Turn ON the Instant Pot. Add the olive oil, tomatoes, corn, and black beans.
Next, add the carrot and celery, if using, along with the garlic, chicken breasts and all the spices. Pour in the chicken broth and stir well.
Close the lid and set the pressure valve to the sealing position. Select Manual/Pressure Cook and set it for 10 minutes (12 minutes for thicker breast). After cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes followed by a quick release. Open the lid after the pin drops.
Shred the Chicken, Garnish & Serve
Remove chicken breasts and shred them using two forks. Put the shredded chicken back in the soup.
Finish with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Ladle into bowls and top with your favorite toppings - cheese, sour cream, avocado and tortilla chips!
Alternative Method: Stovetop Recipe
Start by placing a tall stock pot on medium-high heat. Add all the ingredients to the pot, give it a stir and let it come to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium, cover and let it cook for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is tender enough to shred.
Once its done, turn off the heat, shred your chicken and add it back to the pot. Finish with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Serve with your favorite toppings - cheese, sour cream, diced avocado or tortilla chips!
Video
Notes
Slice the chicken, if necessary. If the chicken breast are thicker than 1-inch, slice them through the middle, or increase the cooking time to 12 minutes.
Use chicken thighs. If you prefer dark meat chicken thighs (boneless skinless), reduce the cooking time to 8 minutes.
Use Rotisserie chicken: To use cooked rotisserie chicken in this recipe, shred it and add it to the pot and reduce the pressure cooking time to 4 minutes.
Make it spicy. If you like spicy chicken tortilla soup, you can add some cayenne while cooking. Alternatively, serve some hot sauce or sriracha on the side.
Make it bean-free. Use 3 cups of frozen corn (one whole bag) to replace the volume of black beans in the recipe.
Cook it in the slow cooker or crock pot. Simply add all the ingredients to your slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. It will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Reheat as instructed in the post.
Note: The nutrition facts below are my estimates and do not include toppings. If you are following any diet plan, I recommend cross-checking with your preferred nutrition calculator.