The Best Recipe for Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup (So Easy!)

This Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup is warm and spicy. Plus, you likely have all the ingredients on hand! A quick and easy dinner for cold nights! It has hearty black beans, sweet corn, tender chicken, and a little kick of heat topped off with homemade tortilla strips for that extra crunch. The whole family will love it! Make sure you check out the recipe variations and instructions for preparing it in the slow cooker or Instant Pot!

Making this Southwest Tortilla Soup Recipe

It has been so cold here lately. Days where it “warms up” to temperatures in the 30’s, but the sun is bright and shining, which only makes you feel worse because it doesn’t look like it should be cold at all. Days where you need warm, fuzzy socks on your feet at all times.

Kids are going bonkers because they feel cooped up, and quite frankly so do you. Add howling winds and early morning snow to top it off and you have got soup weather on your hands.

But you don’t want just any soup. You want something with a little spice. Something that isn’t just a bowl of warmth, but something that will really heat you up a spoonful at a time on those chilly evenings.

And it also needs to be something that will not require you to go out in that freezing cold-howling wind-sun shining weather to purchase any crazy ingredients.

And that is why this week we had this easy Chicken Tortilla Soup for dinner this week. Because it’s warm. It’s spicy. And I didn’t have to pick a single special ingredient up.

I confess, I didn’t have the avocado or cilantro the first time I made it, but this bowl of goodness was equally satisfying without those ingredients. I just love this recipe and have made it several times since finding it on my friend Jane’s blog. I’m sure you’ll love it too!

Why I Think this is The Best Recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup

5 reasons I love this great recipe :

• You can easily use leftover chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken making it minimal effort to prepare this on a busy day.
• This soup is packed with flavors and plenty of veggies. Plus, you can add even more as garnishes to customize your bowl!
• There are several options for adaptations to make it your own.
• I’ve included several different methods for preparation: instructions for preparing it stove-top, slow cooker, or Instant Pot style.
• I love the strips of corn tortilla for a nice crunch on top of the soup.

If you try this recipe I hope you like it as much as I do and it becomes a new family favorite! You might find yourself making a double batch because it is such a great soup recipe to have for leftovers the next day (or for lunch).

Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients

The best part about this recipe is that the first time I didn’t have to pick up a single ingredient to make this recipe, I already had them all on hand. Win!

• Onion
• Olive Oil
• Garlic
• Chicken Broth
• Diced Tomatoes
• Canned Corn
• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or Chicken Thighs
• Black Beans
• Lime
• Fresh Cilantro
• Corn Tortillas
• Spices

Optional Garnishes for Chicken Tortilla Soup

• Lime Wedges
• Sour Cream
• Avocado Slices
• Chopped Yellow Onion
• Green Onion
• Jalapeno Peppers
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese or Mexican Cheese Blend

Garnishes make a great addition to the individual bowls and are a fun way for family members to customize their own bowls of soup.

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

How to Make Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup

The ingredients list may look lengthy, but most of them are simple ingredients. You’ll be surprised at how quickly this soup comes together.

1. Sauté the onion in olive oil until soft, then add garlic and spices.
2. Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Add tomatoes, corn, black beans.
3. Grill or pan-fry chicken spiced with cayenne, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cut up or shred chicken and add it to the soup.
4. Add lime juice and cilantro.
5. Slice the corn tortillas into thin strips. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large frypan over medium-high heat. Add the tortilla strips to the hot oil until crisp. Season with salt.
6. Serve soup garnished with your choice of cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips, fresh cilantro, avocado, and a lime wedge.

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the free printable card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

Can I Make the Crispy Tortilla Strips Ahead of Time?

Yes, you can make a batch of the tortilla strips for this chicken tortilla soup recipe in advance. After you prepare them, let them cool completely and then transfer them to an airtight container. Don’t fill the container so full that the strips are crushed when you put the lid on.

Variations to Make It Your Own

• For a creamy chicken tortilla soup recipe, add a block of cream cheese or shredded cheese to the soup and stir until melted.
• Add a can of tomato paste for a thicker, more tomato based broth.

How Can I Make this Tortilla Soup Recipe Vegetarian?

The great thing about recipes like this is that you can always make small tweaks to the original recipe and adapt to your own personal preferences or dietary needs.

To make a vegetarian tortilla soup, use Vegetable Broth instead of chicken stock, leave out the chicken, and add extra veggies in place of the eliminated meat.

For the extra veggies, I recommend using red bell pepper, green bell pepper, green chiles (if you like extra spicy food!), tomatoes, and beans. For beans you could use a mix of both pinto and black beans.

How to Make Tortilla Soup Thicker

For a thicker soup base for this for this easy chicken tortilla soup recipe add, you can create a mixture of water and flour that I add to the broth.

As the soup cooks, this thickens the soup. This water and flour mixture is often referred to as a “slurry.” Start with 2 tablespoons of flour and 1/2 cup of water. Repeat if you want the soup thicker.

You can also use cornstarch to thicken this soup. Cornstarch is a good alternative thickening agent if you are avoiding wheat or gluten. Cornstarch is more powerful than flour, so you’ll use half as much cornstarch for the same results as achieved using flour.

What to Serve with Chicken Tortilla Soup

My kids love it when I serve this homemade chicken tortilla soup with some sort of bread, and maybe a fresh salad.

• Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
• Chile Cheese Cornbread Scones
• Honey Cornbread Muffins

A fresh salad doesn’t have to be fancy at all. We often use mixed greens, lettuce, cucumber, shredded carrot, and tomato for a basic side salad. Check out these 3 Simple Salad Dressing Recipes to go along with your salad.

Can I Freeze This Recipe for Tortilla Soup?

Yes, this easy chicken tortilla soup recipe freezes incredibly well. Just be sure to freeze the soup without the tortilla strips on top. You want to freeze the base soup and doctor it up with toppings after it’s been thawed and reheated.

To freeze the soup:

• Let the soup cool completely.
• Seal inside a freezer bag(s) or freezer-safe container.
• Label and store up to three months.
• Let the soup thaw overnight in the fridge when ready to use. Reheat gently in a saucepan.
• Next time all you’ll need to do is prepare the tortilla strips and garnishes.

If you need more details on how to freeze this soup, head over to my tutorial on How to Freeze Soup for all my tips and suggestions! I always think it is such a good idea to make extra soup and freeze some for later.

Tips for Making the Best Chicken Tortilla Soup

• Often, I’ll take the easy way out and use my pressure cooker or slow cooker to cook the chicken. I like to make shredded chicken using this recipe for Crockpot Mexican Chicken to use in this recipe if I don’t feel like grilling or pan frying the chicken.
• If spicy isn’t your thing, start with the smaller amounts of seasonings listed and adjust according to taste as needed.
• You can use store-bought tortilla chips if you don’t have corn tortillas on hand to make them from scratch.

Can I Make this in the Slow Cooker?

Yes, you can easily adapt the instructions into a recipe for slow cooker chicken tortilla soup. Slow Cooker recipes are always a great idea for busy days! To do prepare Chicken Tortilla Soup this way you would:

Make sure your slow cooker is large enough to accomodate all of the ingredients without overflowing.

Follow the recipe as instructed, but transfer all of the ingredients to a slow cooker. Then, switch to low heat for 6-7 hours, or until the meat and vegetables are tender.

How Can I Prepare Tortilla Soup in the Instant Pot?

Yes, you can even make an Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe! To make an Instant Pot version of this delicious soup, you’ll need to:

Use a size with a large pot so you can accomodate all of the ingredients up to the max fill line. If your instant pot isn’t large enough, then I recommend making a half sized recipe.

You can use the sauté function on the instant pot to brown the chicken and sauté all of the vegetables as instructed in the original recipe before you add the remaining ingredients to the pot. After sautéing the vegetables, press cancel.

Then, stir everything to combine it well, then place the lid on the instant pot and cook it over high pressure for 5 minutes. After the 10 minutes, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, quick release the remaining pressure. Then, serve.

Precautions: Do not touch the steam escaping because it is very hot and can burn. Do not remove the lid until all of the pressure has released.

What Readers Are Saying

“Made this last night, and we really enjoyed it!” — Lauren

“By far the BEST tortilla soup ever!” — Anna

“This soup is AMAZING! It tastes a lot like the tortilla soup at Qdoba which I love. This one is a definite keeper.” — Shelley

More Easy Soup Recipes:

Looking for more soups to keep warm with? Here are some of my best soup recipes:

Served with a large salad and a crusty loaf of bread, this Roasted Red Pepper Soup can be a delicious and warming meal all on its own.

Celebrate fall with this recipe for Pumpkin Soup with Toasted Walnuts. You’ll love the added soup toppings of toasted walnuts and blue cheese!

If you’re looking for a creamy, rich and flavorful soup, try this Italian Sausage Kale Soup. It’s a lightened up version of an Olive Garden Classic and crowd favorite, Zuppa Toscana.

This Slow Cooker Ham Soup with Potatoes and Kale is both easy to prepare and flavorful, thanks to the use of a slow cooker and the rich flavor that a leftover ham bone imparts.

This Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is a fun twist on classic chicken noodle soup. It’s the perfect soup for soothing sore throats year-round!

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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Rachael from Set the Table.