Chicken Tortilla-less Soup

Whole30 Chicken Tortilla-less Soup

Have you noticed I’m on a soup kick lately? It’s a chilly winter in Houston and the flu is going around something fierce. Warm bowls of soup, like this Whole30 Chicken Tortilla-less Soup, help to ward off the sniffles and nourish you. Make a big batch of this stat and freeze leftovers for another dinner down the road.

Chicken Tortilla-less Soup is one of those easy-to-throw-together weeknight wonders that’s tasty and healthy. It happens to be grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and Whole30. Start by chopping an onion, then dice your zucchini and throw everything in the Instant Pot or slow cooker. It’s that simple! When everyone is ravenous and ready for dinner, you’ll be two seconds away from happy.

And a quick piece of advice: Invest in an immersion blender. A basic KitchenAid handheld immersion blender will easily puree soups and sauces so you don’t have to transfer scalding liquid to a blender. Whether you make this soup in a slow cooker or in an Instant Pot, the vegetables are chunky and the broth can seem thin. A few quick pulses of the immersion blender will thicken the base and break up any large chunks of veggies, which also helps to camouflage them for younger eaters. Alternately, when you remove the chicken to shred it, transfer half the broth and veggies to a food processor or blender, purée, and return everything to the soup pot.

Garnish your bowl with radish slices, cilantro, jalapeño and avocado slices. My kids add thin slices of toasted corn tortillas or broken tortilla chips to their bowls. Dish up a side of cheese quesadillas or steamed rice (if you’re not doing Whole30) or a scoop of steamed cauliflower rice (if you are).

Print Recipe

Chicken Tortilla-less Soup

If you'd like, add a cup of chopped spinach, kale or yellow squash to increase the amount of vegetables in your soup.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: Marcia W. Smart

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups shredded chicken about one whole boneless/skinless chicken breast, four boneless/skinless chicken thighs, or the leftover meat from a rotisserie or whole chicken in the crock pot
• 2 14.5 oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken stock If using an Instant Pot, decrease by one cup
• 1 onion diced
• 1 zucchini diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4-5 limes cut in quarters

Instructions

Instant Pot

• Place all the ingredients, except the lime, in an Instant Pot and stir to combine. Put on the lid, set the steam release valve to "sealing" and hit the "poultry" setting.
• When the Instant Pot timer goes off, manually release the steam. To do this without getting burned by the steam, use tongs to turn the valve. Once the steam releases, remove the chicken breasts from the Instant Pot and shred with two forks. Purée half the soup in a food processor or Vitamix, or use a handheld immersion blender. Add the chicken back to the pot and stir. Taste the broth for seasoning and add more salt to taste if desired.
• When ready to serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with lime juice, green onions, jalapeños, radish, cilantro, avocado slices and hot sauce to taste.

Slow Cooker Directions

• Place all the ingredients, except the lime, in a slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on high 3-4 hours or on low 6-7 hours. Remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Purée half the soup in a food processor or Vitamix and return it to the pot. Or use a handheld immersion blender to purée some of the soup (you don't want it completely puréd, you just want to thicken the base and break up some of the big chunks of vegetables). Add the shredded chicken back to the pot and stir.Taste the broth for seasoning and add more salt to taste if desired.
• When ready to serve, spoon the soup into bowls and top with lime juice, green onions, jalapeños, radish, cilantro, avocado slices and hot sauce to taste.