Chicken Tortilla Soup

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This chicken tortilla soup recipe is easy to make in 40 minutes on the stovetop. Learn how to make chicken tortilla soup that’s even more delicious than your favorite restaurant!

a bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup


This chicken tortilla soup is one of our family’s favorite soup recipes (along with this taco soup). It’s healthy and easy to make in 40 minutes on the stovetop!

This chicken tortilla soup is loaded with chicken, veggies, and beans, flavorful with herbs and spices and topped with the best homemade tortilla strips.

It tastes even better than your favorite restaurant and is an irresistible soup recipe you will make on repeat.

a bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup topped with cheese and herbs and tortilla strips

Chicken Tortilla Soup: Ingredients & Substitutions

overhead view of the ingredients in this chicken tortilla soup recipe
  • Chicken Breasts. I suggest thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the best results.
  • Onion. Use a sweet, yellow onion or red onion.
  • Minced garlic. Fresh or jarred can be used. You can replace 1 tablespoon minced garlic with 1 tsp garlic powder (add with the spices).
  • Green Bell Pepper. Any color bell pepper works well.
  • Diced tomatoes. fire roasted, with green chilies or just plain diced tomatoes all work well in this taco soup recipe.
  • Green Chiles. choose your “heat” preference, we use mild.
  • Chicken Broth. Vegetable broth can be used in place of chicken, although I prefer chicken broth.
  • Black Beans. Other beans that work well are kidney beans and great northern (white) beans.
  • Taco Seasoning. Make your own with this Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe, or use an organic seasoning to avoid unfavorable ingredients. This is a mild chicken tortilla soup, but you can easily increase the heat/spice by adding chili powder, hot sauce, spicy taco seasoning, jalapeño peppers, etc.
  • Frozen Corn. You can substitute fresh corn.
a Chicken Tortilla Soup with a spoon

How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe is easy to make on the stovetop. We’ll walk through it together, and don’t forget tow watch the video.

Make the soup

Begin by making the chicken tortilla soup.

Cook olive oil, onion green pepper and garlic over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes or until onions are translucent.

two photos showing How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup - cooking the veggies and onions.

Then, add the diced tomatoes, chiles, chicken broth, lime juice, taco seasoning, sea salt, pepper, chicken breasts, beans and corn to the pot and stir to combine.

two photos showing How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup - adding ingredients

Next, bring the mixture to a boil. Once it’s boiling, lower the heat, cover and simmer until the chicken is easily shredded with a fork (about 25-30 minutes).

Once the chicken is fully cooked, shred it and then return it to the pot.

two photos showing How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup - shredding chicken

Then, add the cilantro and cover and simmer for 10-30 minutes (until ready to serve).

two photos showing How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup - adding cilantro

Make the tortilla strips

While the soup is cooking (preferably while the chicken is cooking before it needs to be shredded), make the tortilla strips (I have a full post dedicated to making tortilla strips here: homemade tortilla strips)

Begin by preheating the olive oil in a large skillet, then add the tortilla strips and stir to combine

Cook over medium-high heat for 2-5 minutes, stirring often, until crispy. Sprinkle warm strips with salt and set them aside to serve on top of the soup!

two photos showing How to Make Tortilla strips for soup

Serve

Once the homemade chicken tortilla soup is ready, serve it warm with sour cream, cheese, chopped onion, sliced avocado or homemade guacamole, and homemade tortilla strips. Check out all of our favorite Mexican Recipes.

Chicken Tortilla Soup in a bowl with toppings

Store/freeze

Store leftover chicken tortilla soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Chicken Tortilla Soup in a bowl with toppings and a spoon

Recipe FAQs

How do I thicken Chicken Tortilla Soup?

This soup isn’t supposed to be very thick, however, you can thicken it in a few ways:
1) At the end of the cook time, simmer with the lid slightly ajar to cook off some of the water.
2) Add some cornmeal to the soup or crushed tortilla strips.

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, you can double the ingredients and cook it in a large stockpot.

How do I make Chicken Tortilla Soup spicier?

We prefer a mild soup. Here are some suggested additions to make it spicier:
Jalapeños (dice and cook with the onions/green peppers).
Chili powder
Cayenne pepper
Hot sauce

Chicken Tortilla Soup in a bowl with toppings and a spoon

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Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Laura
This chicken tortilla soup recipe is easy to make in 40 minutes on the stovetop. Learn how to make chicken tortilla soup that's even more delicious than your favorite restaurant!
5 from 5 votes
Course Appetizer, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 10 Servings
Calories 223
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time50 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Homemade tortilla strips

  • 4 corn tortillas (6" round) cut into 1” strips (or two 8-10” flour tortillas)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Pinch of sea salt

Instructions 

Make the soup

  • Cook olive oil, onion green pepper and garlic for 3-5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
  • Add diced tomatoes, chiles, chicken broth, lime juice, taco seasoning, sea salt, pepper, chicken breasts, beans and corn to the pot and stir to combine.
  • Bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat, cover and simmer until the chicken is easily shredded with a fork (about 25-30 minutes).
  • Shred the chicken then return it to the pot.
  • Add the cilantro, cover and simmer for 10-30 minutes (until ready to serve).
  • Serve hot with sour cream, cheese, chopped onion, sliced avocado, and homemade tortilla strips.

Make the tortilla strips:

  • Preheat olive oil in a large skillet
  • Add tortilla strips and stir to combine
  • Cook over medium-high heat for 2-5 minutes, stirring often, until crispy.
  • Sprinkle warm strips with salt.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions
  • Chicken Breasts. I suggest thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the best results.
  • Onion. Use a sweet, yellow onion or red onion.
  • Minced garlic. Fresh or jarred can be used. You can replace 1 tablespoon minced garlic with 1 tsp garlic powder (add with the spices).
  • Green Bell Pepper. Any color bell pepper works well.
  • Diced tomatoes. fire roasted, with green chilies or just plain diced tomatoes all work well in this taco soup recipe.
  • Green Chiles. choose your “heat” preference, we use mild.
  • Chicken Broth. Vegetable broth can be used in place of chicken, although I prefer chicken broth.
  • Black Beans. Other beans that work well are kidney beans and great northern (white) beans.
  • Taco Seasoning. Make your own with this Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe, or use an organic seasoning to avoid unfavorable ingredients. This is a mild chicken tortilla soup, but you can easily increase the heat/spice by adding chili powder, hot sauce, spicy taco seasoning, jalapeño peppers, etc.
  • Frozen Corn. You can substitute fresh corn.
Store/freeze
Store leftover chicken tortilla soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 206mg | Potassium: 759mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 217IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Recipe Rating




3 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Such a lovely soup. I never add chilies or cilantro because we never have them, and it always turns out delicious!

  2. 5 stars
    would it make a great difference if I left out the cilantro? Also is it okay to use already made tortilla strips?

  3. Thank you, I wrote your recipes down, this is the first time I have a A recipe for pizza crust.I have not made any of them yet, but you betcha I will.