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!
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!
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
- 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.)
- Add the broth, rice, and seasoned salt (or Creole seasoning). Stir well. Nestle in the chicken so it’s submerged in the broth.
- Hit Cancel followed by Pressure Cook on the More or High setting for 15 minutes. Quick release when done.
- Using tongs, remove the chicken to a large mixing bowl and shred with two forks or a hand mixer.
- 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.
- 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.
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!
Debbie Longworth
I used EVOO when I made mine.
Jeffrey
Sure! Go for it! And thanks for the kind words!
Mary Poche'
OMG!!! This is so UNBELIEVABLY DELICIOUS!! I made this exactly except I made 1/2 because I am by myself. I am doing RBS so when I served it to myself I actually topped with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes it was so delicious. I could eat this everyday!!
Jeffrey
So glad you enjoyed!
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 😃
Jeffrey
How awesome!!
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!
Jeffrey
It’s my darned poor photography skills. Glad it won you over!
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.
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.
Jeffrey
You are quite welcome. However as evidenced in the video it will, in fact, fit in the 6qt.
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.
Sandra
Would the same cooking time work with skinless bone in thighs or should I increase it?
Shari Costa
Hi Jeff. This soup looks amazing! I was wondering if i could use orzo instead of rice?
Jeffrey
You can! Enjoy 🙂
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.)
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!
Jeffrey
You can! If the chicken is already cooked, simply add it at the end after pressure cooking.
Edward Williams
Can I use already cooked and shredded chicken from warehouse store and if so when should I add it? Thanks
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
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.
Marjy
If I don’t want to use any rice, should I use less broth?