Instant Pot Southwest Chicken Soup

This Instant Pot Southwest Chicken Soup packs a lot of flavor with very little effort. Loaded with chicken, black beans, veggies, and southwestern flavors, this soup is a delicious option year-round, but especially for fall!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Pin

Soup Season Is the Best Season!

I love a good soup recipe, and this southwest chicken soup hits the spot.

Chili powder, cumin, and garlic are common flavors in my house. A little goes a long way, and they go on everything! My motto is when in doubt, add Mexican spices to food.

These flavors make everything good, it’s why my clients get a ton of Mexican-inspired recipes for their meal plans and recipe books for my nutrition coaching. (You can learn more about my nutrition services here, by the way). Whether it’s southwest soup with chicken, grilled steak kebabs, or Mexican Quinoa Salad.

This recipe is easily adapted to make on the stove top of slow cooker. Just take down the cook times, and make it work for your situation.

Key Ingredients

To make this Instant Pot chicken soup, you will need the following ingredients:

• Avocado oil
• Onion
• Green pepper
• Jalapeno
• Garlic (I use a lot because garlic is my love language!)
• Chicken broth
• Canned black beans
• Fire-roasted tomatoes (If you can’t find fire-roasted diced tomatoes, you can use Rotel.)
• Corn (Fresh or frozen will work.)
• Rice (I used basmati since it’s what I had in my pantry, but any will work.)
• Cauliflower rice (Fresh or frozen)
• Chili powder
• Cumin
• Salt
• Pepper
• Lime
• Chicken breasts

I like to top my southwestern chicken soup with a spoonful of greek yogurt. It tastes like sour cream but has less fat and more protein. Plus it’s delicious! I also add it to chili, give it a try.

Equipment

To make an Instant Pot chicken soup, you’re going to need an Instant Pot or pressure cooker of some kind. I actually used a Ninja Foodi for this recipe, it’s my favorite and I use it all the time. It does all the things. I like that I can pressure cook a whole chicken, and then air fry it to crisp up the skin.

Not sure what pressure cooker is right for you? Here is a comparison of Instant Pot vs Ninja Foodi: Which One Is The Best?

How to Make This Soup

What I love about cooking soup (and most recipes made in the Instant Pot) is that you can just toss everything in, set it, and forget it. It’s similar to using a Crock Pot, but you end up with a complete meal ready in a fraction of the time!

There are no special steps with this recipe, which makes it quick and easy (my favorite).

• Start by adding the avocado oil to the bottom of the pressure cooker, and hit the sauté button.
  Then, once the oil is heated and shiny, add the green pepper, jalapeno, and onion. Sauté until the onion is translucent. Next, add the garlic and stir until fragrant (being careful not to burn).
• Add the rest of the ingredients, and secure the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes, and set the lid to sealed. Let it vent naturally for 10 minutes once the timer is up, and then quick release.
• Using two forks, shred the chicken breasts (or take them out and cup them into cubes, whatever works best for you).
• For extra protein, add a dollop of Greek yogurt to the soup and top with some tortilla chips, a lime wedge, and fresh cilantro. Most of all, enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving Suggestions

There’s already rice in this soup, so no need to add extra grains. But I do love serving this southwest chicken soup with crunchy tortilla chips, some plain Greek yogurt (in place of sour cream, but either will work), some sliced jalapenos, a lime wedge, sliced avocado, and chopped cilantro.

Nutrition Facts

• Is this southwest chicken soup healthy?
  Yes! This Instant Pot southwest chicken soup is healthy. It’s full of vegetables, lean protein, and high-fiber ingredients that are also rich in vitamins and minerals. Soup is a great way to work in your daily servings of protein and veggies!
• How many calories are in this soup?
  This recipe yields six servings, so 1/6th of the recipe is only 289 calories! Add an extra 8 calories if you’re topping with a tablespoon of 0% plain greek yogurt.
• What about the macros?
  There are 36 grams of carbs, 24 grams of protein, and 6 grams of fat. Add an extra gram of protein if you add a tablespoon of 0% greek yogurt. Disclosure: I use a calorie calculator built into the recipe card below. Is it 100% accurate? No, but it will give you an idea. If you’re a die-hard macro tracker, you will have to weigh it all and do the numbers yourself. I’m just here for a helpful guide.

I use a calorie calculator built into the recipe card below. Is it 100% accurate? No, but it will give you an idea. If you’re a die-hard macro tracker, you will have to weigh it all and do the numbers yourself. I’m just here for a helpful guide.

Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Instructions

• Store cooled, leftover soup in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freeze in an airtight, freezer-safe container or plastic bag for up to 3 months.
• Reheat by allowing this southwest chicken soup to thaw from frozen in the fridge overnight or on the counter at room temperature a couple hours before serving. Then, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through and bubbling.

Healthy Instant Pot Soup Recipes

If you like this southwest chicken soup recipe, then you’ve got to try these other Instant Pot soup recipes!

• Chicken Stuffed Pepper Soup
• Healthy Kale and Sausage Soup with Cauliflower Rice
• Pot Roast Soup in the Ninja Foodi
• How to Make Bone Broth in The Ninja Foodi in 1 Hour
• Instant Pot Latin Chicken and Rice

Pin