There are some types of foods that people are happy to mess around and be creative with and then there are some types of foods that seem to be sacrosanct. I love a good classic, but I also am constantly blown away by creativity in food. Walking down the busy streets of Tokyo, I must exclaim every single minute to Mike about the food and how awesome it is. There are a ton of creative shops doing their own thing here and everything looks so good.
The latest ramen craze seems to be spicy ramen. All the ramen shops are doing it. It’s not like they haven’t had spicy ramen before now, but all of a sudden it’s the hot new bowl in town and it seems like everyone is either making a spicy bowl or eating one. I can’t wait until we get back home so we can make our own spicy ramen.
But in the meantime, back while we were still at home, one of the last bowls or ramen we made and ate was this chicken tortilla soup ramen. Sounds like it would be kinda weird and at first Mike was a little skeptical, but after the first few bites, we both agreed, it was a keeper.
There’s no cute story about how I came up with the idea – essentially one day, at Taco Wednesdays (our favorite taco joints version of Taco Tuesday), I was having tortilla soup and I thought to myself, this is missing something. That something was noodles. 15 minutes of Instant Potting later and boom: chicken tortilla ramen.
It’s a double soup ramen with super savory fire-roasted tomatoes and chicken broth, tender chunks of chicken (go for thighs, so much more flavor!), some peppers for spice, a tangle of toothsome ramen noodles, then ALL THE TOPPINGS. Spicy jalapeños, cilantro for freshness, avocados for the creaminess, cheddar for a bit of cheese pull, sour cream just because, and crunchy tortillas, because everyone knows that the crunchy tortillas are the best part of tortilla soup. Squeeze on some lime and you’re golden.
Do this for dinner – it’s a dump everything in the instant pot and eat sort of situation. Noodles for the win!
Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Ramen Soup
serves 2-4
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 dried ancho chile
- 1 jalapeno, chopped
- 4 cups no sodium chicken broth
- 14.5 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast or 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 portions ramen noodles
- sliced jalapeños
- cilantro, roughly chopped
- avocado, sliced
- shredded cheddar
- sour cream
- crunchy tortilla strips or chips
- lime wedges
In the Instant Pot insert, add onion, garlic, ancho chile, jalapeño, chicken broth, tomatoes, and chicken. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
While the Instant Pot is doing it’s thing, prepare the toppings. Slice the jalapeños, chop up the cilantro, slice the avocado, and cut the limes. Cook and drain the noodles and divide between two deep bowls.
When the Instant Pot is done, quick release the pressure. Remove the ancho chile and discard. Carefully remove the chicken and shred. Add the chicken to the bowls with the noodles.
Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, then divide evenly between the two bowls.
Finish with jalapeños, cilantro, avocado, cheddar, sour cream, tortilla strips, and lime. Enjoy hot!
Note: If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can make it in a regular pot on the stove. Add the onion, chili powder, jalapeño, chicken broth, tomatoes, and chicken to a pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken. Continue with the remaining steps.
We had this for dinner and it was so simple and delicious! A definitely favorite from now on. Thanks!!!
hi alicia,
yay to new favorites :)
thanks for taking the time to comment!