This Whole30 Instant Pot chicken tortilla-less soup is full of flavor and so easy to make! Super quick and filling, this Mexican soup is creamy, spicy, and low carb.
I have this problem… but I can’t be the only one.
You see, I kind of love Latin music. I develop recipes to my Celia Cruz Pandora station and know all almost 30% of the words to La Vida Es un Carnaval.
But I have this sort of Pavlovian response to this sort of music. Two responses, if we’re being honest.
Response #1: immediately salsa with my dancing partner, Whisk/Immersion Blender/super hot cast-iron skillet. It’s pretty elegant and safe, all in one. And response #2?
Crave Mexican food.
I could be 90% done with some elaborate French dinner, the perfectly selected wine patiently aerating on the counter, from-scratch paleo quiche in the oven, salade verte on the dinner table. But should Guantanamera come on? Scrap it all; we’re heading to El Mezcal tonight, y’all.
Luckily for our general health slash financial stability, this Whole30 Instant Pot chicken tortilla-less soup is quick, easy, and super economical, making it a fantastic answer to my Pavlovian response to that 1-2 and-3-4 beat any time it comes on.
Why this Whole30 Instant Pot chicken tortilla-less soup is so good:
- It’s crazy easy: throw (almost) everything in the Instant Pot, cook for about 18 minutes, dice your chicken, add the remaining ingredients. DONE.
- It’s creamy, filling, and spicy, making it a great one-dish meal and perfect for fall and winter.
- This Mexican soup is low carb and keto-friendly, too (10g net!).
- This makes for a great meal prep for the week: less time spent in the kitchen on Sunday, more time doing… uh, not meal prep.
Quick, easy, flavorful ✔
Budget-friendly ✔
Midweek fiesta 💃
Variations:
- Brown about a pound of ground beef, drain, and add it in place of the chicken breasts for an Instant Pot taco soup. You can reduce the cooking time to about 5 minutes at Manual High Pressure if you do that, too!
- Stir in some spinach, kale, or chard for extra greens.
- If you have a coconut allergy, replace the coconut milk with cashew cream: blend 1 cup raw cashews with 3/4 cup water in a high-speed blender until smooth.
Tips:
- If you’re not on a Whole30, add some shredded cheese, if you feel like it.
- Top with some Siete paleo tortilla chips if you’re not on a Whole30!
- If you aren’t on a Whole30, use 2 chipotle peppers and 2 teaspoons adobo sauce in place of the chipotle pepper powder. I’ve yet to easily find Whole30-compliant chipotle peppers.
Make this Whole30 Instant Pot chicken tortilla-less soup in the slow cooker:
Add all ingredients, except coconut milk, in the order listed. Cook on low heat for 7 hours or on high heat for 4 hours. Remove chicken breasts and dice. Stir in coconut milk, then return chicken to slow cooker. Serve with garnishes.
How to make this Whole30 Instant Pot chicken tortilla-less soup:
Add all ingredients in the order listed to your Instant Pot, through zucchini.
Seal lid and cook on Manual High Pressure 18 minutes. Let naturally release 10 minutes then Quick Release.
Remove chicken breasts from pot and dice. Stir in coconut milk and diced chicken; stir until smooth. Serve with plenty of garnishes.
What kind of Instant Pot do I have?
I use mine seriously all the time and love this one (<<< affiliate link!). Check it out!
Other recipes you’ll love:
- Mexican Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (Instant Pot, Whole30, Paleo)
- Healthy Zuppa Toscana (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy Free)
- Instant Pot Bone Broth That Gels (Whole30 Bone Broth)
Did you make and love this recipe? Give it your review below! 👇 And make sure to share your creations by tagging me on Instagram!
Whole30 Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla-Less Soup
This Whole30 Instant Pot chicken tortilla less soup is full of flavor and so easy to make! Super quick and filling, this Mexican soup is creamy, spicy, healthy, and low carb.
Ingredients
Soup:
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 10-ounce cans cans tomatoes with green chiles
- 1 14.5-ounce can Whole30-compliant chicken broth
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1-3 teaspoons chipotle pepper powder if on Whole30. 1 teaspoon for mild, 3 teaspoons for hot. If not on Whole30, see note
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 zucchinis chopped or cut into 1/2" half moons
- 1 14-ounce can can full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream whisked until smooth
Garnishes:
- fresh avocado slices
- red onions , sliced thin
- fresh cilantro , chopped
- coconut cream
- lime juice
- shredded cheese , if not paleo or on Whole30
- tortilla strips , if not paleo or on Whole30
Equipment Needed
Instructions
-
Sprinkle boneless skinless chicken breasts with salt. Add the chicken breasts to the Instant Pot. Add the remaining ingredients in order, through zucchini.
-
Secure the lid on the pot. Cook at high pressure for 18 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release for ten minutes, then use the manual release. Pull out the chicken breasts and add coconut milk. Switch Instant Pot to Sauté mode and stir to combine. Dice chicken, then return to soup. Serve hot, topped with garnishes of choice.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
This recipe was originally posted May 2017 but was updated with video, new photos, step-by-step directions, and tips August 2018.
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When do you add the rest of the ingredients?
Hi Charmaine! You add all of the ingredients in step 1, except for the coconut milk. Garnishes when you’re ready to serve. Let me know if you need more help! Thank you 🙂
I want to use my crockpot. In you directions, did you mean 7 hours on low and four hours on high? You said the opposite and that doesn’t make sense.
Oh! Yes, great catch. That was a typo – it’s 7 hours on low and 4 hours on high. Thanks!
Can I put the chicken in frozen and then shred later? And maybe add a couple minutes of time to the cooking? Ate all that’s the best part of my instant pot:frozen to done in just a few minutes!
Hi Teresa! Yes! That would totally work. I’d add 2-3 minutes to the cooking time, and you should be set with frozen chicken breasts.
The adobo sauce has sugar in it. 🙁 Have you found one that doesn’t?
I’ve seen a can of compliant chipotle peppers at Whole Foods but they can be hard to find! Try subbing 1-2 tablespoons chipotle powder if you can’t find them 🙂
I was so excited to make this and headed straight to the store to get the two ingredients I was missing….chipotle peppers with adobo sauce and adobo sauce. They both had sugar (every brand I checked–including the one you link to), and just the sauce also had wheat. 🙁
Hi Pamela! Did you check the note in the recipe? You can use chipotle pepper powder if you can’t find compliant chipotle peppers in adobe sauce 🙂 The link in my recipes is universal for all chipotle peppers across my site, so they’re not always compliant. Try the powder and let me know how you like it!
What if I accidentally added the coconut milk with the rest of the ingredients… 😅
Ha! That won’t hurt a thing 😂
Oh good! I just did the same thibg
😀
Hi. How many servings should I use die this dish when accounting for carbs and such
It makes about 4-6 servings depending on size of bowl 🙂
Nutritional info? How many servings per recipe?
I’ve updated with a label! 🙂
Where?
Right below the recipe card!
The ingredients list says to dice chicken and then the recipe says to dice chicken. Should I be putting it in whole and dicing after cooking? Thank you!
What a great catch! You can honestly do either, but I like to cook the chicken breasts whole and dice after cooking 🙂 I’ll update the recipe to reflect that. Thank you Anne!
I had about 2lbs of thighs so I used those instead and added an extra chipotle pepper. It came out so delicious. The chicken was shreddable by the time I opened the pot. Really great. Thank you!
Awesome! I’m so glad you liked it and that those subs worked for you 🙂
Great recipe! I like the addition of the coconut milk, very delicious and unique flavors.
I’m so glad you like it! I love the rich creaminess the coconut milk adds 🙂
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Does it freeze well?
I haven’t tried that but I’m sure it would freeze just fine!
This soup is amazing! It’s the first thing I ever made in my Instant Pot last week. So tasty and super easy to make. My dad who despises coconut actually ate it and enjoyed it a lot! However, I’m making it again today for some family friends, one of which is a pretty fussy eater and will not eat it if he knows there’s coconut in it. Is it okay to substitute it with heavy cream? Also, I have a 6 quart and since I’m feeding it to more people this time, do you think doubling the recipe be okay? I’m worried my pot might be too small for that.
I’m SO glad you all have liked it! You could definitely substitute heavy cream for the coconut milk, and I do think it’ll all fit in the 6QT. I’m not 100% sure but I think it will, at least from how high up I remember it going otherwise 🙂 You could always transfer everything to a regular pot after cooking before adding in the cream, but since you’re not sealing things back up, you don’t have to worry about going higher than the max level after adding the cream 🙂
This soup is delicious! I forgot to add the coconut milk and it was still great. We’re not doing the Paleo/Whole 30 diet so we added a bit of sour cream, shredded cheddar and tortilla chips.
I’m soo glad you liked it!
What is adobe sauce? Is it the same thing as the adobo sauce the chipotle peppers are in? Thanks!
Yes! Keep in mind though that if you’re on a whole30, you’ll have to try and find a compliant brand. Otherwise follow the note with chipotle powder 😊
I found the exact brand you linked to at my local Walmart. I did notice the sugar but I think it’s minute enough where it won’t matter. Just my personal opinion. I making this tomorrow and I can’t wait! Thanks for the fast reply! 🙂
I was googling paleo soups and found this , sounds awesome. i bought everything and just printed out the recipe and just noticed it says to use an instant pot. ugh lol i missed that totally. do you think i could prepare stove top with similar results? any suggestions would be appreciated. cant believe i missed that part.
thanks so much
Here’s what I would do: bake the chicken ahead of time and then cut it into bite-sized pieces. Combine everything on the stovetop and simmer until zucchini is cooked through. That should be all you need to do!
I made this tonight for the first time and it was delicious !!!! Hubby loved it, too!! Thamks for sharing!!
I’m sooo glad you liked it!
How many servings does this make?
It makes approximately 4-6 servings, depending on the bowl
What Whole 30 compliant chipotles in Adobo did you find and use? I have checked like a dozen brands and they ALL have something non-compliant in them (either sugar or soybean oil usually). I have a few recipes I would LOVE to make for Whole 30 that use them (including this one!) but can’t find them anywhere!
It can be SO hard to find compliant chipotle peppers in adobo. I’ve seen some at Whole Foods but nowhere else. Try there! Otherwise you’ll have to stick with chipotle pepper powder 😕 someone needs to make a readily available brand!!
This is an excellent recipe! Instead of using boneless, skinless chicken breast, I doubled all the ingredients and I used a whole chicken. It worked so well. I had never used chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I bought a can of whole peppers in adobo sauce and just dumped the whole can in. I broke up the peppers in the soup before I ate them. Yum!
Sounds so delicious, Jill! I adore chipotle peppers but they can be so hot! Was the soup not too spicy with that many peppers? Sounds so smoky and rich!
It’s a snow day here, and I don’t think I have coconut milk… could I add more chicken broth? If so, how much? I’m guessing roughly the equivalent of the can of coconut milk but I wanted to check. This sounds delicious. Thank you!
Do you have almond milk? You could try replacing the coconut milk with that – maybe using 1/4-1/2 cup less since it’s much thinner. It won’t be quite as creamy but still a bit more than just plain chicken broth. Plain chicken broth would work, too, though! Again, I’d use 1/4-1/2 cup less
OK, thank you! I do have almond milk, but – hah – it’s vanilla unsweetened, so not sure how the vanilla would do… it looks like extra chicken broth for me. Thanks!
I’ve made this soup three times already on my Whole30! It’s smazing!!! One of my favorite recipes.
Made this tonight and it was delicious!! A smidge too spicy for hubby and I so next time I’ll just leave out one of the peppers. Thank you!
It can be SO spicy, ha! Did you use regular Rotel? So glad you liked it! 🙂
Tasty but very spicy! I think I’ll use 2 regular Rotels next time instead of one regular and one hot.
Yes! That Hot Rotel is really hot! Two regular would be much milder 🙂
Calorie wise do you have an estimate? I am calorie counting and didn’t see it mentioned. I appreciate a suggestion.
I updated with a label! 🙂
This soup was amazing! Extremely flavorful, rich and downright yummy! I will definitely be making it again!
I am sooo glad you liked it!
This was delicious! It’s very important to note that RO*TEL tomatoes have sugar, thus the recipe is not Whole30 compliant when using RO*TEL. However, I found the store brand of similar diced tomatoes and green chilies without sugar!
Glad you liked it Stephen! I’m not sure what labels you’re seeing on Rotel cans, though, but they are definitely compliant! They contain calcium chloride, but that’s an acceptable ingredient.
https://smartlabel.labelinsight.com/product/4351309/ingredients
Seriously the BEST soup I’ve ever had on my Whole 30 journey! Even my “why do I have to eat this crap” husband loved it! I’m slowly converting him away from “the dark side” of eating, and this dish made all the difference!. Anyway, I have a mini pot so it did not hold both zucchinis and only about 1/2 the chicken. So I cubed the chicken and sauteed it in ghee and after a few minutes added the 2nd “mooned” zucchini slices. When I pulled out the chicken breasts from the instapot (to shred), it created enough room for me to put back all the chicken + zuccini. Adding the coconut cream and cilantro at the end took it over the top! Hubby added red onions and sliced avo! Both thought it was way better the next day! And just in case you have some leftovers–i chose to ! threw it in the food processor, along with the leftover “garnishes” to create a sauce that I poured over zucchini and sweet potato noodles for our meatless Friday meal!
I am soooo glad to hear that! And I’m so glad you shared your mini IP workaround! Genius usage for leftovers too!
First time making soup in the new instant pot – and doing a whole30, this is a great treat – it was a delicious meal. I botched the directions by cooking it with the coconut milk the whole time (whoops) but honestly, it was so good regardless, and I am not a huge fan of coconut so I liked that it was kind of cooked through and I did not taste a note of coconut at all. Used chipotle powder and it was perfect – great depth of flavor and wonderful smokiness. Thanks for making such an easy, delicious & healthy recipe.
So glad you liked it! Honestly putting the coconut milk in first would not hurt it at all 🙂 As you know now!
I’m just confused on the chipotle peppers… Am I supposed to pull out two Chipotle peppers from the can and just put those in? Or do I pour in two CANS of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce? 🤷🏼♀️ i’ve never used them before so I have no idea! 😜
Ha! Just two peppers from the can 🙂
This was an amazing taste-fest! Thank you! Pinning and sharing on FB!
So happy you liked it!!