Easy Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup to Make in Your RV

This easy Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup is warm goodness in a bowl, full of taco flavors you know and love. And when you add a dollop of the taco-lime crema, it sends the flavor over the top.

Whether you’re RVing in the winter and need a hearty dinner to warm you up or in the spring when the nights can still get cold, this is the perfect soup to add to your RV meal plan.

What to Prep Ahead of Time

When it comes to putting together a menu for an RV trip, it has to be easy, not require too many ingredients and I have to be able to prep some of it ahead of time. This soup is all of those things combined.

What to prep ahead:

• Shredded Chicken: I either purchase a store-bought rotisserie chicken and shred it ahead of time or cook a few chicken breasts in the Instant Pot and then shred those. Both options are incredibly easy. Just place the shredded chicken in Ziploc bags so it can lay flat in your ice chest or RV refrigerator and not take up a lot of room.

• Mix up the taco seasoning: If you’re making your own taco seasoning, mix it up before you leave on your trip and store in either a baggie or small sealed container.

• Dice the onion and store in a baggie or sealed container

Making this Recipe as a Vegetarian Soup

I know, it’s called “Chicken Taco Soup” which obviously means it’s not for vegetarians, but you see…it can be. Let me explain.

My 20-year-old son, who’s a vegetarian, is with us off and on throughout the year. He does seasonal work doing jobs in Alaska and Idaho. 

When he’s home and since feeding people is one of my love languages, you better believe I’m going to do what I can to make every meal he’s home for suitable for a vegetarian.

Here’s what I do so he can eat the taco soup:

• I use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth
• I ladled out a big bowl of soup for him before I added the shredded chicken

Voila! Vegetarian taco soup for him and chicken taco soup for us.

Using Pre-Made Shredded Chicken

It’s been a little over a year since my family and I stopped our full-time traveling adventure in an RV and have been living the stationary life. 

Although it’s been that long, I still find myself amazed at all the room I have to breathe. The fact that I have an actual normal-size refrigerator still blows my mind sometimes. And let me tell you, I love filling it up with ingredients that make dinner prep a breeze.

One of those items is chicken breasts I’ve cooked in the Instant Pot and then shredded. We can throw it on nachos, wrap it in a tortilla or add it to a yummy soup. 

Doing this one little step throughout the week can cut meal-prep time in half.

If you don’t have shredded chicken on hand, here are two other options:

• Buy a rotisserie chicken the day or the day before you plan on making the soup; shred the chicken while the soup is cooking
• Put a couple of chicken breasts in the soup and cook it all together. Just take the chicken out after it’s done, shred it, and add it back to the soup

For this Chicken Taco Soup, although a dollop of just plain sour cream is absolutely delicious, a dollop of taco-lime crema is a step up.

Here’s how to make it:

• Put 8 Tbsp sour cream in a bowl
• Add the juice from half a lime
• Add 1 tsp of taco seasoning (or more if you’d like)
• Mix together
• Season with salt and pepper
• Eat all of it (just kidding, save some for others)

Taco Seasoning

As far as what taco seasoning I use for the taco-lime crema and the taco soup, it depends on what I have on hand. 

• I usually have Bolners Fiesta Taco Seasoning in the cupboard and really like it
• If I don’t have pre-made taco seasoning, I make my own.

HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING INGREDIENTS

Mix together:

• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried minced onion
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin

Here is the list of ingredients for this simple and yummy Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups frozen corn (no need to defrost it)
• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 2 tbsp taco seasoning
• Shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken (I usually use about 2 cups worth)

Topping Ideas:

• Taco-Lime Crema
• Shredded cheese (I like to use pepper jack or a Mexican blend)
• Cilantro, roughly chopped
• Chips (either tortilla or Fritos)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here are the recipe instructions:

1. Set Instant Pot to saute mode and heat up the olive oil
2. Add onion to Instant Pot and saute for 2 to 3 minutes; add garlic and saute 1 more minute
3. Pour in chicken broth, scraping off any bits of onion or garlic on the bottom
4. Add canned beans (drained and rinsed), corn, tomato sauce, Rotel, and taco seasoning. 
5. Stir everything together
6. Put the lid on Instant Pot and set manually to 15 minutes
7. After the timer goes off, do a quick release and add shredded chicken. Stir and let the chicken heat up.
8. Serve with chips, taco-lime crema, shredded cheese, and chopped cilantro

Although the cooking time for this recipe is only 15 minutes, because it’s mostly liquid, it takes the Instant Pot (mine anyway) about 10 minutes to come up to pressure. So when I make it, the time in the Instant Pot is actually about 25 minutes.

Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

This easy Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup is warm goodness in a bowl, full of taco flavors you know and love. And when you add a dollop of the taco-lime crema, it sends the flavor over the top. I know you'll enjoy making and eating this!

Print

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium-size yellow onion
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups frozen corn (no need to defrost it)
• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 2 tbsp taco seasoning
• Shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken (I usually use about 2 cups worth)
• Topping suggestions: chips, cilantro, taco-lime crema, cheese

Instructions

1. Set Instant Pot to saute mode and heat up the olive oil
2. Add onion to Instant Pot and saute for 2 to 3 minutes; add garlic and saute 1 more minute
3. Pour in chicken broth, scraping off any bits of onion or garlic on the bottom
4. Add canned beans (drained and rinsed), corn, tomato sauce, Rotel and taco seasoning. 
5. Stir everything together
6. Put the lid on Instant Pot and set manually to 15 minutes
7. After the timer goes off, do a quick release and add shredded chicken. Stir and let the chicken heat up.
8. Serve with chips, taco-lime crema, shredded cheese and chopped cilantro

Notes

Here's how to make the taco-lime crema:

• Put 8 Tbsp sour cream in a bowl
• Add the juice from half a lime
• Add 1 tsp of taco seasoning (or more if you'd like)
• Mix together
• Season with salt and pepper
• Eat all of it (just kidding, save some for others)

Although the cooking time for this recipe is only 15 minutes, because it's mostly liquid, it takes the Instant Pot (mine anyway) about 10 minutes to come up to pressure. So when I make it, the time in the Instant Pot is actually about 25 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1 bowl
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 2752

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Julie Bonner

Julie specializes in helping you whip up delicious meals in your tiny RV kitchen, as well as RV organization tips and helping fellow RVers make their RV feel like home. Her favorite RVing spot is in Banff National Park in Canada where yes, the water really is that blue and the people really are that nice.