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Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup with Lime Crema

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A rich and creamy enchilada soup made in the Instant Pot, topped with a tangy lime crema. It’s cozy, flavorful, and perfect for weeknight dinners.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
  • 2 cans (10 ounces each) red enchilada sauce
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small can (4 ounces) diced green chiles
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 cup frozen or canned corn (drained if canned)
  • 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 limes (juice for crema and finishing)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream or Mexican crema
  • Fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
  • Tortilla chips or strips (for serving)

Instructions

  1. Turn Instant Pot to Sauté (normal heat) and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook diced onion for 4-5 minutes until soft. Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds.
  2. Sprinkle in cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir and cook for 1 minute to bloom spices.
  3. Pour in enchilada sauce and chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits. Add chicken breasts/thighs to the liquid.
  4. Close lid, set valve to Sealing. Cook on Manual (Pressure Cook) at high pressure for 12 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure.
  5. While soup cooks, make lime crema: In a small bowl, stir together sour cream (or crema), juice of 1 lime, a pinch of salt, and 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro. Refrigerate.
  6. When timer beeps, let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully flip valve to Venting to release remaining steam.
  7. Open lid, transfer chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Return shredded chicken to the pot.
  8. Stir in corn and black beans. Simmer on Sauté (low) for 5 minutes.
  9. Use an immersion blender to blend about 2 cups of the soup (mostly liquid, some beans and corn) until smooth. Do not blend all of it.
  10. Cut softened cream cheese into small cubes and stir into hot soup until melted and smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
  11. Squeeze in juice of remaining lime and stir.

Notes

Don’t skip the natural release to keep chicken tender. Use low-sodium broth to control salt. Let cream cheese soften before adding to avoid clumps. The soup thickens as it sits; add broth when reheating.

Nutrition

Keywords: Instant Pot, chicken enchilada soup, creamy soup, lime crema, Mexican soup, easy dinner

Find it online: https://jollyfork.com/creamy-instant-pot-chicken-enchilada-soup-with-lime-crema/