You can’t beat a bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup on a chilly evening.
It’s made in one pot, done in 30 minutes, and full of simple ingredients.
Besides being easy to make, the soup is loaded with flavor — with shredded chicken, black beans, tomato sauces, and a nice kick from smoky chipotle powder. Top your soup with crisp tortilla chips, a dollop of sour cream, and a touch of fresh cilantro.
Warming. Flavorful. Quick. Healthy. It checks all the boxes.
Brb, gonna go get another bowl.
Why KJ Loves
Chicken tortilla soup was always a staple growing up, and I love how this recipe reminds me of all those flavors! All you need is a handful of pantry ingredients and chicken to bring this heartwarming soup to life on your stove.
Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredient List
For the soup
- Chicken thighs or breasts (boneless, skinless)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Yellow onion (or white)
- Garlic
- Chipotle powder
- Cumin
- Salt
- Pepper
- Tomato sauce
- Diced green chiles
- Black beans
- Chicken stock
For the toppings
- Tortilla chips
- Sour cream
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime juice
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. - Add the chicken and sear on both sides until it’s golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side.
- Add in the onion and garlic and sauté a few minutes more. Add in the chipotle powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Pour in the tomato sauce, black beans, and chicken stock.
- Bring the chicken tortilla soup to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer the soup for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (an internal temperature of 165 degrees).
- Shred the chicken with a couple of forks and stir it back into the soup.
Top it off. Serve it up!
Have fun with your favorite toppings:
- Tortilla chips
- Sour cream
- Cilantro
- Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Avocados
- Fresh lime wedges
(You could even use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream!)
If you want to make your own crispy tortilla strips, cut corn tortillas into long strips and fry in olive oil over the stovetop until crispy. Season with salt.
Make a side of Simple Guac and a round of Apple Cider Margaritas for an easy meal that feels special.
Easy Variations
Use leftover or rotisserie chicken.
While cooking the chicken in the soup broth adds a nice flavor, you can speed up the process by using chicken that’s already cooked, like rotisserie chicken.
Kick up the heat level.
Add in some diced jalapeño when sautéing the onions.
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Make this tortilla soup ahead of time in a slow cooker. Add all of the ingredients to a 6-quart Crockpot and cook on high for 4-6 hours.
If you want, you can sear the chicken in advance for extra flavor, but it’s not totally necessary (especially if you’ve got a busy week!).
Load it up with veggies.
This is your chance to use up those extra veggies in your fridge (or cans in the back of your pantry).
Chicken tortilla soup tastes amazing with diced bell pepper (green, red, whatever color you like!). You can also add canned corn, frozen corn, green onions, diced tomatoes, or avocados.
Tortilla Soup FAQ
How do you store chicken tortilla soup?
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days. Make sure to store the tortilla chips or tortilla strips separately so they don’t get soggy!
Can I make my own homemade tortilla strips?
Yes! To make your own crispy tortilla strips, heat some olive oil in a pan. Cut corn tortillas into long strips and fry them on both sides until crispy and crunchy.
Can I use chicken broth instead of chicken stock?
Chicken stock will give you a better, deeper flavor. I recommend you stick to the stock.
Other Scrumptious Soups
Your favorite Mexican dishes — in soup form.
- Salsa Verde Chicken Soup — Made with cannellini beans and oh-so-tasty salsa verde.
- Sweet Potato Taco Soup — With ground beef, sweet potatoes, and black beans, this bowl packs a lot of flavor.
- Healthy Chicken Enchilada — You won’t believe how healthy this soup actually is.
- Chicken Fajita Soup — Chicken. Green bell peppers. A kick of chili powder. All the classic sizzling flavors you love.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Total Time: 35
Description
You can’t beat a bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup on a chilly evening. It’s made in one pot, done in 30 minutes, and full of simple ingredients. Besides being easy to make, the soup is loaded with flavor — with shredded chicken, black beans, tomato sauces, and a nice kick from chili powder. Top your soup with crisp tortilla chips, a dollop of sour cream, and a touch of fresh cilantro. Warming. Flavorful. Quick. Healthy. It checks all the boxes.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15.25 oz canned corn, drained
- 7 oz green chiles
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 4 cups chicken stock
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add in the chicken and sear on both sides until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side.
- Add in the onion and garlic and sauté a few minutes more. Add in the chipotle powder, cumin, salt and pepper.
- Pour in the tomato sauce, black beans and chicken stock.
- Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low to allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Shred the chicken with a couple of forks and stir back into the soup.
- Serve garnished with tortilla chips, sour cream and chopped cilantro as desired.
Notes
- Want to turn up the heat? Add in some diced jalapeño when sautéing the onions!
- Recipe variations: add in diced bell pepper, or corn, or diced tomatoes
- Can this be made in the slow cooker? Yes! Add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hours.
- Nutritional information for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 30
Nutrition
- Calories: 533
- Sugar: 19.4g
- Fat: 26.5g
- Protein: 20.8g
- Cholesterol: 17mg
Did you make this recipe?
SHARE THE LOVE
If you made this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures! Thanks for following and cooking along with me.
Affiliate Links
This post may contain affiliate links, which mean that KJ and Company would receive a small commission if anything is purchased. Thank you for supporting KJ & Company in all the ways that you do.
Hi, I’m KJ!
Here you’ll find simple, delicious recipes for the home cook. I strive to make wholesome meals with easy-to-find ingredients that you feel comfortable making in your own kitchen—but I won’t shy away from a few indulgences! (I see you: butter, bacon, cookies!)
Hi! I don’t see enchilada sauce in the ingredients but I see it in the directions. Is that in place of some of the other ingredients? Thank you!
Hi Emily! All of the ingredients listed on the recipe card are correct – we accidentally forgot to delete the enchilada sauce out of the directions. Sorry about the confusion! Hope you enjoy!