Name: Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup with Avocado and Lime
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 white onion, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp ground cumin; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 chipotle chile in adobo, minced, plus 1 tbsp adobo sauce; 28 oz can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes; 4 cups chicken broth; 1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 1 cup frozen corn kernels; 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed; 4 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips; ½ cup vegetable oil, for frying; Avocado, cotija, cilantro, lime wedges to finish

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup with Avocado and Lime

Shredded chicken in a smoky chipotle-tomato broth, pressure-cooked in minutes and finished with tortilla strips fried crisp instead of the soggy kind you get elsewhere.

Serves

Prep

15 min

Cook

30 min

Written

August 1, 2026

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 white onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1 chipotle chile in adobo, minced, plus 1 tbsp adobo sauce

28 oz can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes

4 cups chicken broth

1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 cup frozen corn kernels

15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

4 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips

½ cup vegetable oil, for frying

Avocado, cotija, cilantro, lime wedges to finish

Method

Set the Instant Pot to sauté, heat the 2 tbsp oil, and cook the onion until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, cumin, oregano, and chipotle with its adobo sauce, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, and chicken thighs, nestling the chicken into the liquid.

Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes, then quick-release the pressure.

Lift out the chicken, shred it with two forks, and return it to the pot with the corn and black beans. Set to sauté and simmer until the corn is heated through, about 5 minutes.

While the soup simmers, fry the tortilla strips in the ½ cup oil until crisp and blistered, about 2 minutes, then drain on paper towels and salt right away.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the crispy tortilla strips, avocado, cotija, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

Notes

The pressure cooker does in twelve minutes what a stockpot needs an hour for — the chicken thighs go in raw and come out fall-apart tender, ready to shred straight into the broth they cooked in. Chicken breast works too; pull it a minute or two earlier so it doesn’t dry out.

Frying your own tortilla strips instead of crushing in a bag of chips is the one non-negotiable step — they hold their crunch in the broth for a few minutes instead of going soft on contact. Leftover soup keeps well for a few days; fry the strips fresh right before serving.