This classic Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup recipe is Mexican home cooking at its best, and the perfect place to showcase a flavorful chicken broth. This is a guest recipe from The Essential Mexican Instant Pot Cookbook by Deborah Schneider.
WHAT IS TORTILLA SOUP?
Originating from Mexico City area, the tortilla soup, or sopa de tortilla, has made its way into many hearts and stomachs around the world. While it's a common item on most Mexican restaurants menus, this hearty chicken and tomato soup with crispy tortilla strips is actually very easy to make at home.
Using the Instant Pot makes it every quicker and more convenient and with this guest recipe from Deborah Schneider (executive chef and owner of six Mexican restaurants in the U.S. and internationally acclaimed cookbook author), you can master this delicious soup in your own kitchen. The recipe can also be found in the recently released The Essential Mexican Instant Pot Cookbook.
For a vegetarian and vegan-friendly version, check out our Instant Pot Sweet Potato Tortilla Soup recipe. Plus, get inspired with the best Instant Pot soup recipes here and more Mexican Instant Pot recipes here.
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Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 2 guajillo chiles stemmed, seeded, and torn into pieces
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 2 tomatillos husked and roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- ½ large white onion finely diced (about ¾ cup), plus ¼ cup diced white onion for serving
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ small carrot peeled and cut into matchsticks or small dice
- ½ Anaheim chile seeded and diced (about ¼ cup)
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups toasted corn tortilla strips or tortilla chips broken into bite-size pieces
- ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
- 1 avocado halved, pitted, peeled, and diced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 4 lime wedges
Instructions
- Place the chile pieces in a blender and pour in the boiling water. Let soak for 10 minutes, until the chiles are softened, then drain off and discard the water.
- Cut 1 tomato into quarters and scoop out and discard the core and seeds. Roughly chop the quarters and add to the blender. Core, seed, and finely dice the second tomato and set aside.
- Add the tomatillos, garlic, and 1⁄2 cup of the finely diced onion and blend until very smooth, scraping down the blender as needed. Do not add any water.
- Press Sauté (High) on the Instant Pot and heat the oil. Add the diced tomato, the remaining finely diced onion, the carrot, and the Anaheim chile and sauté for about 1 minute until beginning to soften. Add the chile puree and cook, stirring, until the mixture is quite dry and beginning to stick to the pot. Press Cancel.
- Add the chicken, broth, and salt. Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Press Soup, then set the cooking time for 20 minutes.
- When the cooking program is complete, press Cancel. Perform a quick pressure release by moving the Pressure Release to Venting. Open the pot, then transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Divide the chicken evenly among heated bowls. Top each portion with the tortilla strips, cheese, and diced onion, then ladle the hot broth over the top. Garnish with the avocado and cilantro and serve right away with the lime wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
SAVE INSTANT POT CHICKEN TORTILLA RECIPE TO PINTEREST
Denise
This soup is OUTSTANDING! I made it to the T...well with one little add. I had to use up some baby potatoes. Added them after it was done cooking. Simmered it for about 10 minutes so the potatoes would cook. I'd make it the same way next time.
instantpoteats
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
Karly
Yum! This is my kind of soup!