Chicken Tortilla Soup is super easy and quick, made with chicken, black beans, peppers, corn, crushed tomatoes and seasonings topped with tortilla strips and ready in 30 minutes!
When the weather is cold, hot soup really hits the spot like some of our cold weather favorites Slow Cooker Beef Chili, Ultimate Slow Cooker Beef Stew and my crazy popular Ultimate Slow Cooker Pot Roast.
CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
Chicken Tortilla Soup is the PERFECT dinner for a chilly night. It’s savory, hot, AND spicy, which warms you right to the bones. We make this all winter long, both on the stove and in the slow cooker. Plus it’s great for freezing, so I usually make a double batch and save half for a busy week. Trust me, once you try this homemade version, you’ll wonder why you ever had the store-bought one in your pantry to begin with!
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP THICKER
Whisk 3 tablespoons of corn starch into ½ cup cold water. Add to the soup and stir. It will thicken within a few minutes as the starch heats up. You can add more or less corn starch to get your desired consistency.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP CREAMY
Make a creamy chicken tortilla soup recipe by making a roux in the beginning. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add onions and 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour, whisking continuously.
After 3-4 minutes, when flour starts to brown, slowly pour in broth and keep whisking while everything thickens. Then add remaining ingredients and follow the recipe as usual. At the very end, add ¾ cup of heavy cream while stirring.
CAN YOU FREEZE CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP?
This chicken tortilla soup recipe is PERFECT for freezing, because it doesn’t contain dairy and reheats really well. Cool the soup down completely, then store in a freezer-safe container. I like to freeze single serving containers for weekly lunches, too!
HOW LONG DOES CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP LAST IN THE FRIDGE?
This chicken tortilla soup recipe will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container. To reheat, pour into a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until warmed through.
MORE SOUP RECIPES TO TRY
- Classic Minestrone Soup
- Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
- Cabbage Soup
- Easy Taco Soup
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
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HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP IN THE SLOW COOKER
Add all ingredients to the slow cooker, except for tortillas. Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8 hours. With 30 minutes remaining, remove chicken breast and shred with a fork. Add the chicken breast back into the soup and top with tortilla strips. Close the lid until the remaining time is up.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP IN THE INSTANT POT
- Using the sauté function, add onions, spices, and oil until onions are translucent.
- Add everything except for the tortilla strips to the instant pot. Lock the lid in place and close the pressure valve.
- Set in manual mode on high for a total time of 10 minutes, then let it release naturally.
- Once the pressure is released, open the lid. Remove the chicken and shred with a fork, then add it back into the soup with the tortilla strips. Stir and serve.
TIPS FOR MAKING CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
- Top with cheddar or pepper jack cheese for a cheesy chicken tortilla soup.
- Instead of skinless chicken breast, this is a great recipe for using up leftover rotisserie chicken. Just shred the chicken, and add at the end, just to heat it through.
- Make this recipe gluten free by substituting gluten free corn tortilla chips instead of the flour tortillas.
- Serve this soup with fresh avocado, sour cream, jalapenos, cheddar cheese, cilantro, tortilla chips, and lime juice.
- Use diced jalapenos and fire-roasted tomatoes for an extra kick of spice!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 ounces chopped green chile peppers
- 14.5 ounces canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 2 cups corn
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 14.5 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 2 chicken breasts boneless and skinless
- 2 4- inch flour tortillas cut into strips
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Add the canola oil to a large dutch oven on medium heat and add the onion and garlic, cooking for 2 minutes until you can smell the garlic.
- Add the green chiles, black beans, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, corn, salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and oregano and mix well.
- Add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes and chicken breasts and bring to a boil before reducing to a simmer for 22-25 minutes.
- Remove the chicken, shred with two forks, then return to the pot with the shredded tortillas and cilantro, stirring well before serving.
This soup sounded so good I decided to make it for my mom during her recovery from heart surgery. I had to use what I had on hand though, so I tweaked it like this:
1. substituted low sodium chicken broth and low carb tortillas, and used chicken tenderloins, since that’s what I had
2. used 2 cans of fire-roasted diced tomatoes in place of the diced and crushed tomatoes
3. cut out the cayenne (didn’t have it) and used my own blend of chili powder which is 2 parts ancho powder, two parts guajillo powder, one part chipotle powder and one part smoked paprika. (I put smoked paprika in EVERYTHING lol)
4. used half the amount of salt from the recipe, then adjusted it a bit at the end.
I am going to try it as written some time, except we will stick with the low sodium and low carb substitutions since we have health concerns. Even with the changes I had to make, it was absolutely delicious! Thank you for another great recipe!
I’m glad you were able to customize it to what you had on hand. Nothing better than using everything in your kitchen. I’m so glad you all enjoyed it! Hope your Mom has a safe and speedy recovery.
Thanks again Sabrina 🙂 I always know I can count on your recipes to be a hit with a picky crowd including a five year old. When I see a dinner then dessert recipe I know it’s gonna be great!
Aw, thanks 🙂
This was awesome. I like the little kick from the cayenne. I had lots of leftover turkey and this recipe was just what I was looking for – subbed out the chicken for turkey and it was delicious!
Sounds delicious! That’s such a great substitution.
I love this soup! I want a big bowl of this for dinner!
It’s so good! Enjoy!
Looks absolutely awesome! I bet those flavors are amazing, need to make this!
I hope you enjoy it, Melanie!
I love this soup! So hearty for winter!!!
Yes, perfect for a cold day!
Perfect for these chilly days! My family loves it!
This looks absolutely amazing ! Perfect for those cold nights!!
Perfect for that! Stay warm!
This is easily the best soup I’ve ever made, thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!