Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Name: Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 52 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter (or oil); 1 medium onion (diced); 5 cloves garlic (minced); 6 cups low sodium chicken broth; 3 10oz cans Rotel green chilies and tomatoes; 1 4oz can diced green chilies; 1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed; 1 tablespoon chili powder; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/4 cup crushed tortilla chips; 3 large chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds); 2 limes (1 juiced and 1 for serving); 1 1/2 cups frozen corn; 1 8oz brick cream cheese, cubed; Chopped cilantro; Crushed tortilla chips; Shredded cheese; Sour cream; Cotija cheese; Diced avocado

Save time and prep work with this easy Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup. A flavor-packed soup that will taste like it's been simmering all day long. No one has to know that it was made easily in the Instant Pot!

A bowl of creamy chicken tortilla soup, resting on blue napkins.

Do you love the idea of soup, but maybe not the reality of standing over a steaming hot pot, nursing it, and stirring it for an hour or more? Yeah, me too!

Enjoy all the comforting deliciousness of Chicken Tortilla Soup, without having to babysit a pot of soup. Once your prep is done, you can kick back on the couch for a whopping 17 minutes and scroll through TikTok while your soup takes care of itself.

Now that's my kind of meal! And one of the biggest reasons I love my Instant Pot. I can get a homemade, long-simmered taste in record time...and without all the hands-on work. While you do have to sauté the onions and garlic, it's pretty minimal work and results in a big payoff. Other than that, this simple weeknight recipe for Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup is a dump and go!

Ingredients

Chicken breasts: You will need about 1 ½ pounds of chicken breasts. That was about 3 large breasts from my local grocery store, but you may need more depending on where you buy your chicken breasts from. Be sure they are of the boneless, skinless variety. This makes cooking and shredding super easy.
Chicken broth: You will need around 6 cups of broth. You can use homemade or store-bought. If you are using boxed or canned broth, I recommend purchasing a "low sodium" variety. You can always add salt to taste later!
Diced tomatoes and green chilies: Also known as "Rotel", this is a tex-mex inspired blend of tomatoes and green chilies. If you don't have access to Rotel, I have a super simple Rotel Substitute on my blog that works great!
Black beans: You will need a 15oz can of black beans. Be sure to rinse and drain them for the best possible results.
Crushed tortilla chips: This helps thicken the soup, and adds a lovely flavor. I like to keep some extra crushed tortilla chips for adding to the top of each bowl of soup.
Cream cheese: Brick-style cream cheese works best here. If you can soften it beforehand, you will have a much easier time blending it into the soup. You can also microwave it for 15 seconds at a time until soft and smooth.
Corn: I prefer the taste and texture of frozen corn, so that's what is used here. If you prefer canned corn, you can substitute the 1 ½ cups of frozen corn for the same amount of drained canned corn. I estimate that would be about 1 ½ 14oz cans.
Other ingredients: diced green chilies, butter, onion, garlic, limes, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and ground black pepper.

Instructions

Select the "sauté" function of your Instant Pot and set the timer for 30 minutes.

Once the inner pot is hot, add the butter or oil, and use a wooden spoon to swirl it around to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.

Add in the onions, and sauté until translucent and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic!

An instant pot insert on saute mode, being used to saute onions and garlic, then adding in broth and green chilies.

Pour in the chicken broth and stir well to combine. Use the bottom of your wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the Instant Pot.

Hit the "cancel" button of the Instant Pot to turn off the sauté mode.

Add in the Rotel, diced green chilies, and black beans.

Adding various ingredients to an Instant Pot for soup, including a can of Rotel, black beans, chicken, and taco seasonings.

Use a pair of tongs to add the chicken breasts to the Instant Pot.

Sprinkle in the chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, black pepper, and crushed tortilla chips. Stir well to combine.

Adding seasoning and lime juice to an Instant Pot soup.

Add the juice of 1 lime.

Place the lid on the Instant Pot and cook for 12 minutes on manual pressure.

The Instant Pot will beep to indicate it has come to pressure, it will cook for 12 minutes, and then it will beep to indicate it is done and switch to the "warm" mode. Do a natural pressure release for 5 minutes, before switching the valve to "venting" to do a manual pressure release.

When the pin has dropped, indicating it is safe to open the Instant Pot, carefully remove the lid of the Instant Pot.

Finishing the Soup

Remove the chicken breasts and set aside on a plate.

Removing the chicken from a cooked Instant Pot soup, then adding in corn and cream cheese.

Add the corn kernels and cubed cream cheese. Stir well.

Place the lid on the Instant Pot and let the soup sit for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, use two forks to shred the chicken breast.

Once you have waited 5 minutes, return to the Instant Pot and stir the mixture well, using a fork or the back of a spoon to break up any soft chunks of cream cheese.

If your cream cheese hasn't melted well, bring the soup to a simmer using the sauté function. Stir often to help the cream cheese melt into the soup.

Add the chicken breast back to the soup and stir.

Serve immediately with lime wedges, and your favorite toppings.

A bowl of creamy chicken tortilla soup, resting on blue napkins and garnished with fresh cilantro.

Best Toppings for Chicken Tortilla Soup

Crushed tortilla chips
Chopped fresh cilantro
Diced tomatoes
Diced avocado
Cotija cheese
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Mexican crema
Lime wedges

Substitutions

Gluten-free: If you'd like to make this recipe gluten-free, substitute the crushed tortilla chips for crushed gluten-free corn tortilla chips. Verify all packaged ingredients (like broth, cream cheese, etc) are gluten-free.

Dairy-free: Substitute the cream cheese for 1 cup of coconut milk with 2 tablespoons of flour whisked in. Bring the soup to a simmer on sauté mode and cook until thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Use oil in place of butter to sauté the onions. Verify that the tortilla chips are dairy free (some brands are, some are not).

Cream cheese: In place of cream cheese, whisk together 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Add this to the soup and whisk to combine. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 5-10 minutes.

Variations

Instant Pot Ground Beef Tortilla Soup: Omit the chicken breasts, and instead brown 1 ½ pounds of lean ground beef. Drain and add to the soup at the same time you add the chicken breasts in the recipe. You can use the sauté function of your Instant Pot, or use a skillet on the stovetop.

A bowl of chicken tortilla soup, with a spoonful being pulled up.

Frequently Asked Questions

I find Rotel too spicy, what can I use instead?

First, consider using the "mild" form of Rotel, which is far less spicy than the original. If you REALLY can't handle any heat, you can use 2 (15oz) cans of fire roasted tomatoes in place of the 3 (10oz) cans of Rotel in this recipe.

I can't find Rotel, what's the best substitute?

If you can't find Rotel, you can make a substitute using diced tomatoes and diced green chilies. See my Rotel Substitute post for more details!

I don't like cream cheese in soup, what can I use instead?

If you don't like to use cream cheese in soups, you can whisk together 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour. Add this to the soup and whisk to combine. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 5-10 minutes.

How do I thicken chicken tortilla soup?

You can thicken your soup by adding crushed tortilla chips into the soup. You can also add a thick, creamy element like a roux or cream cheese. Thirdly, you could use a cornstarch slurry to quickly thicken your soup.

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