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Chicken Tortilla Soup is a healthy, nourishing soup perfect for chilly winter evenings. Top it with cheese, tortilla chips and avocado for a satisfying supper!
Featured with this recipe
- Cozy Up with My Favorite Tortilla Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients
- Chicken Tortilla Soup in Four Easy Steps
- Soup Topping Options
- Additional Ingredients for Extra Bulk
- Suggestions for this Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Questions About Tortilla Soup
- Storing Leftover Soup
- More Comforting Soup Recipes
- Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe Recipe
Cozy Up with My Favorite Tortilla Soup
Chicken tortilla soup is one of those cozy comfort foods I can’t get enough of during the winter (and even into spring!). There’s something nostalgic about the way tender chicken and spices simmer together, filling the house with the most amazing smell. It’s perfect on its own for a healthy lunch or dinner, or you can totally take it up a notch with cheese, crispy chips, sour cream, or avocado—turning a simple soup into a fantastic meal in no time!
Since my family loves a good kick of spice, I always throw in a little extra chili powder, cumin, and garlic. If you’re craving even more heat, you can add chopped jalapeños, cilantro, a dash of Tabasco sauce, or even some hot peppers. Honestly, it’s all about experimenting and finding what your family loves best!
Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients
Don’t let these ingredients intimidate you! Most of the ingredients are pantry staples and you already have most of them in your home. Combine these ingredients together and you will have your tastebuds going wild!
- Chicken – Cook and shred your chicken ahead of time. To plan ahead you can make this shredded chicken recipe. Simply cook the chicken and use forks or chicken shredding tools to shred the chicken before adding it in the soup.
- Oil – You can use olive oil, extra virgin olive oil or any kind of vegetable oil. Place one oz in the skillet over medium heat to help keep the onion from sticking to the pan as well as add flavor and caramelize the onion’s outer layer.
- Onion – Slice and chop a yellow or white onion for delicious flavor in the soup.
- Seasonings – Garlic and cumin blend well together giving it an authentic Mexican taste!
- Chicken broth – Gives the chicken and soup moisture, liquid, and flavor. Use low-sodium chicken broth to control the amount of salt that goes into the recipe.
- Corn – Frozen or canned corn is perfect for dumping into the pot.
- Chili powder – Adds a little bit of spice!
- Lime juice – Squeeze fresh lime juice for a refreshing flavor!
- Salsa – Pick your favorite salsa with the best flavor or make your own homemade salsa to bring in spice and chunks of flavor.
Chicken Tortilla Soup in Four Easy Steps
Shred your chicken, cook the vegetables, and simmer the soup on low until it is mixed together perfectly. All combined will make this chicken tortilla soup recipe one of the best. It is full of flavor and so simple to make!
- Cook and shred chicken – In a large pot or dutch oven, boil chicken for about 25 minutes or until cooked through. Remove chicken, cool, and shred.
- Saute – In a large skillet cook onion, and garlic in the oil and add cumin. Cook until onions become clear.
- Cook – Drain water from the pot you cooked the chicken in and add chicken broth and onion and garlic mixture.
- Simmer – Add shredded chicken, corn, chili powder, lime juice, and salsa to the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 min.
Soup Topping Options
Top the soup off with all your Mexican favorite topping options and serve with extra flavor in every bite. It is easy to add extra toppings to take this soup to the next level. Your tastebuds will be thanking you!
- Sour cream – Place a dollop of sour cream on top of the soup. Stir it in as it melts and blends into the soup it will cool the soup and add more flavor.
- Tortilla chips – Either make your own tortilla thin strips or purchase crispy tortilla strips to crunch into the soup or dip.
- Cheese – Shredded cheese melts in the hot soup and combines with other ingredients. Try Mexican blend, cheddar cheese, shredded cheddar, or Monterey jack cheese.
- Avocado – Slice or cut up a ripe avocado. Soft green avocados add texture and deliciousness. Avocado is chock full of vitamin c also.
- Fresh cilantro – Gives the easy chicken tortilla soup a beautiful garnish and a deeper flavor.
Additional Ingredients for Extra Bulk
Want to give this already hearty soup a little more bulk, nutrients and fiber? Add a diced bell pepper, a couple of diced cloves garlic, diced tomatoes or a can of Rotel, a jar of pinto beans or black beans to the recipe. If you love a little extra heat, add jalapeños, a can of green chiles, a teaspoon cumin or cayenne pepper to bring it up.
Suggestions for this Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
This homemade chicken tortilla soup is always comforting and savory! These suggestions and modifications help add flavor, save time, and how to make it other ways in the kitchen. It is an easy soup recipe that we all love!
- Tender chicken – Start your soup with chicken broth or chicken stock. Just this one step enriches the flavor of your soups immensely. If you don’t have any canned or boxed chicken broth on hand you can make your own by boiling your chicken in water with a little dried onion and some chicken bouillon.
- Substitute – When making this ahead of time you can use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for the protein. This is a more tender and juicy meat that tastes amazing with this easy chicken tortilla soup.
- Gluten-free version – The majority of this soup is gluten-free, as long as you check the labels on your chicken broth or chicken bouillon. Many brands contain wheat which will be shown on the label, so look for an alternative GF brand or make your own broth.
- Slow cooker – On super busy days, toss the ingredients in a slow cooker and let it do all the work making the best crock pot chicken tortilla soup.
- Instant Pot – You can also make this chicken taco soup in the instant pot!
“This was awesome! I made a little guacamole and added a scoop into mine…delicious! I’ll be making this often.”
-She Loves the Color Pink
Questions About Tortilla Soup
Chicken tortilla soup is a traditional soup that is made with chicken, broth, and diced tomato with garlic, onion, chiles, and fried tortilla strips made from corn tortillas. Sometimes corn and black beans are also added to the soup.
Aside from adding more chicken or vegetables to the broth (which will help soak up more of the soup base for a heartier soup), you can add a thickening agent like roux, cornstarch, masa, or flour. Keep in mind that this soup is supposed to be light and doesn’t have a thick consistency compared to a chowder.
Storing Leftover Soup
This recipe makes a big batch of soup, which is perfect for feeding a crowd or having leftovers. I love to either refrigerate or freeze it, so I can enjoy this delicious chicken tortilla soup again and again!
- Refrigerate – It will store safely in an airtight container for up to four days in the refrigerator.
- Freeze – Make sure to freeze it in airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags, and it’ll stay fresh for up to three months.
- Reheat – When ready to reheat, thaw leftovers in the fridge. Then place the thawed or refrigerated leftovers in a microwaveable safe bowl or warm up on the stovetop until it is warmed through.
More Comforting Soup Recipes
There’s just something about a soup simmering on the stove to instantly create a homey, cozy feeling. Try a few of these savory recipes and indulge in delightful comfort!
Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 onion chopped
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 (14.5 ounce cans) chicken broth
- 2 cans corn drained
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 cup salsa we like using El Pinto brand salsa, it has GREAT flavor!
- 1 cup tortilla chips
- ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 avocado diced
- sour cream to taste
Instructions
- In large pot boil chicken for about 25 minutes or until cooked through. Remove chicken, cool, and shred.
- In a large skillet cook onion, garlic in the oil and add cumin. Cook until onions become clear.
- Drain water from the pot you cooked the chicken in add chicken broth and onion and garlic mixture. Add shredded chicken,corn, chili powder, lemon (or lime) juice and salsa to the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-40 min.
- Top with corn chips, cheese, avocado, and a little sour cream.
Notes
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- Refrigerate – It will store safely in an airtight container for up to four days in the refrigerator.
-
- Freeze – Make sure to freeze it in airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags, and it’ll stay fresh for up to three months.
-
- Reheat – When ready to reheat, thaw leftovers in the fridge. Then place the thawed or refrigerated leftovers in a microwaveable safe bowl or warm up on the stovetop until it is warmed through.
I made this with canned chicken instead (that's all I had) and it turned out delicious. Thanks for a quick easy answer to my dinner problem 🙂
This was awesome! I made a little guacamole and added a scoop into mine…delicious! I'll be making this often.
LOVE IT!!
I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner yesterday, came to your blog, and ta da! My husband and I LOVED it.. he even took the leftovers to work today for lunch 🙂 Thanks so much! Definitely a keeper.
Thanks for sharing your Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe- it looks great!
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Ohh can't wait to try this!!!
Can't wait to make it!!!!!
Yes Erica agreed, it is the BEST chicken tortilla soup! I make it all the time.
Thank you for the recipe. And for most of my recipes for that matter 🙂