This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy.
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!
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.
🥘 Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Mexican Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (Instant Pot, Whole30, Paleo)
- Whole30 Breakfast Tacos
- Healthy Zuppa Toscana (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy Free)
- Paleo Lime Bars (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
- Instant Pot Bone Broth That Gels (Whole30 Bone Broth)
- 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken
- Whole30 White Chicken Chili
- Easy Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy (Whole30, Paleo, Low Carb)
- Healthy Chicken Tostadas
- Whole30 Tzatziki (Paleo, Keto, Dairy Free)
- Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole with Eggs and Sausage (Whole30, Dairy Free, Gluten Free)
- Paleo Carbonara with Palmini
- Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas
- Whole30 Gyro Meatballs
Whole30 Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla-Less Soup (Paleo, Low Carb)
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
- Add all ingredients except coconut milk to slow cooker in the order listed above. Stir to incorporate.
- Set slow cooker to LOW heat for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH heat for 4 hours.
- 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.
- Add coconut milk to slow cooker and stir to incorporate.
- Dice or shred chicken, then return chicken to slow cooker. Stir to incorporate, then portion soup into serving bowls.
- Garnish soup as desired and serve hot.
Approximate Information for One Serving
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.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag @40aprons on Instagram and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!
Never Miss A Meal!
New Recipes Straight To Your Inbox
A curated selection of our most recent recipes, delivered straight to your inbox once a week.
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?❤️
This recipe is SO GOOD!!! Iand super easy! I just got an instant pot and was looking for something paleo to make in it. this is so creamy and delicious. Its about 115 degrees in AZ but I cant wait to eat this every day LOL. thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you!!!
I bought all of the ingredients to make this soup this weekend and I can’t wait!! My house is OBSESSED with tortilla soup—we try it anywhere we go if it’s on the menu, so to find a lightened up version is awesome!
I am confused on the chipotle pepper part (I’ve never cooked with them before). Do you put to whole peppers into the soup? Or do you dice them up or anything first? Thanks!!
I only have 1lb of chicken. Do I need to adjust the cooking time? Would sweet potatoes work added to the soup? Thanks!
You could try for 15 minute instead! Sweet potatoes would be fantastic!
Absolutely fantastic. The best Tortilla Soup I’ve ever had….whole 30 or otherwise. I doubled the recipie, and cooked in the Instapot for 19 minutes. It was luxurious with heaps of cilantro, avocado, and a couple cassava lime tortilla chips. I didn’t have chicken broth on hand, so reconstituted some beef flavor organic “better than bullion” (not 100% whole 30 approved, I suppose), but it did the trick. Highly recommended! Cant wait to try more if your recipes. If they are half as tasty as this, I will be pleased.
Oh man. Your tweaks sound amazing!!
Olo’s Chipotle Paste is whole 30 compliant. Ingredients: Chipotle Peppers, Water, Salt and Citric Acid
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0097UW3EK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_bEGWCb97V4BJS
Great recipe!
Silly question: is the salt in the recipe to season the soup, or the chicken breasts?
Both 🙂
I don’t have an instant pot, could I use a Dutch oven or crock pot?
Sure, the cooking times will vary, though.
Only the second time using my Instant Pot- first was to bake sweet potatoes. I’m loving it and this recipe was amazing!!! I didn’t miss chips or cheese.