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This easy Whole30 chicken tortilla-less soup is so full of incredible flavor, you won’t even mind the lack of tortillas! It’s quick and easy to make, and delightfully perfect for chilly evenings. Hearty, creamy, and made with your ideal amount of heat, not to mention Whole30-compliant, paleo-friendly, and naturally low carb. Both Instant Pot and slow cooker versions included!
For Our Non-Whole30 Readers
Looking for a more-traditional chicken tortilla soup, without any special ingredients or dietary considerations? Check out our recipe for Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup!
🍲 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- It’s crazy easy – throw (almost) everything in the Instant Pot, cook for about 18 minutes, dice your chicken, then add the remaining ingredients. You’ll have a complete meal on the table in no time, and with very little effort!
- It’s creamy, filling, and spicy, making it a great one-dish meal and perfect for cold weather. You can even meal prep this Mexican soup ahead of a busy week! I love having access to this delicious soup for a quick lunch.
- It’s also low carb and keto-friendly, with only 8 grams of net carbs per serving! This Whole30 Instant Pot chicken tortilla-less soup fits a variety of diets. It’s just about as healthy as a soup can get!
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- If not on a Whole30, feel free to add some shredded cheese in there if you’d like! You can also enjoy this with a side of tortilla chips for a tasty crunch.
- Get creative with this recipe and make it your own! Stir in some spinach, kale, or chard for extra greens. You can even replace the chicken with about a pound of browned and drained ground beef!
- If you have a coconut allergy, replace the coconut milk with cashew cream. To do this, blend 1 cup of raw cashews with ¾ cup water in a high-speed blender until smooth. This coconut-free option is also Whole30 compliant!
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
🥘 Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Mexican Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (Instant Pot, Whole30, Paleo)
- Whole30 Breakfast Tacos
- Healthy Zuppa Toscana (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy Free)
- Paleo Lime Bars (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
- Instant Pot Bone Broth That Gels (Whole30 Bone Broth)
- 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken
- Whole30 White Chicken Chili
- Easy Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy (Whole30, Paleo, Low Carb)
- Healthy Chicken Tostadas
- Whole30 Tzatziki (Paleo, Keto, Dairy Free)
- Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole with Eggs and Sausage (Whole30, Dairy Free, Gluten Free)
- Paleo Carbonara with Palmini
- Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas
- Whole30 Gyro Meatballs
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
4.99 from 115 votes
Whole30 Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla-Less Soup (Paleo, Low Carb)
Prep 15 minutes minutes
Cook 45 minutes minutes
Total 1 hour hour
This Whole30 Instant Pot chicken tortilla-less soup is full of flavor and so easy to make! Super quick and filling, this Mexican soup is creamy, spicy, healthy, and low carb.
4 servings
Equipment
Large plate
Instant Pot
Large wooden spoon or silicone spatula
Tongs
Cutting board
large chef's knife or 2 forks, to shred chicken
Ingredients
For the Chicken Tortilla-less Soup
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts equally thick, approximately 8-10 ounces each
- salt to taste
- 2 10-ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 1 14.5-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup chopped onion approximately 1 medium onion; any color
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1-3 teaspoons chipotle pepper powder see Notes
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 medium zucchini approximately 6-8 ounces each; chopped or cut into ½-inch half moons
- 1 14-ounce can unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk whisked until smooth, see Notes
Serving Suggestions (All Optional)
- fresh avocado slices
- thinly sliced red onions
- chopped fresh cilantro
- fresh lime juice
Instructions
Place 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts on large plate. Sprinkle salt over both sides of each chicken breast, then place chicken breasts in Instant Pot insert.
Add 2 10-ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chiles, 1 14.5-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth, 1 cup chopped onion, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1-3 teaspoons chipotle pepper powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, and 2 medium zucchini to Instant Pot and gently stir to incorporate ingredients.
Secure lid on Instant Pot with valve in Sealing position. Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure for 18 minutes. Instant Pot will pressurize, then cook time will begin.
When cook time ends, Natural Release pressure for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, immediately and carefully Quick Release remaining pressure and remove lid from Instant Pot.
Transfer chicken breasts to cutting board and set aside.
Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add 1 14-ounce can unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk to Instant Pot and stir to incorporate.
Dice chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, or shred chicken breasts to small pieces. Once all chicken has been diced or shredded, return chicken to Instant Pot and stir to incorporate.
Portion soup into serving bowls. If desired, top each serving with fresh avocado slices, thinly sliced red onions, chopped fresh cilantro, and fresh lime juice, then serve hot.
Video
- Chipotle Pepper Powder: The amount you use will affect the overall heat of the soup. Use 1 teaspoon chipotle pepper powder for a mild soup, up to 3 teaspoons for a hot soup.
- Coconut Milk: If you don’t like or can’t use coconut milk, replace it with cashew cream to maintain the creamy consistency of the soup.
To Make This Soup in the Slow Cooker
- Add all ingredientsexcept coconut milk to slow cooker in the order listed above. Stir to incorporate.
- Set slow cooker to LOW heat for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH heat for 4 hours.
- After 6 hours on LOW or 3 hours on HIGH, check chicken doneness with internal meat thermometer. When chicken reaches 160° Fahrenheit internally, remove chicken from slow cooker and set aside 5 minutes.
- Add coconut milk to slow cooker and stir to incorporate.
- Dice or shred chicken, then return chicken to slow cooker. Stir to incorporate, then portion soup into serving bowls.
- Garnish soup as desired and serve hot.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1 serving without garnishCalories: 453calProtein: 34gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 444mgPotassium: 1431mgTotal Carbs: 21gFiber: 6gSugar: 11gNet Carbs: 15gVitamin A: 1081IUVitamin C: 36mgCalcium: 115mgIron: 5mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Cheryl Malik
In addition to being a certified health coach, certified yoga instructor, and mom of 3, Cheryl is also the recipe developer, editor-in-chief, food photographer, and passionate foodie behind 40 Aprons. Having spent the last 10+ years as a food blogger, she's become known for her flavorful recipes, detailed instructions, gorgeous photography, and down-to-earth approach to food and cooking in general.
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one of my go-tos for my family, love the flavor the coconut milk adds. I am wondering how it would freeze? Both as a prepared soup, or if I threw all the ingredients into a freezer bag to dump into the instapot later? Other than the coconut milk of course. Thanks!
Reply
Hi Marlea! We’ve had people freeze it and reheat with success- just note that the zucchini’s texture may change slightly due to the freezing-reheating process. The dump bag is a good idea! Let us know if you try it!
Reply
I have made this recipe a dozen times and now it’s a favorite of my whole extended family and they all make it too!
Reply
We’re so glad it’s been a repeat favorite! Thank you for sharing, Amy! 😊
Reply
Phenomenal! My entire family loved it!
Reply
So glad the whole family loved it! Thanks for sharing, Alica. 😊
Reply
Just made this, it’s delicious!
Reply
So glad you loved it, Patricia! 😊
Reply
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Meet Cheryl
Passionate foodie, certified health coach, serial entrepreneur, and mom of 3.
I've been developing and sharing delicious, approachable recipes on 40 Aprons for more than a decade. My goal is simple: take the chore out of mealtime by creating recipes that anyone can cook and that never skimp on flavor.
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