Instant Pot: Chicken Enchilada Soup

Making soup couldn’t be any easier with the use of my Instant Pot! This dish comes together quickly and easily by combining everything in the Instant, allowing it to pressure cook for a few minutes and viola – delicious magic! The star of this dish is the enchilada sauce. Originally, red enchilada sauce was used but I adapted the recipe to use green enchilada sauce instead. Also, to help thicken this soup, a roux of butter and flour was part of the original recipe. To make it slightly different and gluten free friendly, I used a slurry of cornstarch and water, which not only thickened the soup but gave it a nice sheen. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, get the slow cooker/crockpot recipe version here!

1/2 cup chicken broth
1 can (15 ounce) dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 ounce) Rotel diced tomatoes and jalapenos
1 can (14.5 ounce) sweet corn, drained
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, diced
1 bottle (16 ounce) green enchilada sauce
2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups milk
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water

Garnish:
shredded cheese
sour cream
diced avocado
crushed tortilla chips


In your Instant Pot:

When the IP beeps after pressure cooking for 5 minutes, allow your IP to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. While naturally releasing pressure (also known as NPR or NR), the display will reflect numbers counting up from 1. The numbers indicate how many minutes the IP has stopped cooking since it beeped (or how many minutes it has been naturally releasing pressure).  No need to touch your IP while it naturally releases pressure. The pin at the top of your IP will drop when all pressure has been released and it’s safe to open.

When the display reflects 10 (which is 10 minutes since the IP has beeped) all pressure should have naturally released. If not, turn the setting on top of your IP to VENTING. Doing so allows the IP to quickly release any remaining pressure (also known as QPR or QR). I use a wooden spoon to carefully turn the setting to avoid close contact with the potential steam. You may also want to turn your IP away from cabinets to allow the released steam to escape freely. The pin at the top of your IP will drop when all pressure has been released and it’s safe to open.

Open up your IP when the pin has dropped (allow a few minutes for this to happen).

Remove the chicken breasts from the IP and chop into bite sized pieces. Add milk chopped chicken and back into IP; stir.

Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and whisk to make a slurry; stir mixture into the soup to thicken slightly and warmed through.

To serve, ladle into bowls and top with your choice of garnishes.