Ingredients (~9 servings)
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large white onion, chopped (~1 1/2 cups)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 3/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 45 oz black beans, drained (3 cans)
- 22 oz canned corn, drained
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 27 oz enchilada sauce
- 1 1/2 cans hatch chiles (4 oz cans)
- 1 1/2 packets taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 9 flour tortillas, cut into strips
Roasting Chicken
Set your oven temperature to 350°F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and sprinkle salt on each of your chicken breasts. Then drizzle a little olive oil over the breasts — it will help with browning and will prevent the meat from drying out.
Roast the chicken for about 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the breast. Allow the roasted chicken to rest for 5 minutes after removing it from the oven before shredding with two forks. If the chicken is cooked correctly, it should shred apart easily.
Creating the Backbone of the Soup
In the Instant Pot, set it to the sauté setting and add the olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the diced onions and bell peppers. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions become translucent and the peppers begin to soften.
Add the chopped cilantro, diced jalapeño, and minced garlic and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant. The cilantro will wilt quickly, and that is what you’re trying to achieve.
Pressure Cook Your Soup
Without stirring, layer the black beans, corn, chicken stock, enchilada sauce, hatch chiles, shredded chicken, taco seasoning, and salt on top of one another. The purpose of layering this way is for the chicken stock to create steam for pressure cooking.
After securing the lid, set your Instant Pot to manual for 15 minutes. After the cooking time is up, allow 10 minutes of natural pressure release before opening the valve and removing the lid.
Tortilla Strips
While the soup is cooking, line another baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the tortilla strips in a single layer. Bake at 375°F for about 10 minutes, checking at the 8-minute mark to ensure they do not overbake. When finished, the tortilla strips should be golden brown and crispy.
Let the tortilla strips cool on the baking sheet. As they cool, they will continue to become crisper.
Final Touches on Your Soup
Once the soup is finished, stir it well and taste — if it needs more salt, add a pinch according to the taco seasoning blend you used. Allow the soup to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Serve the soup topped with the tortilla strips along with any desired toppings such as shredded sharp cheddar cheese, dollops of Greek yogurt, diced avocado, or sliced jalapeños.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
~9 servings
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large white onion ~1 1/2 cups, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 3/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 jalapeño diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 45 oz black beans 3 cans, drained
- 22 oz canned corn drained
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 27 oz enchilada sauce
- 1 1/2 cans hatch chiles 4 oz cans
- 1 1/2 packets taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 9 flour tortillas cut into strips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Season chicken with salt and olive oil, roast 20 minutes until 165F internal temperature.
- Sauté onions and bell peppers in Instant Pot for 5 minutes. Add cilantro, jalapeño, and garlic, cook 2 minutes.
- Layer black beans, corn, chicken stock, enchilada sauce, hatch chiles, shredded chicken, taco seasoning, and salt in pot.
- Pressure cook 15 minutes, natural release 10 minutes.
- Bake tortilla strips at 375F for 10 minutes until golden and crispy.
- Stir soup, adjust seasoning. Serve with tortilla strips and optional toppings.
