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 kind 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?
I 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 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 your review below! ? And make sure to share your creations by tagging me on Instagram!
Whole30 Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla-Less Soup
Ingredients
Soup:
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 10-ounce 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 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 it to the soup. Serve hot, topped with garnishes of choice.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted May 2017 but was updated with video, new photos, step-by-step directions, and tips August 2018.
Is the nutrition info for each serving?
Yes, for 1/4 of the recipe! 🙂
I’ve never made anything Whole30 before and was a little skeptical seeing zucchini and coconut milk in this soup but WOW it was so tasty! Everyone loved the outcome and I also loved how easy it was to make. Amazing recipe!
I loved this recipe and even froze some. How much is a serving though? Your recipe doesn’t say.
Hi! We consider a serving to be around 10-12 ounces. 🙂
This was soooo good! Will definitely make again! Used the canned chipotle peppers and adobo since not doing Whole30 right now. It was quite spicy! Topped with cilantro and avocado. Yummy! Should have added a squeeze of lime too – forgot : (
Couldn’t find a can of tomatoes with chillies, only tomatoes — so I sliced a green bell pepper to add some green, turned out great. Loved this recipe — easy, tasty = keeper!
Thanks for the awesome review!
Look in Mexican food section for Rotel tomatoes with green chili’s. You can also add A can of green chili’s to a can of tomatoes.
Rotel is the brand name for canned tomatoes with chilies
I just made this… my family and I were all blown away! Soooo delicious! The coconut milk sounds questionable but is the key note in bringing it all together with the spices. I’ve been dairy free for a while now but my husband and boys haven’t been… they were still all wowed at the deliciousness of this soup! Thank you for posting it!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this and it is SOOOO GOOD! Your recipes are so flavorful and easy for this family of 5! Also- we use to live in Memphis so love that I came across your delicious recipes 🙂 thank you so much!
Family fave for a few years now! It’s seriously so easy and delicious! Thank you!!
Yay, so glad to hear that!
Just made it for Cinco de Mayo! It is delish! I subbed in crushed tomatoes and a small can of chopped chilis so it came out a little more like a creamy tomato base. I also added in a few chopped fresh jalapeños. My mom said the spices were perfect! I used a bag of frozen mixed veggies just cuz that’s what I like in soup. The chicken was already cut thin and just fell apart into savory shreds! I will be making this again!
Oooh, sounds delicious! Thanks for the review and tips!
Oh wow. This is surprisingly good in every way! It’s on the master list now. We puréed the broth. Thank you!
So glad you loved it!
I love this soup so much. I make it in the slow cooker and it comes out perfect. I have frozen it and it reheats really well (the zucchini loses it’s form a bit but I don’t mind at all, SO tasty!!). I also add black beans when I reheat it. Thanks for this awesome recipe!
Thanks for the five stars! I’m glad you loved it.
can you add potatoes to it? For whole 30 my husband likes things hearty. How much time would you add to the instant pot if you add some large diced potatoes?
What is the serving size?
We would say a traditional serving size would be between eight to ten ounces.
This recipe is amazing. I’ve made is several times, exactly as written, and it’s been a hit regardless who I serve it to. Since my family is not following Whole 30 or Keto, we eat the soup with rice (on occasion) — simply delish!!
I have made this soup many times and tweak it often to what I have in the frig. Last night I had frozen chicken breasts, frozen cauliflower rice and baby bell peppers. I added 4 extra minutes to the cooking b/c my chicken was frozen (but make sure you separate the breasts so they cook evenly if they are frozen together). I added everything in the recipe and instead of zucchini, added in my frozen cauliflower (12oz bag) and roughly chopped bell peppers (1/2 cup). I also only had a 28oz can of fire roasted tomatoes and veggie stock. It all worked out beautifully. After it cooked I pulled out the chicken to shred and then immersion blended the chunky stuff then I added in 1/2 & 1/2 (maybe 1/4 cup) at the end b/c we have some people that don’t like coconut. Anyway, this recipe is a winner and is so flexible. Thanks for making easy one pot meals! Life saver!
Absolutely delicious!! I didn’t have chipotle powder so used a teaspoon of cayenne instead. Incredibly easy and tasty.
This is my go-to soup! Very balanced and delicious. The coconut milk is perfect for thickening the soup without making it very heavy.
This recipe is Delicious, we love it and I will definitely make it again. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe?❤️