Chicken Tortilla Soup is the perfect easy weeknight dinner. Full of tender shredded chicken, corn, beans, and homemade tortilla strips, this soup is a meal in itself. It’s comforting, hearty, and filling.
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Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Chicken tortilla soup is like a taco in soup form. Its rich tomato and chicken broth pairs perfectly with nutritious veggies, shredded chicken, beans, and sweet corn. What’s even better? Just like our Taco Soup and Turkey Chili, this Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe comes together in one pot on the stove.
You can sprinkle some homemade crispy tortilla strips right on top with a healthy handful of cheese, or pair the dish with soft Dinner Rolls.
Tips For the Best Tortilla Soup
- Use Leftover Chicken. I cook the chicken breasts right in the soup, but you can use a Roast Chicken, or leftover Baked Chicken Breasts to make a fresh batch of Chicken Tortilla Soup, just shred and add the cooked chicken in step 3.
- Bone Broth Makes All The Difference. Use low-sodium bone broth or easily make your own chicken stock.
- 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.
How 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:
- Sauté Vegetables – Place a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp oil and saute 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.
Natasha’s 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.
Toppings for Chicken Tortilla Soup
The only thing that makes Chicken Tortilla Soup taste even better is 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.
- To Reheat: You can warm the soup up in a saucepan on the stove or microwave until heated through.
This homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup is so cozy, comforting, and hearty for the cooler Fall and Winter months, and you’ll love that leftovers taste even better as the flavors meld.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken Tortilla Soup with tender chicken and homemade crispy tortilla strips is the perfect, cold-weather weeknight dinner. What’s even better? It comes together in one pot.
Ingredients
Servings: 6 servings
Chicken Tortilla Soup
- 2 Tbsp light olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers , seeded and diced
- 32 oz chicken broth
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 lb chicken breasts, (2 medium), or leftover rotisserie chicken*
- 15 oz can corn, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped, plus more to garnish
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice, from 1 lime, 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 or dutch oven with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, garlic, and chopped jalapeño and sauté until veggies soften.
- Add chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, chicken breasts, corn, beans, chili powder, cumin, salt. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through and easy to shred.
- Remove chicken from the pot and shred it using 2 forks. Add shredded chicken back to the soup and simmer another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and lime juice.
- Serve the soup garnished with some tortilla strips, diced avocado, fresh cilantro and lime wedges, or use your favorite toppings.
Notes
*If using leftover rotisserie chicken, shred the chicken and add it to the soup in step 3.
Nutrition Per Serving
539kcal Calories55g Carbs30g Protein24g Fat
Nutrition Facts
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Amount per Serving
Calories
539
% Daily Value*
Fat
24
g
37
%
Saturated Fat
4
g
25
%
Trans Fat
0.01
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
4
g
Monounsaturated Fat
15
g
Cholesterol
48
mg
16
%
Sodium
1112
mg
48
%
Potassium
1406
mg
40
%
Carbohydrates
55
g
18
%
Fiber
13
g
54
%
Sugar
8
g
9
%
Protein
30
g
60
%
Vitamin A
604
IU
12
%
Vitamin C
30
mg
36
%
Calcium
133
mg
13
%
Iron
5
mg
28
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Filed Under
More Soup Recipes You’ll Love
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- Loaded Potato Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Cabbage Soup
- Roasted Tomato Soup
- Hamburger Soup
- Easy Vegetable Soup
- Zuppa Toscana
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. 
Hi there! I have tried many of your recipes and love them all! This soup sounds amazing, but I was wondering if I could use rotisserie chicken? (I happen to have some leftovers in the fridge). Thank you!
Hi Mary, I haven’t tested that with rotisserie chicken; if you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I made this soup tonight…amazing! Excellent recipe once again Natasha’s. Probably the best chicken tortilla soup I have ever made! Don’t skip on the homemade tortilla strips!
Awesome! Thanks, Janice. I’m glad you enjoyed this soup!
Fantastic! I doubled the recipe so we’ll have plenty of leftovers while my adult sons are still in town.
Very nice! I hope they will still be able to try and love this recipe.
Just tried this receipt last night. Made as is. Loved it!!! Will go into my make more offend binder for sure.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Debbie!
It was snowing a few days ago and my husband and I were craving soup to go with the cold weather. This hit the spot! Incredible recipe!
I’m a newlywed, and I’ve been learning how to cook through your website and wonderful videos on social media. I never knew how much I would enjoy cooking and trying new recipes! Thank you Natasha for all you do!
P.S.: My husband’s family is German and I made pork schnitzel for them using your recipe and they absolutely loved it! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Hello Lara, that is so wonderful! I’m so glad that you’ve been learning a lot of new recipes. I hope that you and your husband will love every recipe that you will try.
This was delicious and very easy. I made it for me and the kids to have for lunch. I dropped out the peppers, but used a 28 oz can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes. My very picky 1 year old actually said, “mmm” when she started eating it! Can’t wait to eat it again for lunch tomorrow! I also used Bona Fide Provisions bone broth, if you haven’t checked them out before, I highly recommend them! Great quality product with a lot of extra nutrients.
That is the best when kids love what we parents make. That’s so great!
Can you suggest how to make this in an Instant Pot? I love all your recipes BTW!!
Hi Lisa, 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.
Can I make this in a CrockPot? If so what are the instructions.? I really want to try and make it in a crockpot like the “chicken cream cheese chili”
I would really like your input/advice.
Hi Nataly, I think it could be adapted similar to the way the cream cheese chicken chili is but it is so quick that we do it on the stovetop.
20 oz crushed tomatoes, not 28 oz? Since the link opens to 28 oz jars
Hi Valerie, 20 oz is correct but I have added 28 oz when that is what I had on hand and just adjusted the seasoning – adding a touch more seasoning.
Honestly i was kind of hesitant half way through but i continued and it is beyond amazing so yummy both me and my dad loved it 100% gonna repeat it
Hello Roua, I am so happy that you continued with this recipe and I’m glad you loved it! Thanks for your trust and for sharing your great review with us.
This was absolutely delicious! A keeper for sure!
Thank you for this lovely review, Jennifer! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
Hi, when does the lime juice go in? It’s in the ingredients but not in the directions. Thanks
Hi Alecya, so sorry I missed that. Thanks for asking! I Added it after adding the shredded chicken back to the pot and simmering 5 minutes. Its added at the very end. I updated the recipe card.
How much chicken broth?
Nevermind was reading right over it
Hi Nelly, we used 32oz of chicken broth. To see the list of ingredients you can click Jump to Recipe and that will take you to the printable recipe card
Just made it!!! used exact ingredients! let it simmer for an hour total. It’s delicious!
Isn’t it the best! Happy you liked that Anita!
I will have to try your version out. A quick suggestion, as a twist, try adding Habanero peppers seeded & diced instead of jalapeno. (caution use gloves when cutting due to juice). My magic number is 7 – 8 peppers. I have been using this recipe as my standard with the habanero mod & 3 diced sweet small sweet peppers. I also changed brands on the Old El Paso ingredients. I use Rio Organic green Chiles, Frontera red enchilada sauce, Pacific low sodium chicken broth, and gtwo 7 oz cans Green Giant mexicorn. The recipe is from Betty Crocker slow cooker recipes if you want to have another recipe to modify/try. I like the slow cooker option so that it frees time.
Thank you for sharing some suggestions and tips, Michael.
This soup is great..it’s a keeper for sure!!!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe Laura!
I had everything but corn and wanted to use up leftover chicken, so I made this since we are snowed in. I diced a zucchini that I needed to use up (in place of the corn). It was a crowd-pleaser even with my picky eater son! We will have to make this again when we can try it with corn.
Great idea! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Delicious dinner meal! We added shredded cheese and it was perfect. Thank you for the recipe!
Yay, love it! Thank you so much for your awesome review and perfect rating, Lana. We appreciate it!
I’ve been a fan since trying to Chicken Marsala recipe! I still use that for hibiscus and birthdays in my family. The tortilla soup was amazing and can’t wait to share it! It was delicious, hearty and a perfectly easy meal after a long week. Thanks again Natasha!
You are most welcome, Kayla. I’m happy that you’re enjoying all the recipes that you tried. I hope you love all my other recipes too!
This soup recipe is a keeper! Thanks!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
What would be the suggested serving size?
Hi Ken, this recipe makes 6 servings at about 1 – 1.5 cups per serving.
Super delicious and easy! I love the bright and slightly spicy flavors in this savory, brothy soup! So perfect for cool evenings!
Hi Betsy, I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! It really is perfect for this cooler weather that is rolling in.
One pot meals are such a lifesaver for busy nights! This was delicious!
They are my favorite kinds of dinners also. I’m so glad you loved the Chicken tortilla soup!