our house, my four year old and husband both declared this to be their favourite dinner, and the 16 month old wanted us to feed her for a change as she couldn’t get the full spoon to her mouth day enough.
I used 1 and 1/3c of dried black beans and brown rice, cooked for 22 minutes on high which was perfect. I also used the 5c of ‘garbage soup’ aka the best stock as I was using dried beans, and substituted passata plus additional seasonings for the vegetable juice. Best of all I only needed 10 min of hands on time, and dinner was served within the hour. Thanks Sarah!
Awww, so glad to hear that!!! Curious though if you’re able to source the tomato juice in NZ? Do you guys have similar products?
Troy is thrilled that “Garbage soup” is catching on as a term. LOL
We can get tomato juice ( not the one you linked to but plain or V8) but it isn’t something I keep on hand. I always have jars of passata.
Garbage soup had really caught on around here…
This is the ultimate quick to throw together, one pot meal! I LOVE step 1: add all ingredients, lock the lid. We didn’t even have to wash the meat cutting board because I just cut the chicken with my kitchen scissors right into the pot.
And, of course, it tastes great! I’d never used Veggie juice in a recipe before, but really liked it. Thanks for another great recipe, especially wonderful for a weeknight! Can’t wait to have the leftovers tonight.
So glad you liked it Becky, and I LOVE using kitchen scissors for cutting meat! I’m not sure what we ever did without kitchen shears.
If you have any leftover veggie juice I also use it in my beef stew recipe!
This was SO easy to make and it was delicious! I might add a bit more chicken next time, but overall it was yummy. Btw, I also cannot stand green peppers but it was good!
I’m so glad you liked it Dawn! And I’m always thrilled to meet a fellow pepper hater. 🙂
You sneaky devil, you! You didn’t even mention that this is lower in salt! I looked at your nutrition count and thought you might have been cooking some mushrooms, but NOPE, you used a very low salt vegetable juice and no salt added beans! FYI, if you have a Sprouts market near you they have a good no salt added chicken broth (and chicken with no added brine, for those of us who don’t always go with organic, which may or may not have brine added). If I use unsalted chips (hello, Trader Joe’s) and go light with the cheese, even someone like me with a VERY restricted salt diet can snarf this gown with gusto. Plus, red bells don’t have the sharp taste – green bell peppers are, after all, unripe. And for those missing the salt, it can be added at table without hurting the final product. I can make and even grade this recipe without making it because I know it will be good. THANK YOU!
HAHA…sorry?
Since I usually just make my own stock I never even think of the sodium content in storebought. But you’re right, a brined chicken would be bonkers high in sodium.
I actually skip the chips with this soup because I like it with just the rice. Troy, of course, does chips.
Happy cooking!
Well, made an absolutely fabulous meal. I was staying with a friend in Mallorca and unable to get all the exact ingredients, at the shop available . Had to make it up a bit, I also cooked minus rice as it gives me problems!
As usual with these things, it was even better warmed up the next day! It will be making an appearance at home in the future.
So glad you and your friend enjoyed it, Pauline! I agree – soup is sooo much better on day 2.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂
I used spicy V8 and the flavor was awesome but my rice turned out mushy. I’m still a newbie to the Instant Pot.
Gah, I love spicy veggie juice Brandi!
Let’s troubleshoot your rice situation because that isn’t normal. What kind of rice did you use? You can respond to this comment or email me at [email protected] and we’ll figure it out.
Just long-grain, white rice. Maybe it was too long cook time for it. I’ll definitely try it again. I guess that’s my “sign” that I should be using brown rice! Definitely with spicy juice again!
Hmmmm, that should have been fine. Did you wait 10 minutes for a natural release and then move the lever to venting? The only thing I can think about is if you forgot that step it could have taken too long to depressurize and thus overcooked your rice.
You could try cooking it at 8 minutes next time to see if that works better for you. When making just rice I cook mine for 7 minutes.
Just made this, in the crock post last night for dinner. MMMMmmmmm. Even my husband ate it, and he is a picky eater. Loved it, thanks for sharing!
Winning over picky eaters is my favorite thing so I’m thrilled it was enjoyed in your house. Thank you so much for telling me!
It was delicious. I just got an Instant Pot and panicked when I started it and hit Soup/Stew instead of manual and I am not sure if it’s the reason the rice soaked up the liquid…..it was delicious but more like a stoup! Can’t wait to try it again because I have a giant bag of basmati rice in the panty!
So glad you liked it Laurie! Did you follow the “thicker” directions or the “soupier” directions? I’m more of a broth girl myself.
I have a recipe coming up in the next few weeks that uses more of that leftover basmati in a very delicious way.
I may have only done four cops next time I’ll try five for sure. Can’t wait for more uses for the rice!
This recipe turned out great! The whole family loved it! We topped the soup with lots of avocado!
Awesome, thanks so much for letting me know Emily!
Yum! Thanks for the great recipe. Made mine veggie by leaving out chicken and using veggie broth. So good! I did break down and buy the small instant pot so I’m still figuring it out, but this was easy and so flavorful!
KC, did you get the 3 quart Instant Pot? I’ve seen it but could never figure out if it were too small to really make a lot of meals. Would be great to hear a review from you!
I am an instapot virgin and I was able to make this today very easily thanks to the clear instructions Sarah provided. I did not add the peppers as my family are meh to them. I added 1 cup vegetable broth and 2 cups chicken broth along with the vegetable juice (awesome idea by the way!) and the soup was the perfect consistency as we like soup on the thicker side. The soup was very flavorful and the rice was cooked well!! I’m a fan! Thanks for the recipe!!!
I do believe at this point you’re approaching “Instant Pot advanced beginner status” girl! Thrilled you all enjoyed this soup.
I make a similar recipe (crick pot & vegetarian) and use the leftovers (if you have them ;), to make nachos. I drain off the liquid (freeze as “stock” for the next batch or to add to another soup for extra flavor) and what’s left I use to top tortilla chips. Add some veggie cheese, broil, and add whatever toppings on that. Super yummy and a great way to stretch leftovers.
*crock pot
How clever! What a great way to repurpose!
Making this tomorrow. My 11-year old has been asking to cook with me (you’re welcome to his future spouse) so I think this will be a good one to try, he’ll get to learn about the IP too! The veggie juice soup hack is so clever, excited for Sunday dinner!! Thanks Sarah
Nice work on getting kids involved Mom! The veggie juice soup hack is one my friend Laney taught me over 10 years ago. I use it in beef stew too!
Can’t wait to hear what you thought of the Tortilla Soup!
Turned out super tasty but I will reduce the amount of rice next time and/or increase the liquid. Soaked up all 4 cups of vegetable broth. My husband dubbed it “burrito guts” and liked scooping with corn chips. Added some Tobasco to my bowl to make my spicy-living momma proud.
Side note. Started listening to My Dad Wrote a Porno podcast. Oh. My. Gosh. Love it. I’m very fond of British humor/people/accents so thanks for the recommendation! I think it’s a better alternative to the radio sometimes but I’m afraid I’ll be laughing to hard to listen while driving 😉
I hear yah! I prefer my soups soupy so I totally do the full 6 cups of broth.
OMG isn’t it the best?? Have you seen photos of them? James is adddddorable.
This sounds really good, although my hubby is NOT a soup guy (he says he doesn’t “get” soup? Too liquid-y, I guess). I usually don’t make soups because the recipes always make SO much for just one person, but this looks so delicious. Maybe if I halve it? I love the addition of rice, seems like it would be more filling that way.
My husband is also indifferent to soup (calls it “garbage water”) but alas he married a total soup lover so he gets what he gets.
I think making half of it would work just fine. I would plan another recipe for later in the week to use up the pepper and onion so that you can use up the leftovers. Maybe fajitas or omelets?
I actually love green peppers so they don’t usually go to waste in our house! 😉 Actually if I planned to make the tortilla soup early in the week and then make this one pan sausage/pepper/onion pasta dish that we love, that would be a perfect schedule
You can have all of my extra peppers! 😉
Thank you for a fantastic recipe. I made this today and it is delicious.
That is awesome Kate! Did you make it in the IP, stovetop, or slowcooker?
Yum! I will be making this one soon!
Can’t wait to hear what you think of it Jean.