Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup

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A flavorful Instant Pot chicken taco soup made with black beans, chicken breast, corn, garlic, onions, and cheddar cheese. It’s perfect for Fiesta Fridays!

We have yet another Tex-Mex themed soup that we’d love to share with you. It’s our Instant Pot chicken taco soup and in case you’re wondering it can be made without using an Instant Pot.

I will get into those details in Tips section on the post. For now, let’s just focus on this simple and delicious recipe as it stands.

While it’s not exactly “soup season,” it’s always a good time to share a Fiesta Friday offering. This one features chicken breast, Southwest seasonings, and cheese.

How can you go wrong with a combination like that? Best of all, it’s pretty easy to make and it uses everyone’s favorite kitchen tool, the Instant Pot.

The Instant Pot is great for soups. In fact, it’s one of our favorite ways to make soup. That’s how we made our Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup, Cream of Tomato Soup, and Corn Chowder with Bacon to name of few.

The finished chicken taco soup served in earthenware bowls and garnished with diced avocado and tomatoes.

How to Make Chicken Taco Soup:

First, go ahead prep as many of the ingredients as possible. You know, dice the onions, open the canned veggies, drain and rinse the black beans. You get the idea.

Once that’s been done, turn your Instant Pot to “Saute,” and add vegetable oil. Next add the onions, and stir until soft (about 2-3 minutes).

Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds, then turn off the Instant Pot. With the onions and garlic completed, it’s time to get down to business.

Layer the chicken, taco seasoning, chicken broth, corn, beans, and tomatoes with green chiles into your Instant Pot.

If needed, give everything a good stir because you want to make sure all the liquid gets to the bottom of the pressure cooker to avoid any issues.

The chicken taco soup ingredients like chicken, taco seasoning, onions, and cheese.

After all the ingredients have been loaded, close the lid, and set the Instant Pot to “Sealing.”

Turn on the Instant Pot using the manual/pressure cook setting on high pressure for 7 minutes.

When the 7 minutes are up, allow the Instant Pot to complete a natural release for 10 minutes and open the valve for a quick release of the remaining pressure. This will keep the meat tender and juicy. 

Remove the lid and take the chicken out of the Instant Pot. You can use tongs or two forks to shred the chicken.

Set the meat aside so you can add it back in later.

An aerial photo of the chicken taco soup ingredients put into the instant pot, ready to be sealed and cooked.

Now, turn the off the Instant Pot and slowly add the heavy cream. It wouldn’t hurt to let the soup sit for a few minutes before adding the cream.

The last thing you want is for the soup to break. When you’re ready, add the heavy cream and stir it to combine.

Then turn the Instant Pot back on to the “Keep Warm,” setting. Add the shredded cheese and stir everything until the cheese is melted. 

Last, place the shredded chicken back in the Instant Pot and stir the soup once more. It’s now ready to serve. 

Garnish each soup bowl with your favorite toppings like sour cream, tortilla chips, avocados, cilantro, etc.

Serve immediately. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

A close-up photo of the finished chicken taco soup in two earthenware bowls topped with diced tomatoes.

Tips for Making the Best Chicken Taco Soup:

As I stated above, this can be done in a slow cooker or in a stock pot on your stove-top. Simply put in everything except the cream and cheese.

For the slow cooker, let it cook on high for 2-4 hours, then let the soup cool for about an hour before stirring in the cream and cheese.

Same thing for the stove-pot version; except, cook it over medium heat for about an hour and let it cool for 20 minutes before adding the cream and cheese.

Either way, the soup needs to be hot enough to melt cheese but not boiling; otherwise, the cream will break. The chicken can be shredded in the slow cooker or stock pot using tongs.

Feel free to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or even canned chicken for an alternative version.

You can substitute any cheese you desire and for an extra kick of spice, dice up to jalapenos or chiles and toss them in with other veggies.

A close-up photo of the finished chicken taco soup in two earthenware bowls topped with diced tomatoes.

Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup

5 from 26 votes
Print Pin
Author: John
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Pressure Build and Natural Release: 17 minutes
Total Time: 39 minutes
Servings: 8 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or canola oil
  • ½ cup white onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 ounce taco seasoning, 1 packet; store bought or homemade
  • 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
  • 15 ¼ ounces golden sweet corn, 1 can; drained
  • 15 ounces black beans, 1 can, drained and rinsed
  • 10 ounces diced tomatoes and green chiles, 1 can; undrained
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ¾ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions
 

  • First, turn Instant Pot to “Saute,” and add vegetable oil. Next add the onions, and stir until soft (about 2-3 minutes). Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds, then turn off the Instant Pot
    1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    ½ cup white onion
    3 garlic cloves
  • Next, layer the chicken, taco seasoning, chicken broth, corn, beans, and tomatoes with green chiles.
    1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
    1 ounce taco seasoning
    32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
    15 ¼ ounces golden sweet corn
    10 ounces diced tomatoes and green chiles
    15 ounces black beans
  • Then, close the lid, and set the Instant Pot to “Sealing.” Turn on the Instant Pot using the manual/pressure cook setting on high pressure for 7 minutes. After the 7 minutes is up, allow the Instant Pot to complete a natural release for 10 minutes and open the valve for a quick release of the remaining pressure. 
  • After that, remove the lid and take the chicken out of the Instant Pot. Use two forks and shred the chicken. Set aside.
  • Now, turn the off the Instant Pot and add the heavy cream. Stir to combine, then turn the Instant Pot on to “Keep Warm.”
    1 cup heavy cream
  • Afterwards, add the shredded cheese and stir until melted.
    ¾ cup sharp cheddar cheese
  • Once the cheese is melted, place the shredded chicken back in the Instant Pot and stir.
  • Last, garnish with your favorite toppings like sour cream, tortilla chips, avocados, cilantro, etc. Serve immediately. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

Suggested Equipment

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 1110mg | Potassium: 567mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1181IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 2mg

Notes

The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients and doesn’t not include any garnishments. Actual calories will vary. The soup can be stored in your fridge in a sealed container for up to three days. 
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42 Comments

    1. Good Morning Jennifer, that’s a good question. While Kim and I have never used frozen chicken on this recipe, it shouldn’t hurt it. Kim said you don’t have to change the cook time on the pressure cooker; however, it may take longer for it to come to pressure. We hope this information helps. Have a lovely day 🙂

    1. Good Morning Mimi, that’s a great question. Yes, you can use evaporated milk instead of heavy cream. With that being said, the soup will not have the same rich flavor. If you decide to use the substitution, let us know how it turns out. Have a lovely day 🙂

  1. Thank you, Chelsey! Kim and I hope you get an instant pot for Christmas. They work perfectly for recipes like soup. Have a wonderful Monday 🙂

  2. Thank you, Julie! I know what you mean, Fall is just around the corner and I can’t wait to start working on more cold weather meals. Have a lovely day 🙂

  3. Thank you, Sam! It’s a quick and tasty meal option, for sure. We hope you get an instant pot soon, so you can make a batch of the soup. Have a lovely Monday 🙂

  4. I’ll take tavcos however I can get them! Bonus points for the instant pot! I love how easy and full of flavor this recipe is. Perfect for fall.

    1. Thank you, Lauren! Same here, one of my favorite taco varieties is the street taco. This is one doesn’t quite taste the same, but it’s delicious nonetheless. Have a great Monday 🙂

  5. Oh this is soooo yummy. I love Chicken taco soup but never tried it in Instant-pot. I’m pinning the recipe to try soon.

  6. Oh this is soooo yummy. I love Chicken taco soup but never tried it in Instant-pot. I’m pinning the recipe to try soon.

  7. Sounds delicious, and pretty easy. I’ve learned our parents love those flavors (and we do, too!) so they’ll probably enjoy this!

    1. Thank you, Anne! It’s not too difficult to toss together. We’re glad you liked the post, have a lovely day 🙂

  8. I’ll take tavcos however I can get them! Bonus points for the instant pot! I love how easy and full of flavor this recipe is. Perfect for fall.

  9. I’ll take tavcos however I can get them! Bonus points for the instant pot! I love how easy and full of flavor this recipe is. Perfect for fall.

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