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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- Pasta e Fagioli
- 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. 
This was very good! I omitted the cilantro (tastes funny to me)but otherwise made per recipe. We loved it! Thanks!
That’s alright, glad you love this!
No flavor, I guess if you were making for kids. I tripled the spices and still was very bland.
Simplicity is what makes this recipe so attractive. Once you taste it though, you’ll see that this is an amazing soup. Thank you.
P.S. Love your fish taco recipe too! Keep it coming.
Thank you, Missy! I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe.
And the fish tacos are so good! A family favorite.
I was looking for a new weeknight meal and this did not disappoint. It was delicious! I ended up adding some hot sauce for an added kick. It was a hit and I would make it again! Thank you!
So glad you loved it, Allie! Thank you.
Need to state the serving size in Cups etc Your nutritional information means absolutely nothing without it makes me look for another recipe instead JMO a lot of people do this and I Think it’s an important part of a recipe … The measurement of the serving
Hi Natasha,
I used your recipe as inspiration for my soup. I had made some pulled pork using chilis in adobo and had maybe got a little carried away with them. It was too spicy for my family so I used it instead of chicken! The soup toned it down to just the right amount of heat. I also did not have corn tortillas so cut up flour ones, added some olive oil and salt and baked until crisp.
Hi Pegi! That sounds great. 🙂
So easy and SOOO good!! Definitely do the tortilla strips. So yummy! Also topped with cilantro, shredded cheddar and sour cream. Very tasty and satisfying!
Thank you, Kathy! I’m happy you loved it.
I used leftover baked chicken and followed the recipe. Served with a hot pico for those who wanted more heat and with grated fresco cheese plus avocado and cilantro. It was delicious!
Glad you loved this recipe, Peggy!
I made this tonight for my spouse and mother in law. It was made 100% to recipe in my Le Creuset dutch oven.
We all loved this so much! Dynamic layers of flavor and so versatile.
Happy to hear that!
This has now become a regular recipe for our family. It’s fantastic!
Nice to know that, Danielle! Thank you for your good comments and feedback.
Why are calories so high?
Does it in lude toetilla strips and avocado? Is it a cup for one serving.
Otherwise, It is a very tasty and easy soup!
Hi Margie, I’m glad you liked this soup. This recipe makes 6 servings. I do not have the exact measurement for each serving. The nutrition facts include avocado, oil, and tortillas.
I made this in a crockpot with a few tweaks it came out awesome.
That’s wonderful, Kandi! Thank you for sharing.
This was so good. I used two cans of Rotel tomatoes with chilis and an extra teaspoon of cumin and chili seasoning. It definitely hit the spot. Thank you.
Yum! Great to know that you enjoyed this soup!
My husband is asking me to make this soup again, just 2 days after I made the first batch…with a request, can you make like double batch? I think that speaks for it all! Thank you
That’s awesome! So glad he loved it.
First time making chicken tortilla soup. So easy and so delicious! Thank you!!
I’m so glad you gave it a try, D! Thank you for your great review!
Can this be made in the crock pot? I usually don’t have a lot of free time in the evenings and it would be great to be able to set it and forget it!
Hi Kevin, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work with a few adjustments. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
My daughter, who isn’t the biggest soup fan, insists that this is how I must make Chicken enchilada soup going forward. Excellent recipe!
Yay, what a great feedback! Thanks a lot for sharing that with us, Jenn.
I was so nervous making this that I didn’t tell my family what I was making for dinner because I figured they would dissuade me. I was in for a huge surprise!! Everyone loved it and agreed this should go into our menu rotation. I used the bone broth and followed the recipe except I used half of the jalapeño pepper. Thank you for this amazing recipe ❤️
Thank you for the wonderful feedback, Leah! I’m so glad it was a hit.
I am going to make this soup in a couple of days and plan on using some cooked and shredded chicken I have in the freezer. Can you please give me some insight on using this? Should I thaw the chicken? When would I put this in the soup as I don’t want to really cook it any more. Thank you.
Hi Debbie! 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.
Rookie question… do you cover it while it simmers? Thanks!
Hi Summer! You could leave the lid off while it simmers.