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This easy Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup recipe tastes like it’s been cooked low and slow, but it’s fast and requires minimal effort!

Try my stove top chicken tortilla soup recipe if you prefer.

Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup in a bowl and toppings of sour cream, avocado, and lime wedge

I think you’ll really like this Tex-Mex chicken soup. It’s got a delicious fire-roasted tomato broth, corn, beans, spices, and tender shredded chicken. It’s not too spicy, but it’s packed with flavor. It’s actually pretty healthy too.

The toppings are always my favorite part, though. 😉

Love making soup in the Instant Pot? You may also like my Instant Pot taco soup recipe, my Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup, or my Instant Pot chicken tortellini soup.

How to make chicken tortilla soup in an Instant Pot

Sauté your onion right in your Instant Pot, add your chicken breasts and the rest of the ingredients, seal it up, and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure. Shred the chicken with two forks then add it back into the pressure cooker. Serve and garnish bowls as desired. Simple as that!

easy chicken tortilla soup inside an Instant Pot with a ladle

This tasty soup can be topped with a variety of things:

  • Chopped avocado
  • Mexican shredded cheese blend (mine had cheddar, queso quesadilla, and Monterey Jack)
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Tortilla chips
  • Lime wedges
  • Greek yogurt or sour cream

…etc.

close-up of easy Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup in a bowl with a spoon

This Instant Pot tortilla soup is so good that the leftovers went really fast too. They’re even better for lunch the next day!

If you prefer chicken thighs, you can definitely make the swap. In fact, they’ll be even more juicy than chicken breasts.

easy Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup with suggested toppings in a bowl

Will you try making this electric pressure cooker chicken tortilla soup recipe? Hope you give it a try! Questions? Ask me in the comments below.

More Instant Pot chicken recipes you may want to try:

This easy Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup recipe tastes like it's been cooked low and slow, but it's fast and requires minimal effort!
4.70 from 26 votes

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

This easy Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup recipe tastes like it's been cooked low and slow, but it's fast and requires minimal effort!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Inactive time: 15 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients 

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 3 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 (12 fluid ounce) can corn drained
  • 1 (15 fluid ounce) can black beans drained & rinsed
  • 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles 
  • 2 (13.5 fluid ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juices
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Toppings (optional, to taste):

  • Chopped avocado, Mexican shredded cheese blend, cilantro, tortilla chips/strips, lime wedges, sour cream

Instructions 

  • Sauté the onion in your Instant Pot for 4-5 minutes.
  • Add the other soup ingredients, except for salt & pepper, to your pressure cooker and give it a stir. 
  • Cancel sauté, close the lid, and ensure the valve is on the "sealing" position. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. It'll take about 10-15 minutes for it to get up to pressure.
  • Once the countdown has finished, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, and then do a quick pressure release.
  • Take the chicken out and shred it with two forks. Add it back into the soup, dish it up, and top each bowl as desired.

Notes

  • I use this 6-quart Instant Pot.
  • Here is the stovetop version.
  • You can use chicken thighs if you prefer (use about a pound or so).
  • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 337kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 34g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 75mg, Sodium: 1084mg, Potassium: 827mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 843IU, Vitamin C: 12mg, Calcium: 88mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Hi! I’m Natasha.

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4.70 from 26 votes

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106 Comments

  1. Erika says:

    4 stars
    I am confused as to why the instant pot recipe is higher in calories than the stove top version? Maybe I missed something but the ingredients look identical…

    Regardless, sounds delicious. I’m excited to give it a try this weekend! :]

    1. Natasha says:

      Hi!! I did both calories fairly recently, and I can’t exactly remember why they were different, but I thought the same thing. I believe there are subtle differences in the ingredient quantities when I looked more closely haha. Honestly, the calories will vary depending on the exact ingredients you use anyway, so they’re just a guideline.

  2. Iris says:

    5 stars
    My fave chicken tortilla soup ever!!! I’ve made this 3 times but it’s the only recipe I’ll use from now on. I changed it up a bit this time around and used garbanzo beans instead of the corn and added some carrot. Delicious! I add a small amount of sugar just to smoothen out the acidity from the tomatoes but other than that, I follow the recipe and I’m left with a flavorful soup that comes together quickly yet tastes like I’ve slaved over a hot stove for hours. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.

    1. Natasha says:

      I’m so happy you like it!! Thanks for letting me know! I sometimes use the sugar trick too with tomatoes. ☺️♥️

  3. Brenda says:

    XOXOXOXO!!! I could not find my old fashioned recipe, and I wanted to try my newish IP, so I jumped on Pinterest and viola! Your post was yummy looking, so I copied it into my recipe folder, and I know I will surely be preparing this one again! I did dismiss the first post b/c there were ingredients I don’t normally use, and I love that yours are so simple. I also applaud your EZ instructions! It has exactly the results I was looking for! BTW, I used leftover rotisserie chicken, so precooked assured me that 8 minutes was going to be perfect…. And PERFECT IS WAS!!!

    1. BRENDA F CLARKE says:

      one more thing, we dont dunk our tortilla chips into the soup, we eat them like crackers, so they stay crunchy!

      1. Natasha says:

        Good idea!!

    2. Natasha says:

      So glad you enjoyed it, Brenda!! Thanks for leaving me a comment! 😀

  4. JoanneB says:

    5 stars
    This is the most delicious chicken tortilla soup I’ve ever eaten!! Perfectly seasoned! Added cilantro, avocado and some crushed tortilla chips to serve, really outstanding!

    1. Natasha says:

      Aww so glad to hear it, Joanne!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!

  5. Kasi says:

    5 stars
    My whole family loved this! Pinning to my current rotation list!! Thank you!

    1. Natasha says:

      Excellent! Thanks for letting me know!

  6. Tara says:

    I just made this and I have to say it definitely is a fast, easy recipe I can build into the weeknight rotation. I eat dairy free and gluten free, so I made some mods to get the thickness I was looking for without sour cream (which may be the only dairy I truly miss). First off, I’ll admit I used my own homemade veggie broth bc it was a week old and needed to go. I also added a pinch of cayenne bc…why the heck not?! When the recipe was finished, it was a little thin of a broth for me so I just added a can of Muir Glen tomato sauce. Lots of salt and pepper. And of course I couldn’t stop myself from adding green onions. Also I’m so lazy so I shredded the chicken with the flat beater. Great 30 minute dairy free gluten free recipe for me! Thanks so much! Also, if you don’t have fresh lime, don’t even make this recipe as it’s unfair to the soup. Makes the whole thing pop!

    1. Natasha says:

      So glad you liked it, Tara! Your additions sound delish. 🙂

  7. Cheyenne Wendegatz says:

    5 stars
    I have been using this specific recipe ever since I got the instant pot for Christmas in 2017. It is the best tasting, I tell you! I didn’t need to try others after trying this one. Totally yummy with sour cream added after it’s served. Gosh it’s good!

    1. Natasha says:

      I am so happy you like it! Thanks so much for the sweet comment. ❤️

  8. Carly Leonhard says:

    5 stars
    The BEST chicken tortilla soup I’ve ever made. Thank you so much for this! I used frozen corn since that was all I had and it turned out wonderful. Great flavor, very easy and so quick. I’ve passed it along to all my friends that have an instant pot.

    1. Natasha says:

      Your comment made my day! Thank you. 🙂

  9. Vicki Nguyen says:

    5 stars
    Oh my yum!! Made this for dinner tonight! Love it! Cooked a little extra chicken to keep on the side for little mini quesadillas to dip in the soup.

    1. Natasha says:

      Yay I’m so glad you liked it! Mini quesadillas?? Genius. 🙂

  10. Christine says:

    I’m not one to comment very often, but when my self proclaimed soup hater husband goes back for seconds…that is about the best compliment a person can get. I’ve heard for 25 years of marriage that soup is not a meal. This man ate two LARGE helpings of this soup tonight and said that this is his favorite soup I’ve made.

    The only thing I changed up was I used 4 chicken breasts (I was too lazy to freeze the last one) and frozen corn (I didn’t have canned).

    Thanks for a great recipe to come back to time and time again! It was super easy with great flavor!!

    1. Natasha says:

      That’s awesome!! Haha this made my night. 🙂

      1. Morgan says:

        Can I use frozen chicken breast for this? If so, how long should it cook in the instant pot? I’m a new instant pot user! Thanks!

        1. Natasha says:

          Hi! I haven’t tested frozen chicken. Maybe try 10 minutes? If the chicken at all seems to not be cooked, please use a meat thermometer to ensure it’s 165F in the middle.