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This easy Whole30 chicken tortilla-less soup is so full of incredible flavor, you won’t even mind the lack of tortillas! It’s quick and easy to make, and delightfully perfect for chilly evenings. Hearty, creamy, and made with your ideal amount of heat, not to mention Whole30-compliant, paleo-friendly, and naturally low carb. Both Instant Pot and slow cooker versions included!

A large white bowl of Whole30 chicken tortilla-less soup on a table.

For Our Non-Whole30 Readers

Looking for a more-traditional chicken tortilla soup, without any special ingredients or dietary considerations? Check out our recipe for Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup!

🍲 What Makes This Recipe So Good

  • It’s crazy easy – throw (almost) everything in the Instant Pot, cook for about 18 minutes, dice your chicken, then add the remaining ingredients. You’ll have a complete meal on the table in no time, and with very little effort!
  • It’s creamy, filling, and spicy, making it a great one-dish meal and perfect for cold weather. You can even meal prep this Mexican soup ahead of a busy week! I love having access to this delicious soup for a quick lunch.
  • It’s also low carb and keto-friendly, with only 8 grams of net carbs per serving! This Whole30 Instant Pot chicken tortilla-less soup fits a variety of diets. It’s just about as healthy as a soup can get!

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

  • If not on a Whole30, feel free to add some shredded cheese in there if you’d like! You can also enjoy this with a side of tortilla chips for a tasty crunch.
  • Get creative with this recipe and make it your own! Stir in some spinach, kale, or chard for extra greens. You can even replace the chicken with about a pound of browned and drained ground beef!
  • If you have a coconut allergy, replace the coconut milk with cashew cream. To do this, blend 1 cup of raw cashews with ¾ cup water in a high-speed blender until smooth. This coconut-free option is also Whole30 compliant!

Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.

A close-up of a bowl of Whole30 chicken tortilla-less soup on a table.

🥘 Other Recipes You’ll Love

A close-up of a bowl of Whole30 chicken tortilla-less soup on a table.
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
4.99 from 115 votes

Whole30 Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla-Less Soup (Paleo, Low Carb)

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 45 minutes
Total 1 hour
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.
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4 servings

Equipment

  • Large plate
  • Instant Pot
  • Large wooden spoon or silicone spatula
  • Tongs
  • Cutting board
  • large chef's knife or 2 forks, to shred chicken

Ingredients

For the Chicken Tortilla-less Soup

  • 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts equally thick, approximately 8-10 ounces each
  • salt to taste
  • 2 10-ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
  • 1 14.5-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup chopped onion approximately 1 medium onion; any color
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1-3 teaspoons chipotle pepper powder see Notes
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 medium zucchini approximately 6-8 ounces each; chopped or cut into ½-inch half moons
  • 1 14-ounce can unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk whisked until smooth, see Notes

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

  • fresh avocado slices
  • thinly sliced red onions
  • chopped fresh cilantro
  • fresh lime juice

Instructions

  • Place 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts on large plate. Sprinkle salt over both sides of each chicken breast, then place chicken breasts in Instant Pot insert.
  • Add 2 10-ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chiles, 1 14.5-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth, 1 cup chopped onion, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1-3 teaspoons chipotle pepper powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, and 2 medium zucchini to Instant Pot and gently stir to incorporate ingredients.
  • Secure lid on Instant Pot with valve in Sealing position. Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure for 18 minutes. Instant Pot will pressurize, then cook time will begin.
  • When cook time ends, Natural Release pressure for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, immediately and carefully Quick Release remaining pressure and remove lid from Instant Pot.
  • Transfer chicken breasts to cutting board and set aside.
  • Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add 1 14-ounce can unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk to Instant Pot and stir to incorporate.
  • Dice chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, or shred chicken breasts to small pieces. Once all chicken has been diced or shredded, return chicken to Instant Pot and stir to incorporate.
  • Portion soup into serving bowls. If desired, top each serving with fresh avocado slices, thinly sliced red onions, chopped fresh cilantro, and fresh lime juice, then serve hot.

Video

  • Chipotle Pepper Powder: The amount you use will affect the overall heat of the soup. Use 1 teaspoon chipotle pepper powder for a mild soup, up to 3 teaspoons for a hot soup.
  • Coconut Milk: If you don’t like or can’t use coconut milk, replace it with cashew cream to maintain the creamy consistency of the soup.

 

To Make This Soup in the Slow Cooker

  1. Add all ingredients except coconut milk to slow cooker in the order listed above. Stir to incorporate.
  2. Set slow cooker to LOW heat for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH heat for 4 hours.
  3. After 6 hours on LOW or 3 hours on HIGH, check chicken doneness with internal meat thermometer. When chicken reaches 160° Fahrenheit internally, remove chicken from slow cooker and set aside 5 minutes.
  4. Add coconut milk to slow cooker and stir to incorporate.
  5. Dice or shred chicken, then return chicken to slow cooker. Stir to incorporate, then portion soup into serving bowls.
  6. Garnish soup as desired and serve hot.

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1 serving without garnishCalories: 453calProtein: 34gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 444mgPotassium: 1431mgTotal Carbs: 21gFiber: 6gSugar: 11gNet Carbs: 15gVitamin A: 1081IUVitamin C: 36mgCalcium: 115mgIron: 5mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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Cheryl Malik

In addition to being a certified health coach, certified yoga instructor, and mom of 3, Cheryl is also the recipe developer, editor-in-chief, food photographer, and passionate foodie behind 40 Aprons. Having spent the last 10+ years as a food blogger, she's become known for her flavorful recipes, detailed instructions, gorgeous photography, and down-to-earth approach to food and cooking in general.

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186 Comments

  3. 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! ?

    Reply

  4. 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.5 stars

    Reply

  5. 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!5 stars

    Reply

  6. 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!

    Reply

  8. Calorie wise do you have an estimate? I am calorie counting and didn’t see it mentioned. I appreciate a suggestion.

    Reply

  10. 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!5 stars

    Reply

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