Chicken taco soup is a great way to warm up on a cold night or to fight off a cold when you get that first sign of congestion. With a soup that can warm you up and fight off a cold, it’s got to be pretty magical, right?
What’s magical is how fast this soup can come together. This instant pot chicken soup can be made from start to finish really quickly.
Perfect for a fast dinner or when you simply don’t want to put in the effort of cooking a full course luxurious meal.
Something cool about Taco Soup is that it can be adjusted to fit your own flavor choices. It’s so customizable that every person at the table can have the same dish, made unique in their own bowls.
While some people might want to kick up the spice level with a few shakes of tabasco sauce, others might simply want cheese (like the picky kids).
This recipe works really well with some Instant Pot Pulled Chicken that you froze for a rainy day! I love to meal prep and this recipe has saved me time and time again to help with weeknight dinners.
Not interested in chicken taco soup or don’t have chicken on hand? Check out this other taco soup recipe that could be exactly what you’re looking for!
What's in Chicken Taco Soup?
- Chicken Breasts
- Chicken Broth
- 2 Tbs Olive Oil or Butter
- Red Bell Pepper
- Yellow Bell Pepper
- Onion
- Cilantro
- Can Black Beans Rinsed
- Diced Green Chilies
- Petite Diced Tomatoes
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Tbs Chili Powder
- ½ Tbs Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 2 teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne
- 2 teaspoon Sugar
- ½. teaspoon Salt
How to make Chicken Taco Soup?
- To make this chicken taco soup, you’ll need to set your pressure cooker to saute’ and wait for it to get nice and hot
- Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil or butter to your pot and let it melt
- Dice your onion and bell peppers and then add them to your melted butter
- Saute them for about 2 or 3 minutes
- Rinse your black beans and add with diced green chilies and petite diced tomatoes to the pressure cooker, then mix to combine
- Pour in your chicken broth
- Slice your chicken breasts into 3 long strips about the size of a chicken tender and place it on top of your vegetables and beans
- In a separate bowl, combine your spices
- Sprinkle your spices on top of your chicken breast slices
- Toss some chopped cilantro on top, but do not stir
- Close the lid and pressure cook on manual for 6 minutes with a 6-minute natural release
- Open the lid and remove your chicken pieces
- Using two forks, shred your chicken and place it back into the pressure cooker
- Slowly pour in your heavy cream and stir
- Garnish with sour cream, cheese, avocado, and tortilla chips and enjoy!
Some FAQ to answer all your questions!
Chicken soup is a great soup because it can make for great leftovers (assuming that you don’t eat all of it the first night that it’s made).
If you want it to last a few days, either as a lunch for work or another dinner during the week, you can simply store cooled leftover soup in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
If you want the soup to last much longer than that, it’s best to place it in a sealed container and freeze for up to 3 months.
I recommend freezing it flat in a zipper topped bag and then standing it up after it’s solid so that it takes up less space in the freezer and thaws quicker.
Chicken taco soup is pretty healthy, the additional toppings at the end are what could send it overboard and into the “not as healthy” category.
For instance, in your soup you have whole ingredients such as fresh vegetables and chicken, these are considered healthy.
Adding sour cream, cheese, or other toppings (or simply adding “too much”) of these can add extra fats and calories that can detract from the healthy factors of this soup. Consider avocado as a topping simply because it is a healthier fat choice.
This soup is pretty low carb as is, but if you’d like it to be even lower, you can reduce the number of beans inside the soup.
Can I substitute Pinto Beans?
Yes! You can choose any bean that you want if you don’t want to use pinto.
Two great options to select in their place are either black beans or kidney beans as they both have a similar texture and appeal with fiesta flavors and can accommodate any added spice that you may add to your soup.
What to Serve with Chicken Taco Soup?
Honestly, your soup has pretty much everything you need for an amazing meal, as is. But, if you really want to do something beyond the toppings and add something to the side of the bowl, you can consider some warmed flour tortillas to use as dippers in the creamy broth or aside of tortilla chips and dip.
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More Fantastic Soup Recipes!
- Instant Pot Tomato Soup
- Grandpa's Favorite Split Pea Soup
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup
- Chicken Corn Chowder
Fun Side Recipes to serve
- Cornbread Recipe
- Cheese Bread
- 4 Ingredient French Bread
- Little Caesars Breadsticks
- No Knead Artisan Bread
Chicken Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken Breasts
- 2 Cans Chicken Broth - 14oz
- 2 Tbs Butter
- 1 Red Bell pepper
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
- ½ Cup Onion - Diced
- 1 Can Black Beans - Rinsed and Drained
- 1 Can Diced Green Chilies - 4oz
- 1 Can Petite Diced Tomatoes - 14oz
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Tbs Chili Powder
- ½ Tbs Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 2 teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne
- 2 Tbs Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Cilantro
Garnish
- Cheese
- Avocado
- Tortilla Chips
- Sour Cream
- Tomato
Instructions
- To make this chicken taco soup, you’ll need to set your pressure cooker to saute’ and wait for it to get nice and hot
- Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil or butter to your pot and let it melt. 2 Tbs Butter
- Dice your onion and bell peppers and then add them to your melted butter, Saute for about 2 or 3 minutes. 1 Red Bell pepper, 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, ½ Cup Onion.
- Rinse your black beans and add with diced green chilies and petite diced tomatoes to the pressure cooker, then mix to combine. 1 Can Black Beans, 1 Can Diced Green Chilies, 1 Can Petite Diced Tomatoes
- Pour in your chicken broth. 2 Cans Chicken Broth
- Slice your chicken breasts into 3 long strips about the size of a chicken tender and place it on top of your vegetables and beans. 1 lb Chicken Breasts
- In a separate bowl, combine your spices. 1 Tbs Chili Powder, ½ Tbs Paprika, ½ teaspoon Onion Powder, 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder, 2 teaspoon Cumin, ¼ teaspoon Cayenne, 2 Tbs Sugar, ½ teaspoon Salt
- Sprinkle your spices on top of your chicken breast slices
- Toss some chopped cilantro on top, but do not stir. ½ cup Cilantro
- Close the lid and pressure cook on manual for 6 minutes with a 6-minute natural release
- Open the lid and remove your chicken pieces
- Using two forks, shred your chicken and place it back into the pressure cooker
- Slowly pour in your heavy cream and stir. 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- Garnish with sour cream, cheese, avocado, and tortilla chips and enjoy! Cheese, Avocado, Tortilla Chips, Sour Cream, Tomato
Nutrition Disclaimer
All nutrition values are approximate and calculated by a plugin and are provided as a courtesy. Adding or subtracting ingredients will change the nutritional value.
Dianna
Wondering if the chicken broth is 14 oz total or 2 cans 14 oz each?
Devour Dinner
2 cans of chicken broth. Each can is 14 ounces for a total of 28 ounces of broth. Hope this helps clarify. It's delicious!
Lisa W
Oh my! I watched Rebecca’s live demo yesterday and it looked SO good that I made a special trip to the store today for yellow and red bell peppers so I could make this recipe today. I can’t even describe how unbelievably delicious this recipe was for so little work! After it was done, I garnished it with avacado, shredded cheese, tomato and green onions. I served it with garlic bread but honestly, this soup is a meal in itself and needs nothing else to be a filling, satisfying meal in itself. 2 thumbs up!
Jan
This is my favorite taco soup recipe. It has good flavor and the chicken is tender when done in the pressure cooker. It’s a keeper for sure.
Sally Bruner
Can this be made with frozen chicken breast?
Devour Dinner
Hi Sally! You can Frozen Chicken Tenders in this Recipe and they would work great.
Maggie
If I have already cooked and shredded chicken, when would I add it to this recipe and do I adjust the cook time?
Devour Dinner
Hi Maggie, if you are adding cooked chicken I would cut the time to 3 minutes and still allow a 5-6 minute Natural Pressure Release. The chicken could be added at the end when you add the heavy cream. The heat from the soup should heat the chicken nicely.
Trish
This was so good! My husband loved it as well.
Devour Dinner
We love love this recipe. So glad you enjoyed it too!
Jill Ferguson
Made this for dinner tonight, a cold, chilly, windy night and it hit the spot. I have shared on my FB page...it was delicious !
Devour Dinner
Hi Jill! I love this feedback! We of course really enjoy this recipe, especially on cold days. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe on Facebook too. It helps so much when viewers take the time to comment, Like and Share!
Jen
Is it possible to use half and half cream instead of heavy cream?
Devour Dinner
Hi Jen!
Yes, you can use half and half instead of heavy cream. To make an even "skinnier" version use evaporated milk!