There’s something so warming about a bowl of soup. I really enjoy a hot bowl of soup on a cold morning. Most people find it a bit strange. Personally, I challenge you to give it a try sometime. I wanted something like a tortilla soup but with more zip and of course no tortillas or grains. So this was a first draft that will be perfected soon but it’s so good as written. I wanted to use my Instant Pot since cooking under pressure develops flavors quickly without evaporation. In an effort not to be left with stringy chicken, I broke up the cooking into 2 stages the base to develop deep flavor and then chicken and softer vegetables, just to cook enough.
Chicken Fiesta Soup
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Instructions
- Chop up the ingredients for the base of the soup. I got lazy and bought pre-chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery. Then I chopped up some more celery, 1 very large jalapeno, and added a handful of pre-cut carrots.
- 2 tablespoons of butter were added to saute the veggies in the IP. Then add spices 1 TBSP of chili powder, 1 TBSP cumin, a teaspoon of garlic powder, smoked hot paprika, and salt and pepper. I ran an elephant clove of garlic over a microplane directly into the veggies. Then added a can of Rotel tomatoes, a carton of stock, and 8 oz of water. Cook under pressure for 10 minutes and did a quick release.
- While the base was cooking, season two chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika on both sides.
- Next drain a can of Palmini (riced if you can find it or angel hair chopped slightly). Chop up a zucchini and a bunch of scallions.
- After the quick release taste the base for seasoning, adjust as necessary. Then add the chicken, palmini, zucchini, and half of the scallions.
- Bring up to pressure for 12 minutes. Then natural release for 10 minutes. Remove chicken to a dinner plate or cutting board and shred with two forks. Squeeze the juice of a lime over the chicken and sprinkle with salt. Add chicken back to pot. Add 4 oz. of room temperature cream cheese to the pot. Serve sprinkled with crushed red pepper and cilantro, if desired.
Chicken Fiesta Soup