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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Hi there! My name is Natalya and I run the blog Momsdish. If you already follow me, you know I can’t get enough of easy meals that require simple ingredients
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)
- 20 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
540kcal Calories62g Carbs32g Protein22g Fat
Nutrition Facts
Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
540
% Daily Value*
Fat
22
g
34
%
Saturated Fat
3
g
19
%
Cholesterol
48
mg
16
%
Sodium
673
mg
29
%
Potassium
1368
mg
39
%
Carbohydrates
62
g
21
%
Fiber
15
g
63
%
Sugar
9
g
10
%
Protein
32
g
64
%
Vitamin A
663
IU
13
%
Vitamin C
28
mg
34
%
Calcium
111
mg
11
%
Iron
5
mg
28
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Natalya Drozhzhin
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
My daughter made this and it is the most delicious tortilla soup I’ve ever had!!! Incredible! I put some avocado and tortilla strips and cheese on top. Maybe a little more Broth since so much stuff in there it was pretty thick but sooooo good
No flavor so bland.
Hi Tammy, I haven’t had it come out bland but I would love to help you troubleshoot as this is one of our most popular recipes and I think it’s worth another shot. Did you change anything about the recipe? Maybe it needed more salt? Are you tasting food normally in general (it’s a valid question these days!). I hope you give it another try.
Yum! Made this tonight since I was craving chicken tortilla soup, so easy and delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and added 3 times the seasoning as suggested and half a bell pepper since I had it on hand. Included some garlic powder, paprika, and a bay leaf when cooking the onions and peppers. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
My family loved it!!Delicious 😍 would just add more Chile powder and cumin.
So easy but I already had some chicken breast cooked so shredded that and threw it in at the same time as the beans etc. Brought to boil and turned to simmer!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Really good only thing I added was about 1/2 cup of refried beans I had left over.
Can I do this recipe as is without beans?
Hi Erin! That should work. It will just be missing volume.
Can you recommend if anything needs to be changed if you are doing this in a crockpot?
I have not tested it but one of my readers mentioned making this in the slow cooker with good results but they did not share instructions. I hope you love it.
My family LOVES this soup and requests it quite often. It’s delicious and so simple even on a busy weeknight and it’s so good as left overs if any! Thank you for sharing this, it’s now a staple soup in our home.
Hi Katie! That’s so great to hear. Thank you.
Very easy, delicious, quick to prepare
Delicious
Excellent soup and easy to make. Highly recommended. Spice balance is perfect in my opinion.
This is so good! I have never left a comment on someone’s recipe but this is just the best
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Kylie! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
This was divine! My family and I loved it the night it was made as well as for leftovers with sandwiches a couple of days later. LOVE it. Such easy prep, especially putting the chicken in early with the other ingredients to cook during the simmer. Seems I’m usually doing a separate prep for chicken, either ahead of time or in another pan occupying another stovetop burner, so this was really a welcome change. Thank you, Natasha! This recipe is a real winner for us and has earned its place among our family faves. 🙂
That’s so great to hear, Renee!
Absolutely the best. I also steamed rice and put a scoop or two in the bottom of each bowl. My children love this!
If using left over chicken or rotisserie chicken, should it still be brought to a boil and simmered for 25 minutes?
Hi Jodi! If you’ll be using leftover chicken, you don’t have to simmer it anymore. You can just add it during the last 10-15 minutes of simmering.
Love this ❤️ I did mine In the instapot and it turned out wonderful. Love the fall because it’s soup weather. Definitely will share recipe with family and friends.
So happy you loved it! Thank you.
This was fantastic! I tripled the spices like someone else recommended. I used the whole jalepeno with half the seeds but my husband couldn’t taste any spice. Maybe next time I will add the seeds.
this recipe is spot on. Soups and stews have always intimidated me because the liquid ratio was never correct and it would be too thick or way too runny. I followed this recipe to a T and it’s delicious. I made zero alterations which never happens!
I added some heavy cream to make it creamy! Was a bit too acidic for me.
Good idea! I felt the tomato taste was too much, so heavy cream would be a good idea.
As others have said, a little extra fat to counter the acidity from the tomatoes makes it perfect! I add a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt to my bowl when serving.