Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe (Instant pot and stove top)

Set the Instant Pot to the “saute” function. (Stovetop: heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.) Sauté onions, garlic, carrots, and celery in olive oil for 4 minutes or until fragrant, stirring (if using granulated garlic, add it with the spices, and if using fresh poblano chili, add it now).

. Add the diced tomatoes and their juices, green chilies, chicken, and black beans. Pour in the chicken stock, water, salt and all the spices and give a good stir.

Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 25 minutes if using dry beans. *See notes for canned beans. Manually release. See notes for modifications. Alternatively, if cooking on the stovetop, bring it to a boil, cover, and simmer on medium-low heat for 30 minutes, or until chicken is tender and pulls apart easily.

Shred the chicken with two forks, either right in the pot or in a bowl. (At this point, you could add frozen corn to the soup, heating it up.) Return the shredded chicken to the pot and simmer on low for a few minutes.

Squeeze with a generous amount of lime juice and taste for salt, adding more if necessary- especially if you used dry beans, you will need to add more. You want a good balance between lime and salt. (If the soup tastes bland, it probably needs more of each.)

Divide among bowls and top with tortilla strips, grated cheese, sour cream, scallions or avocado and cilantro. Add hot sauce for added heat.