Chicken Enchilada Soup (Made in the Instant Pot, Pressure Cooker)

This Chicken Enchilada Soup recipe is like your favourite enchiladas but in soup form. Totally hands off because this is pressure cooked in the Instant Pot and really fast to make. This thick, spicy soup is loaded with bell peppers, beans, corn and chicken and topped with sour cream and cilantro its pure comfort food!

You’ll Need:

• 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped Garlic
• 1 cup chopped Onions
• 1 large Green Bell Pepper, diced
• 1 Jalapeno, chopped and deseeded
• 1 1/2 cups chopped Tomatoes
• 1 cup Tomato Purée
• 1 cup Chicken Stock
• 4 boneless Chicken Thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup Kidney Beans, soaked overnight
• 1 cup frozen Corn
• 1/2 teaspoon Chipotle Powder
• 1 tablespoon Paprika
• 1 tablespoon Cumin
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons Cornflour

Instructions:

Instant Pot Method: Turn on the saute function on the Instant Pot and heat oil. Add garlic and onions and saute till the onions are soft and translucent. Turn the vent to sealing, and add all the remaining ingredients except cornflour. Pressure cook on manual for 12 minutes and release pressure manually once cooked. Switch to saute again and mix cornflour in 1/4 cup water till dissolved. Add it to the soup and mix well. Let the soup simmer for 4-5 minutes till it thickens. Serve hot with your favourite toppings.

Slow Cooker Method: Heat oil in a pan and add garlic and onions. Saute till the onions are translucent and then transfer them to the slow cooker along with all the other ingredients except cornflour. Cook on high for three hours or low for 5-6 hours. Mix cornflour in 1/4 cup water till dissolved and add it back to the soup. Mix well, and cook on high for 15 minutes or so till the soup is bubbling. Serve hot with your favourite toppings.

Notes:

• Tomatoes: I’ve used fresh tomatoes here because we always have them in plenty but if you prefer the canned variety, go ahead and replace the tomatoes and the tomato puree with a whole can of peeled tomatoes. Just make sure to chop them roughly first.
• Enchilada Seasoning: The mixture of garlic, onions, cumin and paprika creates a homemade and very basic enchilada sauce flavour when combined with the tomatoes. I prefer the DIY instead of buying store bought seasoning to avoid any of the weird stuff, but if you want, you can swap the cumin and paprika for 2 tablespoons of enchilada seasoning mix. The extra garlic in the recipe won’t hurt.
• Chicken: I’ve tested the recipe with both chicken breasts and chicken thighs. Personally, I prefer the chicken thighs because they remain juicy even if you reheat the soup. With chicken breasts, I noticed that they taste good straight out of the Instant Pot but after reheating the pieces tend to get a little rubbery and chewy in spite of all the liquid and moisture. If you still want to use chicken breasts, just add 2 whole chicken breasts (not frozen), reduce the pressure cooking time to 8 minutes, take them out and shred them once cooked and add them back to the soup.
• Toppings: I would absolutely insist that you top this soup with stuff. My favourites are sour cream (or greek yogurt), a squirt of lime, cilantro and crushed nachos. Chopped red onions are also amazing in this soup which I add once in a while.