This creamy chicken tortilla soup made in the Instant Pot is bursting with a delicious mixture of chiles and juicy morsels of chicken. It’s creamy and cheesy with just the right amount of heat.
This is one of mom’s favorite recipes. While the original tortilla soup may have originated in Mexico City, this one is evolved straight out of the Guzman kitchen.
Now, I’ve adapted her recipe for the Instant Pot and you can easily make it in your home too.
Most of the chicken tortilla soups I’ve seen have been red in color. I much prefer this version with its beautiful golden color.
Ingredients
You will start off by frying up some bite sized pieces of corn tortilla. You can cut the pieces into 1″ bites or ½″ strips. I’ve used white corn tortillas. You can use yellow or even blue, if you can find them.
When you’re making this creamy chicken tortilla soup, be sure to set aside sufficient time to chop all the vegetables. I’ve used three different chiles in addition to the normal soup base vegetables of onion, celery, carrot and garlic:
- Poblano pepper
- Jalapeño pepper
- Yellow Bell pepper
This will start smelling delicious immediately with all those different veggies and spices. We’ve recently started using dark chili powder in a lot of our recipes and it’s adding both color and incredible flavor. Of course, that aroma is outstanding too!
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, have a look at this 6-Quart Instant Pot (aff link) which we use. We’ve had it for several years and it still works great.
Is it gluten free?
All the ingredients for this tortilla soup are gluten free except the Better than Bouillon flavor enhancer which isn’t tested. The company doesn’t test for gluten free in their products. There is only one teaspoon in the ingredients list. This is the only thing you would need to leave out.
It’s the Better Than Bouillon that gives this soup that pretty yellow color. Regular chicken broth doesn’t have that much color. Even though it’s a flavor enhancer, I believe you can achieve that same coloring by using a little bit of turmeric.
Can I use a Crock Pot?
Yes, you can use a Crock Pot for this delicious creamy tortilla soup! Fry the corn tortilla pieces in a skillet but add all the ingredients except the tortillas, butter, half n half and cheese to the Crock Pot and cook for about 3 hours on high or 6 hours on medium. Add the butter, half n half and cheese. Continue heating and stirring until cheese is melted.
Try these other Instant Pot recipes
You can’t beat the Instant Pot for a delicious meal. It’s like your typical one-skillet meal except it’s made easier without having to babysit it constantly.
Browse all our Instant Pot Recipes or choose one of these.
- Creamy Gnocchi Soup Easy Instant Pot Recipe
- Pork Chile Verde Mexican Pork Stew
- Easy Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Tuscan Soup Recipe Instant Pot
- Hearty Beef and Barley Stew
Recipe
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup Instant Pot Recipe (+video)
Equipment
- 6-quart Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 6 Corn Tortillas cut into bite size pieces or strips, as desired
- 1 medium Onion chopped
- 1 Poblano Pepper seeded and chopped
- 1 Jalapeno Pepper seeded and chopped
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper seeded and chopped
- 2 Celery Stalks chopped
- 2 Carrots chopped or sliced, as desired
- 5 Garlic Cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Dark Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon roasted chicken flavor
- 1 pound Chicken Breast boneless, skinless, cut up into bite size pieces
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 4 tablespoons Butter cut into 4 pieces
- ½ cup Half n Half
- 1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese shredded
Instructions
- Chop and mince all vegetables as directed. Cut chicken breast into bite size pieces. Cut tortillas into pieces.
- Press the Saute button on the Instant Pot to begin cooking in saute mode. Add olive oil. When heated, add corn tortilla pieces and fry until golden. With slotted spoon, remove to paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
- If necessary, add more olive oil. Add chopped onion, peppers, celery, carrots and garlic. Add salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Stir frequently until onions are fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in Better Than Bouillon.
- Press the Cancel button on the Instant Pot to reset.
- Add chicken pieces and chicken broth. Stir. Check the Instant Pot lid to ensure the seal is in place and nothing is blocking the vent. Place lid on top and set lever to Sealing. Press the Manual button on the Instant Pot and set to high for 10 minutes, then natural release. The entire cook time will be about 30 minutes.
- Press the Cancel button to reset or remove cord. Add butter and half n half. Stir. Sprinkle in about a quarter of the shredded cheese at a time, until fully mixed and melted.
- Stir in fried tortilla pieces or serve them on the side to be added to individual bowls.
- Makes 10 servings.
Video
Notes
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. All amounts are estimates and 24Bite® takes no responsibility for actual figures since calculations vary by packaging and supplier. Please calculate the amounts yourself based on package labeling if you have specific dietary requirements. 24Bite®, Kim Guzman or Christian Guzman shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on this website or actions you take as a result. 2019-2026 Kim Guzman and Christian Guzman. All rights reserved. 24Bite®
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Love your recipe. This soup is so cheesy and creamy. I love soup for Dinner.
This was awesome. I like that it had a little kick. It’s so great to be able to make dinner without having to heat up the whole kitchen too.
Easy and soooo delicious! This is one of those recipes that gets made again and again. Thanks for giving us another reason to love the Instant Pot 🤩
Looks so delicious. Another instant pot recipe for me to try 🙂
I am always in awe of what the Instant Pot can do! This looks amazing, thank you so much for the recipe!!
This is one of the prettiest tortilla soups I have ever seen! Great recipe and so delicious!
Thanks so much!
This soup looks absolutely delicious!
Thanks so much! It really is! Enjoy!
We love our pressure cooker; this soup will be getting made over the winter, the perfect warmer on a cold day 🙂
I love how cheesy and creamy this dish is.
It is so delicious and easy to make, and my husband loves it so much!
This is my new favorite soup and I make a lot of soup! Thanks for sharing.
This soup is not only delicious but it is so beautiful too! My family really enjoyed it!
I just took my Instant Pot out of storage. This is the perfect recipe to make with it! Pinned to make this weekend, thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
Wow! This soup absolutely looks so delicious and yummy! The color that this soup brings an enticing and tempting effect. Loved it!
Love all the contrast of colors and textures. There’s a bit of crunch, creaminess, and lots of flavor!
This soup sounds like a great dinner option for the fall season! I tend to forget about making soup in my Instant Pot.