Instant Pot Spicy Mexican Chicken Soup
This is AMAZING, spicy, nourishing, and also happens to be gluten/grain and dairy-free. You can easily customize the veggies based on what you have on hand. If you don’t own an instant pot, I highly recommend you get one (especially if you are someone who doesn’t plan ahead when cooking), but this can be done on the stovetop. You also need a blender or magic bullet. Adapted from Danielle Walker’s Against All Grain recipe.
Serves 4-6.
INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts (fresh or frozen)
2 cups roasted tomatillo salsa (I like Frontera)
4 cups chicken bone broth (I like Bonafide in the frozen section. Kettle & Fire is also a good shelf-stable one)
3 cups cubed sweet potatoes—japanese or regular (peel first, if you prefer). I often sub winter squash, or I use less potato and add cauliflower, broccoli, whatever I have. But I recommend using some starchy/sweet veg in there.
1.5 cups sliced carrots
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups spinach, chopped
1/2 tsp salt, more to taste
garnish: chopped cilantro and diced avocado
INSTANT POT STEPS:
Pour bone broth in instant pot and set to saute mode (helps it come to pressure faster).
Add chicken, salsa, sweet potatoes, carrots, veg, lime juice, garlic, and salt to the pot.
Secure the lid, and select “soup/broth”, or “pressure cook” if your machine doesn’t have that option. Set to 35 minutes for frozen chicken or 15 minutes for fresh.
Once the time is up, release the pressure manually and open the lid.
Remove the chicken from the pot and shred on a plate with two forks. Don’t add back into the pot just yet.
Using a slotted spoon, scoop ALL BUT 1/2 cup of the veggies into a blender. Blend on high until pureed (~15 seconds), then add back to the pot.
Add chicken back into the pot, and add the chopped spinach. Stir to wilt.
Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chopped cilantro and diced avocado.
STOVETOP:
Place chicken, broth, salsa, sweet potatoes/carrots/veg, lime juice, garlic, and salt in a stock pot over medium heat.
Bring to a boil, then simmer, cover and cook 1 hour on medium-low heat for frozen chicken, 15 minutes for fresh.
Remove chicken from pot and shred with 2 forks.
Using a slotted spoon, scoop ALL BUT 1/2 cup of the veggies into a blender. Blend on high until pureed (~15 seconds), then add back to the pot.
Add back chicken and chopped spinach to the pot. Simmer 5-10 more minutes to wilt spinach. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot with chopped cilantro and diced avocado as garnish.
