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. 
It turned out fantastic. I added more of the spices recommended since I added two more cups of broth and one more can of black beans for our no meat eater. I also added Mexican chicken bullion to taste and 2 chipotle peppers for heat. We like it spicy! It was excellent.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Vlynn!
I just wanted to pop in and say that this soup cans beautifully in a pressure canner and holds up well, shelf stable. I use rotisserie chicken as a shortcut. Love love love this soup!
Thanks for sharing! Great to hear that you love this soup!
This recipe is amazing!! It’s definitely one I’ll use frequently. Thank you for making this recipe available online! I used bone broth for the first time, and it was one of the first times for me to cook with jalapeño and onion! 😁 All the flavors went together amazingly and it’s a recipe that can easily be customized for a person’s tastes/ preferences. I prefer to use low sodium ingredients so that the soup doesn’t become too salty. I only use tortilla strips and cheese for toppings. I didn’t have chili powder so I used gochujang paste instead (that worked well), and I used more garlic than it calls for. I like that every cooks in one pot including the chicken!
You’re very welcome! I’m so glad you love it.
Made it for the first time it was so yummy with such a great taste I added some bread, chili pepper flakes to help spice it up a little and the tortillas homemade were an extra treat. Made it taste 10 times better and yes you need the line it just makes it pizzazz.
That sounds so good, Kiane!
I’m not entirely sure how this recipe got 5 stars, but with a few adjustments we were able to take this recipe from ok to great. We doubled the spices, added half a can of chipotles in adobo sauce. We also added crumbled cojito cheese and cilantro lime creme as garnishes.
HI Connie, garnishes can definitely go a long way especially with tortilla soup. I always serve this with toppings. That said, this soup normally has tons of flavor. Did you make any substitutions in the soup?
Best chicken tortilla soup ever!!
I should have doubled the recipe because I’m making
another batch tonight.
Can’t wait for seconds! Thank you so much for sharing this most delicious soup.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Michelle!
Second time making this and I doubled the recipe. So yummy!!
I’m so glad you love it!
I found the basic ingredients were a good guide, but I had to add a lot more cumin, chili, pepper, and salt for the soup to have any flavor.
Excellent! I substituted plant based chicken and used ‘no chicken” based better than bouillon… Fantastic recipe! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so happy to hear that worked, Stephanie! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review.
Our family LOVES this soup. It’s great as is and can easily be “hotted” up for the spice lovers in the group. Basic, easy, inexpensive and delicious!!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Mary! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutely excellent and quite easy to prepare. I am (trying to be) on keto, so adding beans and corn puts the carbs way over the limit, so I omitted them. Turned out great. From another source, I learnt that to give it a “fuller” flavor, to tear 1 tortilla and add it to the soup (before adding the veggies) and to puree it using a hand blender. I use the zero carb tortillas from Mission to put both in the soup and cut them into strips (with a pizza cutter) and bake them as suggested. Came out excellent.
Thank you so much for sharing those great ideas with me, Shreekant! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
The tortilla idea is really interesting to give a corn flavor; I’m going to try that! This soup is the bomb as-is though too. 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Tracy!
Making it right now…used diced instead of crushed tomatoes hope they mush up nicely and don’t change the desired consistency. Curious about adding a little heavy cream at the end … thoughts anyone?
I use fresh full tomatoes and if you boil them long enough, they totally get mushed up. I use a hand blender to make the soup smooth (as an alternate suggestion)
Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
I’m cooking now and I wished I’d added diced instead of crushed it’s a little more of a tomato base than I like. I tried to stick to the recipe exactly but I’ll go with the diced next time.
You could use a little cream cheese instead of heavy cream at the end to make it creamy too. Mmmm.
Very good…I like heat, though, and this needed more, for me…I used two jalapeno peppers, but I cooked 1 1/2 of them, and they essentially disintegrated into the soup, leaving behind no discernable heat. Glad I sliced one half and left it raw! I added a tablespoon of Louisiana Hot Sauce this time. Next time, I won’t cook the peppers, will add them at the end of cooking, increase the cumin x2, and maybe look for a hotter chili powder. Overall, very, very good…a keeper and a go to.
Hi Laura, thank you for your suggestions, comments and feedback regarding this recipe. Good to hear that you liked it!
This is a delicious soup. Always use common sense. If you have a few ounces of extra corn or beans, don’t stress. The tortilla strips are awesome.
Glad you love this soup!
Roasting or broiling a poblano pepper, peeling off the skin and seeds, then cutting into small matchsticks and adding them gives a wonderful little somethin’ somethin’ to the soup.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Jack!
Question- what is the best way to prep this to freeze in gallon bags for meal prep/giving meals to a family? Make it all the way through, then let cool enough and freeze? Or a modification of any steps? Thank you!
Hi Haley! See my note above for freezing instructions. I have not made this in large batches for meal prep, but I have frozen leftovers. It should be cooled before placing in the container.
Thank you Natasha for another delicious recipe! I followed exactly and added some red bell pepper, another jalapeño and a little ground chipotle because my family loves spicy food. This was very satisfying. 😊
You’re very welcome. That sounds wonderful!
Soup was warm and delicious. I might add more black beans or corn, but otherwise no suggestions other than don’t skip the tortilla strips! Feedback on your page: I don’t think I’ll use any more of your recipes – I use an ipad and your page was continually reloading back to the top, the pop up ads were frequently getting in the way. Not a great experience. If you could cut off the page reloading it’s be a start.
Hi Lisa! Thanks you for trying our my Chicken Tortilla soup! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I’ve noted your feedback about adding more black beans or corn. Those tortilla strips are totally a game-changer! Thank you for your feedback about the page jumping around, have your tried out new cook mode on the recipe card to stop your screen from going dark or reloading?
The BEST Chicken Tortilla soup recipe I have found. My husband and I both love it. This time I used crushed roasted tomatoes and it turned out delicious. I also used chicken from a whole chicken from dinner the night before. I used homemade broth I made from the whole chicken and only simmered the soup for ten minutes or so as the chicken was already cooked. One of these days I’ll make the homemade tortilla strips with it. We just crush tortilla chips on top.
That sounds delicious! I’m glad you’re loving the recipe!
This is the first soup I’ve made, and it was a SUCCESS! I love how hearty it is yet still flavorful and and light. Thank you for sharing!
You’re very welcome! I’m glad you loved the recipe!