This Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup is a quick and easy recipe for a deliciously cheesy and hearty soup that everyone will love.
If you are looking for an incredible soup that packs a delicious punch at the dinner table, this Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup is it.
Throw together this Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup with pantry staples, and few additional items. It’s really very easy, and will be well loved amongst everyone in the family.
While this soup can definitely be made on the stove top or in a slow cooker, the pressure cooker makes it almost effortless.
This Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup comes together quite easily with either red or green enchilada sauce. While I haven’t tried it with green sauce just yet, I have had it with the red sauce and my kids tear it up.
Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup (Instant Pot)
You can start with frozen or freshly thawed chicken breasts or tenderloins, though thawed will definitely be a little faster. Use a knife to cut down your freshly thawed breasts into 1″ pieces. Throw them in a clean Instant Pot with 1/2 C. of water. Cook on manual (high pressure) for 12-15 minutes.
Once done, release the pressure, and use a slotted spoon to transfer to a bowl. Drain the remaining liquid.
Add a tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil to your Instant Pot. Use the saute feature to saute your garlic, bell pepper, and onions until they are soft. Turn the saute feature off. Add the diced tomatoes, can of enchilada sauce, and chicken broth to the veggies in the pot.
Cube your cream cheese and add that into the pot along with 1/2 C. shredded cheddar. Push the “soup” function, and allow the cover to remain off.
You don’t need to pressure cook the soup at this point – the soup feature is going to warm up the contents just enough to allow that cream cheese to blend in with the rest of the ingredients.
Keep an eye on the soup, stir it a few times, and then use your hand to add the chicken. Feel free to shred it a bit as you dump it in, or leave in larger chunks. I like to give each piece a squeeze as I drop it in so I get a little of both shred and chunk. Add salt and pepper to taste.
After a few minutes, and once it is nicely blended, turn off the saute function. Serve in bowls topped with more shredded cheese, additional shredded chicken, and chopped cilantro. It’s delicious.
You may not have leftovers, but if you do, I would suggest refrigerating in a canning jar and reheating for later. You could even serve on top of rice. Yay for a recipe that can do double duty!
(Find over 100 deliciously easy Instant Pot recipes you can work into your meal rotation!)
Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 onion diced
- 15 oz enchilada sauce red or green
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
- 8 oz cream cheese cubed
- 1.5 C chicken broth
- 2 chicken breasts thawed and diced
- 1/2. C cheddar shredded
- 1 tsp salt or more, to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper or more, to taste
Instructions
- Put your diced chicken into the Instant Pot with 1/2 C. water. Cook for 13 minutes at high pressure. Quick release, and strain chicken into a bowl. Drain the remaining water.
- Put the insert back in the IP, and add oil, garlic, bell pepper, and onion and use the saute feature to saute for 2-3 minutes until soft. Turn OFF the saute feature.
- To the pot, add the enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, cubed cream cheese, and chicken broth. Push the "soup" function on the IP, leave the lid OFF.
- Allow the soup to come together for 4-5 minutes -- you want the cream cheese to melt gradually into the other ingredients (so leave the top off). If you put the top on the pot it will make the cream cheese curdle.
- Once the cream cheese has worked itself down into the liquid, turn OFF the soup function and give the soup a stir so that the ingredients are mixed as one. Add chicken, shredded cheese, salt, and pepper (to taste).
- Allow the cheese to melt over the next minute or two, then ladle into bowls, and top with shredded cheese, chopped cilantro and additional shredded chicken.
Notes
Nutrition
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Looking for more soups to make in your Instant Pot? Check out my favorite soups and stews to make in the pressure cooker!