Chicken Tortilla Soup is the perfect easy weeknight dinner. Full of shredded chicken, corn, beans, and homemade tortilla strips, this soup is a meal in itself. It’s comforting, hearty, and filling.
What’s even better? Just like our Taco Soup and Beef Chili, this Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe comes together in one pot.
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Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup:
Chicken tortilla soup is like a taco in soup form. Its rich tomato and chicken broth pairs perfectly with chunky veggies, shredded chicken, beans and sweet corn.
You can sprinkle some tortilla strips right on top with a healthy handful of cheese, or pair the dish with soft Dinner Rolls.
Tips For Tortilla Soup:
- Use Leftover Chicken. Have a rotisserie chicken hanging out in your fridge? What about some leftover chicken breasts you don’t know what to do with? You can always use leftover chicken to make a fresh batch of Chicken Tortilla Soup.
- Bone Broth Makes All The Difference. Use low-sodium bone broth or easily make your own chicken broth.
- Adjust The Spice. Do you like it spicy? Add some extra jalapeños into the mix.
- Save Time With Canned Corn And Beans. Speed up the cooking time by using canned corn and beans.
- Cut Avocado Right Before Serving. To keep your avocado from browning, cut it right before you serve the soup
- Season To Taste. Depending on the tomatoes and broth you use, you may need to adjust the salt to taste at the end.
To Make Crispy Tortilla Strips:
- Pan Frying: Preheat a pan with 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat. Cut 8 (6″) corn tortillas into thin strips and fry them in a couple of batches, adding more oil as needed. Remove from the pot and let drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.
- To Bake: Toss tortilla strips in a bowl with 2 Tbsp oil until well coated. Bake on a cookie sheet in a single layer at 350˚F for 15 minutes.
How To Make Chicken Tortilla Soup:
- Place a soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp oil and sautee chopped onion, garlic, and jalapeno until tender.
- Add chicken breasts and remaining soup ingredients to the pot. Bring to a boil then simmer for 25 minutes.
- Remove the chicken to a bowl and shred it with 2 forks. Return chicken to the pot and simmer 5 minutes then add lime juice.
- Serve the soup with homemade tortilla strips, chopped avocado, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges.
Make-Ahead Tip: the broth gets more and more flavorful the longer it marinates in itself. Can you say delicious leftovers? Make a big batch of tortilla soup and eat it for lunch throughout the week.
Serving Chicken Tortilla Soup:
The only thing that makes Chicken Tortilla Soup taste even better are the toppings. These are our favorites:
- Sour cream
- Homemade tortilla strips
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Cilantro
- Avocado
- Lime wedges
- Jalapeno, sliced or diced
Storing Leftover Soup:
- Refrigerator: Store your leftover soup without toppings in an airtight container in the fridge. It should stay fresh for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: You can also freeze your soup in an airtight container for up to two months. When you are ready to eat it, allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat soup by bringing it to a boil in a saucepan.
More Soup Recipes You’ll Love:
- Beef Stew – with tender morsels of beef
- Pasta e Fagioli – easy Olive Garden copycat recipe.
- Loaded Potato Soup – creamy and you’ll love the toppings
- Chicken Noodle Soup – a family favorite
- Cabbage Soup – a soup to warm your soul in winter
- Minestrone Soup – a hearty, tomato-based soup that never gets old.
Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Chicken Tortilla Soup is the perfect, cold weather weeknight dinner. What’s even better? It comes together in one pot.
Ingredients
Servings: 6 servings
Chicken Tortilla Soup
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper , seeded and diced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 lb chicken breasts, (2 medium)
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 32 oz chicken broth
- 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 14 oz can corn, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, divided (reserve 1/4 of it for garnish)
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
Homemade Tortilla Strips
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 8 corn tortillas , (6" tortillas)
Toppings
- 1 large avocado, diced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
Instructions
Tortilla Strips:
- Preheat a pan with 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat. Cut tortillas into thin strips and fry them in batches in the hot oil until crisp. Remove from the pan and allow them to drain on a paper towel. Repeat with remaining tortilla strips, adding more oil as needed then set aside.
Chicken Tortilla Soup:
- Preheat a pot with oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, garlic and chopped jalapeño and sauté until veggies soften.
- Add whole chicken breasts, corn, beans, chilli powder, cumin, crushed tomatoes, salt, ¼ cup of cilantro and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and let simmer for at least 25 minutes.
- Remove chicken from the pot and shred it using 2 forks. Add shredded chicken back to the soup and simmer another 5 minutes then add lime juice.
- Serve the soup with some tortilla strips, pieces of avocado, fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
Nutrition Per Serving
511kcal Calories54g Carbs30g Protein22g Fat
Nutrition Facts
Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
511
% Daily Value*
Fat
22
g
34
%
Saturated Fat
3
g
19
%
Trans Fat
0.01
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
4
g
Monounsaturated Fat
13
g
Cholesterol
48
mg
16
%
Sodium
1083
mg
47
%
Potassium
1386
mg
40
%
Carbohydrates
54
g
18
%
Fiber
13
g
54
%
Sugar
8
g
9
%
Protein
30
g
60
%
Vitamin A
589
IU
12
%
Vitamin C
31
mg
38
%
Calcium
131
mg
13
%
Iron
5
mg
28
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Filed Under
Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home. 
This is in our regular rotation. We add 2 bell peppers to the onions in step 1 for the soup and also triple the spices. Sometimes we just shred rotisserie chicken (if we have one to use up) and add that at the end. Such an easy & delicious weeknight meal!
I always forget to leave reviews, but this recipe is too good not to shout out! It’s been a go-to in our house for a while now.. super quick, super easy, and always a WIN.. even with my son who has permanently sworn off corn.
I had surgery recently and needed something soft, and so my mom made this recipe for me this last time. . She used a rotisserie chicken and chopped it up really fine with an immersion blender attachment — added it in when you’d normally add the chicken breast. I was worried it might dry out, but it was still so good. I’d 100% make it that way again!
The lime juice at the end really makes it- don’t skip that step if you don’t have too!! And if you’ve got the time, fry up those corn tortilla strips like the recipe calls for instead of using regular chips — totally worth it. We usually do it last. We finish it with A little sour cream and avocado. We never have leftovers. So SO SO so good! One more thing.. I love to just cut my corn straight off the cob instead of using canned corn especially when the corn is the season. 😂 but even when I use cans.. this soup tastes really fresh. I’m telling you now, this recipe has no business being this good when it’s this easy!
If using corn on the cob, I suggest roasting over an open flame on the cooktop or bbq. The charred corn adds some complexity to the flavoring.
It was sooo good. I did add more than the recommended seasoning. Also added oregano, black pepper, and paprika. So glad I used this recipe.
Quick easy delicious! I added garbanzos just because I had them. All my peeps love this soup!
Truly delicious! Substituted roasted diced carrots for the corn and it was perfection in a bowl! Pouring the hot soup over crispy tortilla chips is my favorite part! Family loved this chicken tortilla soup.
Would this work in the instant pot as well?
Hi Sam, I haven’t experimented with making this in an instant pot because it’s so quick to make on the stovetop. If you try this as an Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup, please let me know how it goes.
I make this in my instant pot all the time. I even use frozen chicken.
Figured it out. I used diced tomatoes instead of crushed, so it became watered down. Even the color was wrong. The other additions helped, as did oregano.
Hi Jeff! I’m glad you figured it out.
Can’t put my finger on why, but the broth really missed the mark. It should be similar to a red enchilada sauce, but this is very, very boring, and I even roasted the onions and garlic. Have added much more chili powder, chicken broth, some butter and what I think will finally do the trick, a lot of Paprika.
I’m sorry to hear that, Jeff. Did you make any changes to the ingredients or amounts used?
Excellent recipe… we used FRESH tomatoes and jalapeno (pureed and chopped) out of our greenhouse/garden… the soup was tasty!
My family tends to like a lot of flavor and are tough critics at dinner time. I usually have to add quite a bit to recipes before serving, yet followed this recipe fairly closely. I used rotisserie chicken leftovers rather than chicken breast and it worked out perfectly. Everyone loved this soup and my finnicky 11 year old even had 2 bowls!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Kristy! I’m so happy you all loved it, Kristy!
OMG🤯
This soup is amazing👏
The flavors, consistency are perfect 👌
I have made this 3 times this month!
Thank you for this recipe keeper 😋
Great recipe. I tweaked it by making my own chicken bone broth and adding the crushed tomatoes and spices with half of the onion and all of garlic and then blended all of that. Then added it back to the pot and added the rest of ingredients. Made it a bit thicker and blended all the flavors.
That sounds great, Moe! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I have made this 4 times we love it my guess loved it.
So glad to hear that, Jerry!
Outstanding soup! I added chopped green chilis because I had some anaheims I did not alter the spice except I added another ¼ tsp salt and I broke up unsalted Tostada shells and let them cook in. What a feast! What fresh flavor! Thank you!
Made in again tonight! Kids love it! So easy & delicious
I’ve made Chicken Tortilla Soup many times, but this is the best recipe, came out tasting better than any other I’ve made!
Thank you!!
Hi Cindy! That’s so great to hear. Thank you for the feedback!