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 was so good, and so easy to make! My family loved it! I’m so glad I made a double batch so we can freeze some for a rainy day.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review. Lecsi!
What size Dutch oven should I use for this recipe? Bachelor asking..
Hi Matt. A 5-6qt will work well for this recipe. I hope you love it.
Am trying this tonight. Would like it to be more of a thicker soup, a little creamy. Thinking of using the immersion blender and chopped tortillas plus some heavy cream. Would you recommend this or something else for a thicker, creamy broth?
Hi there! You can try adding heavy cream or half and half. Another option is for you to add a thickener like cornstarch.
I’ve used this recipe before and it was great tonight. I’m making it again but substituting turkey breast so we’ll see. I’ll let you know.
Sounds like a great idea, Terri!
If you don’t have left over chicken and are just using uncooked chicken breast from the store, will the simmer 25 minutes and the additional cook time cook the chicken all the way through? Or should I cook them in the overnight first? Also, would you suggest leaving the chicken breast as is, or add salt and pepper to taste first on them?
Hi Tiffany, this recipe is written for using raw chicken breasts and it is plenty of time to cook the chicken through if you are following the timings on the recipe. Also, I season the soup at the end to taste. I don’t pre-season the chicken as it’s not necessary. I hope you love the chicken tortilla soup recipe!
Looking forward to trying. I cannot digest beans or lentils. Any suggested replacement? Leaving them out would make the soup less filling. I also cannot eat corn, so I’m replacing with kamut/wheat berries, which will have a similar texture. Thank you!
Hi Elaine! I haven’t tried any substitutions. I would say to use veggies of your choice (such as mushrooms, or other) as your fillers.
I added in poblano peppers and red bell pepper to mine. 🙂
This is definitely my family’s favorite! Very hearty and satisfying, great flavor!
I made this for a potluck for work and kept it hot in my crock pot…. It was an absolute hit! I did add extra seasons and tripled the recipe, but at the end of the function I had an empty crock pot! I have also made it several times for my home and it’s always a hit!
I’m using golden hominy instead of corn, no black beans (I don’t have any), shredded rotisserie chicken, a strong chicken broth from the carcass simmered for the last 12 hours. In addition to the tortilla strips, I’m also topping it with chopped jalapeños, diced red onion, plenty of cilantro, fresh lime juice, shredded sharp cheddar, and sour cream. Unfortunately, my avocados aren’t yet ripe. IMO a great tortilla soup is all about the toppings.
That sounds great, Hollis!
Why was this the best chicken tortilla soup I’ve ever had?! Decided to make it because I haven’t had it in a while and when looking up recipes, I just clicked the one that had the most stars. I’m glad I did!! Super easy and super yummy and inexpensive! I will be making it again and I’m gonna check out her other recipes!
That’s so great to hear. So happy you enjoyed my recipe and I’m glad it came across your path. Thank you for the wonderful review!
Meant to say I used 4 chicken thighs instead of breasts! I think it would taste the same though.
This soup was so delicious! It’s a new family favorite. I substituted Rotel for the crushed tomatoes for extra spice and used pulled rotisserie chicken. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
So glad to hear that, Betsy!
The whole family loved it. I’ve made this twice already. I thought it needed more broth so I added 16 more oz of chicken stock and adjusted the spices/salt to accommodate the extra broth. Perfection!
I made this tonight, doubled the recipe and will bring the rest for a work potluck. Family LOVED it! This will be a regular winter dinner meal option. Soooo good!!
One of the best and easiest chicken recipes. I love to cook this in my slow cooker.
So happy you’re loving it! Thanks for sharing.
Can’t wait to try. If using cooked chicken, when would you add it and how long would you let it simmer? TIA!
Hi Natalie, Here’s what one of my readers wrote: “We’ve made this with leftover rotisserie chicken, which works great. You can thaw it and add it towards the end of the cooking process.” I hope this helps!
FIRE RECIPE – 12/10 – super fresh and light
so flavorful
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
WOW!! 5 stars +++. I had a pkg of bone-in/ skin-on chicken thighs and was thinking Chicken & Dumplings. Lightbulb moment – Chicken Tortilla Soup! Roasted those @ 400* with S&P, chili powder, & cumin until about 90% done. Meanwhile, prepped the veggies and sauteed with more chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, a pinch of red pepper flakes, & orange bell pepper (it’s what I had on hand). Threw in a 15 oz can of fire-roasted tomatoes and 15 oz can of crush tomatoes ( also on hand) and a carton of reduced sodium chicken broth. Shredded & added the chicken thighs to simmer while I prepped the tortilla strips to fry. Served with a dollop of sour cream, sliced avocados (a little squishy but ok) and the tortilla strips. Just Amazing!! Husband said it was the best; 16 y.o. picky son who hates corn, beans, tomatoes (& peppers if he’d know they were in there!) loved it. Ate 1 1/2 bowls!! Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!! Thank you Natasha!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, A!
Is it just me or does 20oz can of tomatoes not exist? Did you mean 28oz?
That’s what Im thinking too Im going to use 28 oz
I used 28 ounces as well since I didn’t see a 20 ounce can at the store.
I found an 18 oz at whole foods. To make up for the liquid, I rehydrated some dried chilies in 4 oz water and blended those before adding (this was a substitution because I didn’t have any chili powder! But I had the chilies, so what the heck!)
Easy to make and delicious. Full of flavor.
Very yummy 😋 Well definitely make again!!
I’m glad you loved it, Debra!