Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe (2024)

By Laura

Posted Jan 30, 2023, Updated Feb 14, 2024

5 from 9 votes

7 Comments

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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!

Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe (2)

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.

Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe (3)

Chicken Tortilla Soup: Ingredients & Substitutions

Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe (4)
  • 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.
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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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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!

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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.

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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.

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Chicken Tortilla Soup 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

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Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe (14)

Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe (15)

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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 9 votes

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American, Mexican

Servings 10 Servings

Calories 223

Prep Time10 minutes minutes

Cook Time40 minutes minutes

Total Time50 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 green bell pepper finely diced
  • 15 ounces diced tomatoes
  • 4 ounces mild green chiles
  • 4 cups chicken broth (1 quart)
  • 1 Tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 pounds chicken breasts sliced thin
  • 15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • ½ cup Fresh cilantro finely chopped (plus more for garnish)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

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.

Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question? Leave a comment below!

Try these recipes

Homemade Tortilla Strips

Taco Soup Recipe

Crockpot Chicken Tacos (Mexican Chicken)

Chicken Enchiladas

Best Chicken Quesadilla Recipe

Easy Guacamole Recipe (5 Minutes)

Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does chicken tortilla soup contain? ›

Chicken tortilla soup is a Mexican-inspired soup that has a tomato and chicken broth base. It is spiced with chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, and has a little kick from the jalapeño. It also has hearty ingredients like beans, corn, and of course the shredded chicken.

How can I thicken up tortilla soup? ›

Butter + Flour.

This creates the roux that thickens the chicken soup to velvety, luscious goodness. Make sure to cook the flour for about 1 minute to rid of the raw flour flavor.

How do you tone down chicken tortilla soup? ›

Add Some Starches

The easiest way to tone down a spicy dish is to serve a smaller portion with plenty of rice, bread, potatoes, pasta, or plain starch to counter the heat. For soups and stews, raw and starchy vegetables like potatoes or carrots work well.

What are the ingredients in Costco chicken tortilla soup? ›

INGREDIENTS: Chicken stock, diced tomatoes in juice, cooked chicken meat, cooked white chicken meat, onions, corn, carrots, roasted poblano peppers, roasted red bell peppers, roasted green chiles, tortillas (corn, water, lime), contains 2% or less of: tomato paste, water, cultured dextrose, sea salt, modified food ...

Does Chicken Tortilla Soup have a lot of carbs? ›

How many carbs are in chicken tortilla soup? The carbs in chicken tortilla soup will vary, based on recipe and ingredients. Traditional tortilla soup can have 40 grams of carbohydrates! This version has just 10 grams net carbs per serving — WITH toppings included — and is filling enough to be a meal.

Is tortilla soup high in sodium? ›

Soup is tough on a low sodium diet. It's one of the Salty Six, foods identified by the American Heart Association as being very high in sodium.

Why does my chicken tortilla soup taste bland? ›

Using too little seasoning

Reaching for something spicy without much distinct flavor, like cayenne, will result in a bland and spicy broth.

How to make can chicken soup taste better? ›

Adding cooked chicken to your soup isn't the only way to bulk it up and improve the flavor. You can also try stirring in some other additions. A similar option is to mix in some extra vegetables. Remember, heating up canned soup means you don't cook the broth as long as you would if you were making it from scratch.

Does adding potatoes reduce spices? ›

Bulk up the Recipe to Dilute the Spice

Protein can help thin out the spicy ingredients as long as they haven't been preseasoned with the same heat-building ingredients. Starches like potatoes, rice, pasta, and bread work to soak up and diffuse spiciness without adding distinct flavors that may alter the recipe.

Why is it called chicken tortilla soup? ›

It's hard to pinpoint exactly the origin of tortilla soup, but it is generally attributed to Central Mexico and especially popular in Mexico City, where it was possibly born in the nearby state of Tlaxcala (which in Nahuatl means “land of the corn” or “place where tortillas abound”).

Who makes Kirkland chicken tortilla soup? ›

The label declares the product, manufactured by Kettle Cuisine Midco, LLC, as gluten-free, which is a false negative claim.

Is there milk in Chick Fil A tortilla soup? ›

Heads Up! The Berry Parfaits, Chicken Noodle Soup, and Chicken Tortilla Soups at Chick-fil-A do contain milk.

What does chicken soup contain? ›

Chicken soup is a soup made from chicken, simmered in water, usually with various other ingredients. The classic chicken soup consists of a clear chicken broth, often with pieces of chicken or vegetables; common additions are pasta, noodles, dumplings, or carrots, and grains such as rice and barley.

What goes well with Chicken Tortilla Soup? ›

You can enjoy tortilla soup with many things, like tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. Mexican rice, chips with guacamole, roasted corn, black beans, and Mexican cornbread are also good choices.

What is sopa de tortilla made of? ›

There a few variations on preparing Sopa Azteca, but it basically comes down to fried tortilla strips, a light tomato broth, onions, garlic, chile, epazote, oregano and lime. And you cannot forget those signature garnishes.

Does the Chicken Tortilla Soup at Chick Fil A have dairy? ›

According to the Chick Fil A website, their chicken tortilla soup is NOT gluten-free or dairy free. However, this copycat recipe is gluten-free and dairy free!

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