Chicken salsa soup is so easy to make and full of flavor, it will become a family favorite!
I am not sure what I first planned on writing to introduce this recipe. Which is probably why I went looking for inspiration from some of my favorite food bloggers. I love reading their stories, just as I consider it a privilege to share mine.
Blogging is so much more than putting out new recipes. It is connecting lives beyond the screen. It is finding things we can relate to, discovering that our stories are more alike than different, and building bridges of comfort and humor and down-to-earthness. The best writers know this, and we keep going back because they have invited us in, we feel as if we know them.
Of course, we also go back for the food, too.
Before I started blogging three years ago, one of my favorite food bloggers told me that as long as I could marry good stories with delicious food, there would be space for me in the internets.
This morning I found myself visiting Pinch of Yum and catching up with Lindsay’s story. Lindsay and her husband Bjork welcomed their son Afton into the world on the very last day of December, and said goodbye to him the next. Lindsay has shared openly and beautifully about Afton, her life-altering grief, and how she is learning to be brave (which sometimes just means showing up).
Lindsay’s latest post offers both a (what I’m sure is a) delicious recipe for potato soup, and a challenge to feed a broken heart. You can find the recipe and check out the challenge here.
I have seen story after story recently of people losing loved ones, discovering health issues, and enduring difficult seasons of life. Many of them have been stories in my own backyard, so to speak. So I have no doubt that you will know of someone with a broken heart that you can love and serve with a pot of soup.
Or, maybe, you’re the one with the broken heart who needs help to remember to eat, who is struggling to find the joy you used to know, who needs a simple warm bowl of soup to bring comfort from the inside out.
I did not expect to write about grief this morning. Like I said, I didn’t know what I was going to write about. But after reading about Afton, and then my mind being filled with thoughts of James all morning, it only seemed right.
Especially since sharing a bowl of soup was already on my morning agenda.
This chicken salsa soup is adapted for the Instant Pot from another recipe on my blog— so if you don’t have an Instant Pot (yet?), you can still enjoy this soup.
Unsurprisingly, my Instant Pot made preparing this soup both easier and faster. Well, faster-ish. It does take a while for the soup to come to pressure, but you can fill that time with doing fun things like washing dishes left from breakfast or reading to your kids or redecorating for Spring.
I like to make this soup when I have a little salsa leftover in the fridge. Coupled with frozen chicken breasts*, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, and a handful of other kitchen stapes, chicken salsa soup is very much a no-fuss recipe.
*I used partially frozen chicken breasts to make my soup and increased the cooking time to 10 minutes. With the time it took to heat, the chicken had plenty of cooking time.
Don’t forget to check out the Feed A Broken Heart challenge. And if you use this recipe, I’d love to know and hear from you. Anytime you use a This Pilgrim Life recipe and share it on social media, tag it #tplrecipes and I will see.
Chicken Salsa Soup in the Instant Pot
PrintChicken Salsa Soup in the Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 chicken breasts
- 4 C chicken broth
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1 C salsa
- 2 C shredded cheese
- 1 C milk
Instructions
1. Turn the Instant Pot on sauté and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add the diced onions and sauté for 3 minutes. Push the onions to the sides of the IP and brown the chicken breasts on both sides. Pour in the chicken broth, tomatoes, salt, and spices. Cover and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
2. Quick release the pressure. Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and shred with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Add the salsa to the soup, and then the shredded cheese. Stir the cheese into the soup until it is completely melted. Pour in the milk and stir to incorporate.
3. Serve the soup with toasted tortilla strips* and/or a dollop of yogurt/sour cream.
Toasted Tortilla Strips
Cut 2 tortillas into 1/2″ strips. Transfer the strips to a mixing bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and toss together with a pinch of each ground cumin, kosher salt, garlic powder, and chili powder. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet and broil in the oven for 3-5 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Lacey Wilson says
Fantastic recipe! It’s our new favorite! However we didn’t even have a 5lb chicken and 20mins was not enough to cook the chicken through.
Karmen L says
We love this recipe. It is Super simple to make and extremely delicious
★★★★★
Clare C says
Do you think I could sub almond milk for regular milk?? Sounds delish I just have to limit dairy-sadly!
Lisa says
Certainly.
Tina says
Delicious!! This was so easy to make! Only changes were we used half the cheese, opted for 1 can of mild rotel and 1 cup of mild Mateos salsa, also didn’t add the cup of milk but added sour cream and chips to top! Perfect!!
★★★★★
Marilyn says
What size are the cans of tomatoes? They look like 14 oz, but I’d like to be sure. Thanks!
Lisa says
They are 14.5 🙂
Etta says
This soup is delicious and was just what we needed on this cold snowy night! And, SO easy! I didn’t even plan it ahead of time – you can use what you would typically have in the pantry and fridge anyway! Thank You!
★★★★★
Mary says
How many servings of about what size does this make?
Lisa says
Mary, I just made this soup this afternoon so I could be certain. It makes 8-10 servings!