This chicken tortilla soup recipe simmers in one pot and is on the table in under 30 minutes for a delicious weeknight meal. Packed with chicken, veggies, and beans, it’s a meal the whole family will love.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- One-Pot Meal: The chicken breasts simmer in the broth, making this soup both easy and flavorful.
- Skill Level: This beginner-friendly soup is a weeknight time and labor saver.
- Budget Tip: Add a cup or two of cooked rice to stretch the recipe further.
- Serving Suggestions: Chicken tortilla soup is great served with a toppings bar.
Ingredients for Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chicken: No need to pre-cook the chicken; add it raw. If using leftover rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken, they can be added in the last 5 minutes to heat through.
- Vegetables: Canned tomatoes with chiles (Rotel) add extra flavor to this recipe; you can choose mild or spicy. The corn can be canned, fresh, or frozen.
- Black Beans: Canned black beans keep this recipe quick. Replace them with navy beans, pinto beans, or kidney beans.
- Tortilla Strips: Homemade tortilla strips are easy to make, but any crunchies like Fritos or tortilla chips will also work.
Toppings for Tortilla Soup
- Mix in dollops of sour cream, guacamole, or salsa for quick, flavorful upgrades.
- Top with shredded cheese, black olives, green onions, lime wedges, or cilantro.
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
This soup comes together in one pot and just three easy steps!
- Cook Veggies:
Heat oil in a large pot and sauté chopped onion, garlic, and jalapeño until soft. Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, black beans, corn, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, and chili powder. - Add Chicken:
Place chicken breasts in the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken, shred it, and stir it back into the soup. - Serve & Enjoy:
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with avocado, extra cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
More Flavorful Comforting Soups
Did you enjoy this Chicken Tortilla Soup? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jalapeño seeded and diced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 14.5 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15 ounce) can canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (10 ounce) can canned diced tomatoes with chilies with juices, such as Rotel
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 6 ounces each
- 1 cup corn kernels drained if canned
- 1 lime juiced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 avocado sliced, for garnish
For the Tortilla Strips
- 6 small corn tortillas cut into ¼-inch strips
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- salt
Instructions
For the Tortilla Strips
- Cut the tortillas into ¼-inch strips. In a small pan, heat ¼ cup of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the tortillas, in small batches to the oil and fry them until they are crisp, about 1 minute per side. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel. While warm, sprinkle with salt to taste.
For the Soup
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño to the pot, and cook until the onion is softened about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add in the chicken broth, black beans, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with juices, corn, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, and chili powder. Stir to combine.
- Add the chicken breasts and bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it with two forks. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot and simmer for an additional 3 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon soup into bowls and top with tortilla strips, lime wedges, and sliced avocado.
Video
Notes
Chicken: This recipe uses chicken breasts that are 6oz each. If your chicken is larger or smaller, adjust the cooking time as needed. The chicken is added to the soup raw and simmers in the soup.
Cooked chicken: To replace the chicken breasts with rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken, simmer the soup for a total of 25 minutes, adding 3 cups of shredded chicken during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Tortilla Strips: Tortilla strips can be replaced with tortilla chips or they can be cooked in the air fryer or oven. Toss the strips with 1 ½ tablespoons of oil and salt. Cook in the air fryer at 350°F for 2-4 minutes or until crisp or bake at 350°F for 11-14 minutes. Check the strips early to ensure they don’t burn.
Spice: Reduce the spice by replacing jalapeno with green chiles.
Serving suggestion: Create a fun meal by serving it with a variety of toppings.
Leftovers: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days and in the freezer for 4 months.
Leftovers & Freezing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. To freeze, cool completely, transfer it to a freezer-safe container or resealable plastic bag for up to 4 months.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1.25cup | Calories: 278 | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 671mg | Potassium: 714mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 290IU | Vitamin C: 19.9mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2.7mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American, Mexican© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Originally Published: January 2019
Updated & Republished: October 2025
Easy and delicious. I subbed a pablano pepper for the jalapeno because that’s what I had on hand. Super flavorful and colorful.
Made it for my birthday dinner and it slapped
Very well flavour balanced
I follow this recipe exactly how it is! I always add the avocado and tortilla chips to my own bowl, to answer someone’s question below! It’s amazing and this recipe never ever ever fails me :-P
Loved this! I may have to reduce the jalapeno as it was a little spicy for my wife, but she loved it@
looking forward to trying this on a cold day
It is unclear to me about when the lime, cilantro and avocado go in. It says add the rest of the ingredients but then in the picture, those look like garnishes. Can you clarify?
Sorry for the confusion, the tortilla strips, lime wedges and sliced avocado are added as a garnish in step 5.
Easy to cook! Great recipe!
So tasty and light, I add cabbage to it. Thank you for this recipe.
this is my “go to” soup, quick and easy to make and totally delicious.
This was easy to make and delicious! I will definitely make it again!
The worst soup I’ve ever had.. I’m glad I wasn’t really hungry and talk to you later g to feed my family today. Horrible!! I had to add salt salt and a big bay leave!
So sorry to hear that Michelle! Lots of readers have made this recipe with delicious results.
Could this be used as a crock pot recipe too I’ve made it before on the stove top it was delicious, but I’m needed a slow cooker since I’m busy & my family wants this delicious soup today.
Can I make this in a crock pot would it be the same steps just minus the oil?
Here is a slow cooker tortilla soup. Enjoy!
Looks good. Making it tonight for dinner
I am planning on making this tomorrow, for the diced tomatoes it only says one can but it doesn’t say the exact amount (in ounces or mL), could you please specify? Looking forward to trying this!
Hi Farah, great questions! It is one standard size can of diced tomatoes with chilis, so about 10 ounces.
I am going to try this chicken soup
First time to make Chicken Tortilla Soup. Absolutely fabulous recipe! I tweaked the recipe to make it healthier – doing away with as many of the “canned” ingredients as possible…coring & chopping fresh tomatoes, fresh corn & jalapeños. Makes prep time much longer but it’s well worth the extra time. This has Bria staple meal in my house because it is so healthy & delicious!!!
That is great Lynn! So happy it has become a staple for you. :)
This is a delicious recipe. Everyone in my family ate it, which is saying a lot. Thank you!
I am so glad your family enjoyed the soup Leilani!
I love tortilla soup, but not every restaurant has a good one so I went looking for a recipe. I’d never made it before, but this one looked the closest to what I was after. It was so easy to make and was delicious with no substitutions. It’s on par with my favorite restaurant’s tortilla soup. My family loved it, and we’re making it again today. 10/10 Texas approved!
So glad your family loved it!
This is now my go to Tortilla Soup. I’ve tried many, and as usual, you nailed it. I use several of your recipes to rave reviews at my house! Thank you!!
Thank you so much Donna! I am so glad your family has been enjoying the recipes!
forgot to mention, instead of “frying” the tortilla strips, I drizzle olive oil over them, sprinkle with some kosher salt, and bake for about 15 minutes at 375, or until they come out a little browned and crispy.
And I serve it with guac and sour cream! (I’m having leftovers for lunch today! I can’t wait for lunch!)
I haven’t fixed yet, but can’t wait to. Sounds so delicious.
I hope you love it Kathryn!
I made this the other night for a small dinner party and it turned out SO delicious. It was easy to follow, cheap and quick to make. I subbed drumsticks instead of chicken breast as they are a cost effective and a tastier cut of meat. The recipe made the perfect amount as we only had a couple bowls left over.
Thank you for sharing!
I am so glad the soup was well received with your dinner guests Jackie! Using chicken legs is a great idea to add flavor and cut costs!