This easy chicken tortilla soup recipe with a simple broth and chunky bites of black beans, sweet corn, shredded chicken, and crushed tomatoes topped with the crunch of tortilla strips is truly chicken soup for the soul.
My version of Chicken Tortilla Soup brings to life a simple Mexican-seasoned soup that’s brothy, nourishing, and chock-full of flavor-bomb bites of chicken, corn, beans, and aromatics. Not to mention this soup’s namesake tortilla crunchโplus, ALL the toppings. Like any good chicken soup, this humble tortilla soup recipe gets a major flavor bump with homemade chicken stock. Because this soup is so simple, a really great broth is a must for the best flavor. Cooked, shredded chicken can be cooked at home or plucked from a rotisserie chicken from the store when you pick up an onion, cilantro, and the toppings. The rest of the ingredients come from the pantry or freezer making this soup super quick and convenient to make any night of the week.
In This Post
Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients
The beauty of this easy chicken tortilla soup recipe is that it takes just a few ingredients to get such bold flavor. Here’s what you’ll need to make the best chicken tortilla soup:
- Canola oilโOr any other neutral, flavorless oil
- Yellow onionโI usually use yellow onion because I always have them on hand but white or red onion work just as well in Mexican flavored food.
- Chicken brothโI keep frozen homemade stock on hand for use in soups just like this. Or, use a good-quality store-bought brand.
- Diced green chilesโFire-roasted Hatch chiles are my favorite. I buy the canned variety for ease.
- Black beansโDrain and rinse the canned beans before adding to the soup so they don’t muddy the broth. Try canned or cooked pinto beans or Great Northern beans if you like.
- Dried oregano, cumin, and chile powderโThese dried herbs and spices deliver the soup’s signature Mexican flavor
- Fresh cilantroโI love cilantro but if you’re not a fan, feel free to skip it
- Shredded, cooked chickenโBaked skinless breasts are easy to cook, but buying a good rotisserie chicken from the store could save you even more time.
- Corn kernelsโI like frozen corn here because it has a more snappy bite
- Corn tortillasโWhite or yellow corn tortillas work fine here.
- Toppings like avocado, sour cream or Mexican crema, more chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and cheese if you like
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Any great soup starts with a great broth, and even if I do say so myself, I have become the master of the GREAT broth! Whether it’s on the stovetop, Crock Pot or Instant Pot, get all the secrets and the method for the best homemade chicken stock here. I typically make a batch on the weekend after roasting a whole chicken, or freeze it in gallon freezer bags to use any time. It’s one of my favorite meal prep tips.
- I use shredded chicken from baked chicken breasts or from one of my favorite roast chickens that I usually make at the start of the week.
- From here, the only cooking left to do is a simple sautรฉ of the onion to soften and deepen the flavor.
- Then, it’s just a simple ingredient dump plus about 30 minutes on the stove for the flavors to mix and marry.
- While the soup cooks, cut the tortillas into strips, spray or lightly brush with oil, and bake until crispy. A salty sprinkle finishes them off.
- When serving, top the soup with the tortilla strips and garnish with cheese, sour cream or Mexican crema, avocado, and more cilantro.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Sautรฉ the onion with the oil in a small saucepan.
- Add the onion to the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients (up to the shredded chicken).
- Cook on HIGH setting for 3-4 hours or LOW setting for 7-8 hours.
- Garnish with the toppings and serve.
Here’s Make Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Set the Instant Pot to sautรฉ mode and cook the onion until softened. Add the rest of the ingredients (up to the shredded chicken), cancel sautรฉ mode, and seal the lid into position.
- Select SOUP mode and manually adjust the time to 5 minutes. It will reach the right pressure in about 10 minutes. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Release the pressure lock (avoid the steam stream) then ladle into bowls and top with garnishes.
Recipe Tips and Ingredient Substitutions
- I cook my foolproof baked chicken breasts at the start of the week to make recipes like this fast. If you don’t have time to cook the chicken beforehand, buy a rotisserie bird from the store.
- If you like things on the spicier side, use hot green chiles instead of mild, and add extra chili powder to suit your taste. Jalapeรฑo slices will also jazz up your bowl or add some hot sauce to the soup before digging in.
- Swap black beans with pinto beans.
- To make the crispy corn tortilla strips, I brush tortilla strips with a bit of oil or spray them with cooking spray. Then, pop the strips into the toaster oven to crisp up then salt them while still hot. You can also fry the tortilla chips in a bit of oil. Or, crunched-up tortilla chips can save the day.
- Use a 15-ounce can of creamed corn instead of frozen corn to thicken the broth.
- Or use the tortilla chips to thicken the broth. Blend 1 cup of the broth with โ cup of toasted tortilla chips until smooth then stir into the soup.
What to Serve With Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chipotle Chicken Taquitos
- Chopped Mexican Kale Salad
- Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons
- Chunky Guacamole
- Kale Salad with Apples, Cranberries, and Cheddar Cheese
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 medium yellow onion , diced (about 1 ยฝ cups)
- 10 cups chicken stock
- 1-15 ounce can diced tomatoes with mild green chiles
- 1-15 ounce can black beans , drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ยฝ teaspoon cumin
- ยฝ teaspoon chili powder
- ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 ยฝ cups corn kernels
Toppings
- 4-5 inch corn tortillas
- canola oil or cooking spray
- sour cream or Mexican crema
- avocado
- shredded cheese
- limes
Instructions
- In a large stock pot over medium, warm the oil then add the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the onions soften.
- Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, black beans, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cilantro and bring to a boil, then reduce to a bubbling simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
- Add the shredded chicken and corn and cook until warmed though.
- While the soup is cooking, cut the tortillas into strips and spray with cooking spray or lightly brush with oil. Lay the strips ion a foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Toast until crisp, then sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Spoon the soup into bowls and garnish sour cream, avocado, more cilantor, and cheese. Add a squeeze of fresh lime and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Soup Recipes You’ll Love
- Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Sage
- Slow Cooker Hatch Green Chili Verde
- The Best Cheeseburger Soup
- Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup with Sausage and Kale
- Easy Hamburger Vegetable Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup
We send good emails. Subscribe to FoodieCrush and have each post plus exclusive content only for our subscribers delivered straight to your e-mail box.
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more FoodieCrush inspiration.
There may be affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own. As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you.
Lisa
Hi
Loved this soup ,but, those Jalapeรฑo crisps have been discontinued by French’s a couple of years ago(asked them on their website)! What do you suggest in place? Sadly never got to try them! Thanks.
Heidi
Hi Lisa, I’ve updated the post to reflect that! Hope you enjoy it!
Vanessa
I made this in my Instant Pot over the weekend and it was so, so good! It made more than enough for two people so I am going to try freezing some of it to enjoy later.
Laura | Tutti Dolci
I love chicken tortilla soup, this looks so delicious!
Barbara Schieving
I need to find those Crispy Jalapenos. This soup is right up my family’s alley. Can’t wait to see where you’re traveling to :)