Instant Pot Chicken Jalapeno Popper Soup w/cream cheese garnish is creamy, slightly spicy and a low carb keto pure comfort food!
Instant Pot Chicken Jalapeno Popper Soup
Imagine the marriage between a Jalapeno Popper and a bowl of Chicken Soup. This produces an offspring who follows a low carb or keto diet. The result is a very flavorful and filling thick bowl of soup.
Cast of Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken Jalapeno Popper Soup
Imagine, getting the most delicious bowl of soup on the table in under 30 minutes. Using an Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker makes it easily possible and so much flavor is infused into the soup.
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Ingredients for Chicken Jalapeno Popper Soup
- Chicken
- Jalapeno Peppers
- Heavy Cream, Cheese and Cream Cheese
- Butter or Chicken Schmaltz
- Chicken Broth
In my popular This Old Gal’s Pressure Cooker Cookbook, I’ve included my famous Matzo Ball & Chicken Soup. It’s seriously delicious and the broth is purely from the chicken; no bouillon added! Grab the book and learn my secret method to incredible chicken soup.
Sauté Onions in Schmaltz and Butter
Chicken fat is just fine to use on a low carb and keto diet. Growing up, most Jewish families has jars of schmaltz in their refrigerator and freezer. I remember most of my friends mothers preparing schmaltz. Schmaltz will add tons of flavor to this soup.
What is Chicken Schmaltz?
- Schmaltz is a Yiddush word and Chicken Schmaltz is simply rendered chicken fat. Goose (another type of poultry) fat can be rendered as well and is also referred to as schmaltz.
- Schmaltz is used similarly as butter for frying meat or spreading on a piece of toast. Think of it in terms of cooking in bacon grease, but for Jews.
- Kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) prevent Jews from frying food in lard and butter, as mixing meat and dairy are not allowed. Northwestern and Eastern Jews (referred to as Ashkenazi Jews) did not have other oils, such as olive and sesame readily available, so they began rendering fat from poultry.
Pro Tip: Butter or Chicken Schmaltz can be used.
Frying Seasonings Increase the Flavor
As the hubs loves Jalapeno Poppers and I am crazy for soup, my idea for this Instant Pot Chicken Jalapeno Popper Soup recipe just came naturally one day, while I was figuring out what to make for dinner.
My Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Chicken Jalapeno Poppers are wildly popular and would make a great appetizer to these Instant Pot Chicken Jalapeno Poppers!
Seasonings for Chicken Jalapeno Popper Soup
Chicken, Cream and Broth, Oh My!!!
For questions on why I add Heavy Cream before pressure cooking, check out my Pressure Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup ~Low Carb Keto and my Pressure Cooker Low Carb Cheesy Cauliflower Soup recipes.
Type of Chicken to Use
- I use white meat chicken breasts in this recipe.
- Dark meat chicken can be used as well. You can even mix white and dark meat!
One of the huge benefits of pressure cooker cooking is that it is hands off while cooking.
Jalapeno Cream Cheese Topping
You know how when you bite into a popper, you get a squirt of warm cream cheese? It’s so creamy and yummy. My Jalapeno Cream Cheese Topper will give you the same, oh yum feeling.
Tips and Tricks for Instant Pot Chicken Jalapeno Popper Soup
- Use full fat cream cheese if you are following low carb or keto.
- Use blocks of cheese and use a ribbon grater to shred the cheese yourself. The package shredded cheese is mixed with cornstarch and doesn’t melt as easily.
- If you don’t have Homemade Bone Broth, mix together chicken base with fresh water.
- For a spicier soup, you might not want to clean all the jalapeno innards.
- An electric hand held mixer will shred the chicken right in the pot. See my Pressure Cooker Shredded Buffalo Chicken Video.
Instant Pot Chicken Jalapeno Popper Soup
Whether you make this in a Instant Pot DUO Plus, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker, the result will be fabulous.
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes to Enjoy!
- Pressure Cooker Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup {Tomato Bisque}
- Pressure Cooker Low Carb Manhattan Clam Chowder Soup
- Instant Pot Steamed Clams in White Wine Garlic Butter
- Pressure Cooker Chicken Enchiladas
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker
- J.A. Henckels Classic 8 inch Chef’s Knife
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
- Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk– a MUST have, probably my most used utensil
- di Oro Living Silicone Spatulas Set
- LamsonSharp Chef’s Slotted Turner– I totally love this spatula!
- Porcelain & Bamboo Salt Box with Spoon
- Gravity Electric Salt and Pepper Grinder
- My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
- Small 1.5 Quart “Pot in Pot” Mixing Bowl
- Microplane Artisan Ribbon Grater
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
Pressure Cooker Chicken Jalapeno Popper Soup
Print Pin Save RateIngredients
Soup Ingredients (Ing to Jalapeno Cream included in totals)
- 1.5 pounds Chicken Breasts Boneless/Skinless cut into chunks
- 4 ounces Salted Butter
- 4 ounces Yellow/Brown Onion diced
- 1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek Ground Chili Paste
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 2 teaspoons Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon Paprika
- 4 large Jalapeno Peppers
- 2 cloves Fresh Garlic minced
- 3/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 2 cups Chicken Stock/Broth (or 2 cups water + 2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon Chicken Base)
- 6 ounces Cream Cheese divided*
- 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded (save a TLB for topping)
- 1 cup Monterey Jack or Oaxaca Cheese shredded (save a TLB for topping)
Jalapeno Cream Cheese Topper
- 3 Tablespoons Cream Cheese
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 large Jalapeno Pepper cleaned/minced
- 1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek Ground Chili Paste
Recommended Products
Instructions
- Remove stems and seeds from jalapeno peppers. Slice four peppers and mince one jalapeno. Set aside the minced jalapeno for the Jalapeno Cream Topper.
- Select Sauté or Browning on pressure cooker and allow to fully heat.
- Remove fat from chicken and add to hot cooking pot and allow to render for 30 seconds to make schmatlz. Add butter and onions and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add 1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek, salt, cumin, black pepper, paprika and oregano and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add sliced jalapeno peppers, garlic and combine with onions. Turn off pressure cooker.
- Add chicken pieces and pour in 3/4 cup heavy cream and chicken broth.
- Lock on lid and close pressure valve. Cook at high pressure for 2 minutes. When beep sounds, wait 10 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure.
- Remove lid and pull out chicken and shred.
- Let pot stay on "Keep Warm." To cooking pot, stir in 3 ounces cream cheese, cheddar cheese and Oaxaca cheese.
- When cheese has melted, mix in shredded chicken.
Jalapeno Cream Topper
- While soup is cooking, whisk together Jalapeno Cream Topper ingredients. (Remember, the amounts used for this topper are taken from the total measurements to the recipe, not in addition.)
- Serve each bowl of soup with a big dollop of jalapeno cream and sprinkling of shredded cheese.
- Alternatively and to make things easier, all the Jalapeno Cream Topper ingredients can be added directly to the pot of soup and mixed in right before serving.
Notes
Heavy Cream v. Half & Half
- If substituting a half & half or milk for heavy cream, make sure to add it after pressure release and not at the same time as the broth. Otherwise, your soup will curdle.
Jalapeno Cream Topper
- If you don't want to serve the topper in separate bowls, you can totally add the Jalapeno Cream Popper ingredients directly in to the pot of soup when you add back the chicken after shredding.
To stretch the recipe and thin out the soup, add another half cup to one cup of broth and increase seasonings as follows:
- Sambal Oelek - 1.5 teaspoons
- Cumin 1.25 teaspoons
- Oregano - 1/2 teaspoon
- Paprika 1/2 teaspoon
- Garlic 3 cloves
Nutrition
PIN this Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Chicken Jalapeno Popper Soup!
Do you have a substitute suggestion for the chili paste? That doesn’t look like something I can find where I live, and I don’t have access to Amazon. But, this soup looks delicious and I’d love to try it!
I commented just over a year ago when I first discovered this wonderful recipe. I make this soup every couple of weeks. I made it last weekend, and I’m making it again today because my college son visited and asked to take the leftovers home and I WANT MORE! 😂
Thank you, Meg. I am so thrilled that you like this soup so much. It is one we love as well. Jill
Hi, Jill! Forgive me if this has already been asked, but can I make this the day prior in the IP and take it to a potluck…perhaps in the Crock Pot? If so, do you have specific suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Linda. You sure can. I would add a little extra water, so that when you reheat, your soup don’t be super thick. Jill
This soup incredible!! Thank you!
Do I need to divide this in half to use my mini 3 qt Instant Pot?
No. Jill
Awesome!