Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Soup

One of my favorite dishes in the world are fajitas. Whether they’re made with chicken, steak or shrimp, the two key ingredients to start this dish off right are the peppers and onion that sizzle in that skillet. So I’ve decided to take the fabulous flavors of a fajita and turn it into the most outrageous chicken soup. Meet Chicken Fajita Soup – your newest go-to Mexican-style meal totally loaded with peppers, onion and chicken!

Bell peppers
Start off with a bunch of peppers (I like my fajitas with color so I used basically one of each)…
bell peppers sliced
…and slice them into strips.
onions
Then, grab a bunch of onions (I like a mix of red and Vidalia/sweet)…
onions sliced
…and, like the peppers, slice them into strips.
Adding vegetable oil to Instant Pot
Now let’s get cookin’! Add some vegetable oil to the pot and give it some heat.
Adding peppers and onion to Instant Pot
Add ALL the veggies (yes, it’s going to come RIGHT UP to the brim on a 6-qt. But that’s fine)! Allow the veggies to just sit and cook for a few minutes before stirring.
Stirring veggies in pot
After a few minutes, stir the veggies around and allow to sauté for a bit more until they soften and reduce by about half the height in the pot.
Adding broth to pot
Now, add some broth…
Adding salt to pot
…seasoned salt or Tony Chachere’s
Adding rice to pot
…and a rice of your choice (I use Arroz Amarillo).
Stirring pot
Stir well!
Adding chicken to pot
Now it’s time to add the chicken. Nestle in some boneless/skinless thighs and/or breasts.
Chicken in pot
And now that’s one perfectly full pot! Secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
Cooked soup.
When done, quick release.
Using tongs to remove chicken from pot
Using tongs, remove the chicken to a large mixing bowl and let it rest for a few.
Adding fajita seasoning to pot
Back to the pot, add some fajita seasoning (this will give it a fantastic fajita flavor)…
Adding cheese to pot
…and some cheese if you wish.
Stirring pot
Stir well until combined.
Chicken in large bowl
Now in the mixing bowl, let’s shred that chicken.
Shredded chicken in bowl with two forks
It’s easiest to do with either two large forks or a hand mixer.
Returning shredded chicken to the pot
Return the shredded chicken to the pot…
Ladling finished soup
…and stir until combined!
Bowl of soup with tortilla strips and more cheese on top
Ladle in a bowl and top with tortilla trips or whatever else you may enjoy (such as more cheese, sour cream and/or guacamole).
Man putting spoon in soup
Now, dig in…
Man trying soup
…try it out…
Man enjoying soup
…and prepare for your face to go into full-on “Mmmmmm” position! Goes great with my Elote!
Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Soup
Yield: 6

Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Soup

Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Soup

One of my favorite dishes in the world are fajitas. Whether they're made with chicken, steak or shrimp, the two key ingredients to start this dish off right are the peppers and onion that sizzle in that skillet. So I've decided to take the fabulous flavors of a fajita and turn it into the most outrageous chicken soup. Meet Chicken Fajita Soup - your newest go-to Mexican-style meal totally loaded with peppers, onion and chicken!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 5 bell peppers, go for a color variety (I used 2 green, 1 red, 1 orange and 1 yellow), sliced into strips 1/4-inch thick
  • 4 onions (I used 2 Vidalia/sweet and 2 red), sliced into strips 1/4-inch thick
  • 6 cups chicken or onion broth (e.g. Sautéed Onion Better Than Bouillon)
  • 1/2 cup Arroz Amarillo (yellow rice) - see Jeff’s Tips
  • 1 tablespoon seasoned salt or Tony’s Chachere Creole seasoning
  • 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts and/or thighs (I used a mix of each), kept whole
  • 1 (1-ounce) packet fajita seasoning
  • 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (taco cheese is fine too), plus more for topping (optional)

Optional Toppings

  • Tortilla strips
  • Sour cream
  • Guacamole

Instructions

  1. Add the oil to the pot, hit Sauté and Adjust so it’s on the More or High setting. After 3 minutes of heating, add the peppers and onion to the pot and sauté for 10-15 minutes, until softened and reduces down to half the height as when placed in the pot (NOTE: the veggies will very likely fill your pot to the brim when added, but not to worry - so long as you stir and set as they cook, they absolutely will reduce by half the size and soften. Let the veggies rest as they cook for the first 3-5 minutes so they stir more easily.)
  2. Add the broth, rice, and seasoned salt (or Creole seasoning). Stir well. Nestle in the chicken so it’s submerged in the broth.
  3. Hit Cancel followed by Pressure Cook on the More or High setting for 15 minutes. Quick release when done.
  4. Using tongs, remove the chicken to a large mixing bowl and shred with two forks or a hand mixer.
  5. Add the fajita seasoning and cheese (if using). Stir until all is combined. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and stir until fully incorporated in the soup.
  6. Ladle into bowls and top with more cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and/or tortilla strips, if desired.

Jeffrey's Tips

While Arroz Amarillo will add even more flavor, it’ll still be plenty flavorful if you choose to use any other rice. This includes long grain white, jasmine, basmati, or brown. Same cook time.  

I know 1/2 cup of rice doesn’t seem like much, but remember - this is a stew, not a rice dish. If you want to add up to 1 cup of rice, you can BUT the more you add, the more the broth will absorb it as it rests, turning it into more of a rice dish. If you plan to serve the whole pot at once, 1 cup of rice is fine as it won’t have as much time to absorb all the soup. 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lee P.

    Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Avocado Oil instead of Vegetable Oil–yes or no? BTW, love your recipes! We got our Instant Pot early 2021 and have made many of your offerings; all great! Thanks, Jeff!

  2. Debbie Longworth

    I made this soup recently and my husband didn’t think he’d like it but said he’d try it… he ended up eating 2 1/2 bowls!
    Thanks for this great recipe it’s in my list of favorites now 😃

  3. Tabitha

    I was not interested at all when I saw the image on the initial post. I thought it sounded weird. Then I saw the post with the video and it sounded and looked more intriguing so I thought what the heck Jeffrey hasn’t steered me wrong yet. I made it and Holy cow is it delicious! So flavorful! Great for a colder night. Or any night! Do yourself a favor and try this. Tonight!

  4. Teri Eckhoff

    I made this last night and it was delicious. This will definitely go into my meal rotation or be made to use for lunches for the week on a regular basis.
    When I did the quick release a lot of liquid was spewing out and it made a huge mess. Is that normal and something I should anticipate each time or should I do NPR for 10-15 minutes to possibly avoid the mess.

  5. Kevin

    No way will this fit in a 6 Qt IP, once I had cooked my veggies down, added in 8 Cups of broth, chicken, rice, seasoned salt, I was at the max fill line on my 8 Qt IP. I am anxiously awaiting to taste the result as I am typing this, I’m sure it will be great. Thanks for all the great videos and recipes.

      • Ann Flatt

        I could not fit all the chicken into my 6 qt. I went back and watched the video and you said 6 cups of broth. Written instructions say 8 cups.

  6. Rill A Wright

    WOW! A home run! All of our taste buds were SO happy! Made exactly as written. (I’d recommend laying a towel over the lid during venting.)

  7. Edward Williams

    Hi Jeffrey! Can I use already cooked and shredded chicken you can buy at Costco. And if so is all instructions the same and when would I add the shredded chicken? Thank You!

  8. Virginia Bouvier

    Hi Jeff

    The soup was delicious. However I have so much leftover as there is just my hubby and I. Can I freeze the leftovers? Thanks😊

    Ginny

  9. Bill Splaine

    Jeffrey, When you say something like 4-6 servings in your soup type recipes.. How large are the servings.. in general? Seems they have to be larger than a cup.

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