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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- 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. 
Can you use leftover chicken thighs in place of breasts?
Hi Galye, yes, that should work!
Can you recommend a particular type of cheese that would complement the flavor?
Hi Marianne! I Mexican blend cheese would work great, as well as Colby, Monterey, or yellow cheddar.
Made this exactly as written except used mixed shredded rotisserie chicken. Absolutely the best chicken tortilla soup I’ve had. Better than any restaurant version.
First time making Chicken tortilla soup. It is absolutely amazing!! I used a rotisserie chicken instead just to use it up, and added a bit of a hot sauce with a kick because I didn’t have enough jalapeño. Thanks for this recipe it’s a keeper!
I’m so glad you loved it!
This turned out so incredibly well. I will be adding this to my soup rotation. I like that it is not overwhelmingly spicy and the addition of the lime juice and cilantro gives it a nice, fresh taste
So happy to hear that, Gretchen.
I make this soup on the regular. I like spice so I add an extra jalapeño, 1/2 tsp more of cumin and chili powder and a small can of green chilis. I also add red and yellow peppers. It’s super easy and delicious!
I made this and added one can of Rotel and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika. Also some baby carrots cut in half. So good! Thank you
Can I make this somehow in the crockpot?
Hi you should be able to make this recipe in the crockpot with some minor adjustments. I would cover and cook this on low for 6–7 hours or on high for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked and tender. Remove the chicken, shred them and return the chicken in the slow cooker. Hope you enjoy it!
I make this soup regularly! We have a few vegetarians in the family so I buy a rotisserie chicken and add shredded chicken at the end after pulling out some of the soup without the chicken. I add a little more chili powder and cumin and frozen corn but this is the easiest and best recipe I’ve found. Thank you!!!
Hi Erin! I’m so glad you found this recipe! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Same! Great idea! I’m thinking soy curls would probably work or even tofu.
Thanks!
The soup is very good but my family all thought it was too heavy on tomatoes for our liking. I also offer the jalapeno on the side so everyone could add the amount they wanted, or none. Next time I will cut the amount of tomatoes in half and increase the chicken broth.
Delicious, even better the next day. Follow the recipe exactly except for the jalapeño, use 1/2. We always double the recipe!
Love, love this soup. I have made several times for friends and family and always get rave reviews. Thank you for sharing such a terrific recipe and a very healthy one too!
This was delicious! I’ve been wanting to make this soup for a while and finally did. My husband likes cream based soups so I separated some put and added cream cheese to that portion as I saw a creamy version of this soup some where else. I left out the jalapeño as I am a wuss 😄 People that like spiced can add their own.
I’ve made variations of this recipe at least a dozen times. I add more peppers, varied to what I have on hand. I use frozen corn or fresh grilled corn. Not a fan of the canned corn tase or texture. Try blackening some fresh corn and then cutting it off the cob into the soup. It adds a nice texture and smoky flavor!
Quick and easy. Delish ! Sometimes I double it. Everyone really enjoys it. Especially in the winter.
Eatable but to tomatoy. I won’t make it again.
Hi Evan, normally this shouldn’t be tomato-y – did you change anything in the recipe or make any substitutions?
So glad that this recipe is in your cook book. I’ll always have it at my fingertips!
This was delicious! We will definitely be making this again! How much is in a serving? I see the nutrition label and it has all the information except it doesn’t say how much (cup/ mg/oz) that one serving is
Hi Kayla! It’s about 2 cups per serving.
I’m glad you loved the recipe!
2nd time making this recipe and it’s AMAZING. Question if I may, do the calories include the tortilla chips/avocado? Calorie deficit here and want to make sure. Thanks so much!
Hi Jenna! Yes, the nutrition facts label includes all of the ingredients listed in the recipe card.
Thanks for replying. 😊 Delicious soup and will be trying some of your other recipes as well.
Excellent!!! This is the first time I’ve ever made chicken tortilla soup. I will definitely keep this recipe. It is flavorful, easy and flat out delicious😋
Hi! This recipe sounds amazing, I typically use a crock pot and wanted to ask if you thought I could follow your recipe with but with a crock pot. I really love all the ingredients that you use! Thanks