This Chicken Tortilla Soup is hearty, full of flavor, and easy enough for a weeknight. It comes together in one pot in about 30 minutes, has just the right amount of spice, and is easy to customize with everyone’s favorite toppings.
Serve it with a side of guacamole and tortilla chips, cilantro lime rice, or Mexican street corn.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Flavor: This soup is savory, smoky, and lightly spicy, with bright lime and cilantro balancing the rich tomato broth and tender chicken.
- Why Make It: Simmering raw chicken breasts directly in the soup keeps prep simple with fewer dishes!
- Serving Suggestion: Create a build-your-own topping bar and set out avocado, lime, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, fresh pico de gallo, and extra tortilla strips.
Total Time: 30 Mins Servings: 6 Cooking Method: Stovetop
Ingredient Notes
- Jalapeño: Remove the seeds to keep the heat mild, or swap in mild canned green chiles for an even gentler flavor.
- Crushed Tomatoes: Add body and richness to the broth, creating a flavorful tomato base that complements the other ingredients.
- Diced Tomatoes with Chiles: Add the tomatoes and their juices to boost the broth with extra tomato flavor and a mild chile kick.
- Black Beans: Drain and rinse canned beans before adding them to the soup, or swap them for pinto beans for an easy variation.
- Chicken Breasts: Cook the chicken directly in the soup, then shred it before serving; boneless, skinless chicken thighs work well too. For a shortcut, use shredded rotisserie chicken and stir it in during the final 5 minutes.
- Corn: Fresh, frozen, or drained canned corn all work well. Add frozen corn straight to the pot without thawing.
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Sauté the onion, garlic, and jalapeno (full recipe below).
- Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, corn, lime, cilantro, and seasonings.
- Add the chicken breasts and gently simmer until cooked through.
- Shred the chicken, return it to the soup, and simmer briefly.
Store, Freeze, Reheat
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave until heated through. Add fresh toppings after reheating.
More Tex-Mex Favorites
Did you enjoy this Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe? 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
- 1 (15 ounce) can canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 14.5 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 (10 ounce) can canned diced tomatoes with chilies with juices, such as Rotel
- 1 cup corn kernels drained if canned
- 1 lime juiced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 6 ounces each
- 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.
Just made your Chicken Tortilla Soup this morning and it is absolutely delicious. And it is so easy to make….takes no time at all. Leave it on the stove on low and it will be gone before the day is over, it’s that good. Of course, a pan of cornbread made the meal complete. My first time to your site and I look forward to many more recipes to try for the upcoming winter months. Thank you Holly.
So glad you found me Barbara!
I’ve made other chicken tortilla soups, but this one is the simplest and most delicious. I went a little heavy on the spices since we like a bit of heat, and had to substitute serrano for the jalapeno, but otherwise I made this as written. Delicious! Definitely going in my soup rotation!
Note: I was too lazy to make my own tortilla strips, but I did mix up some cornbread–with some serrano and cheddar thrown in. It made a nice accompaniment.
Thank You For These Amazing Recipes!!!!
You’re welcome Deborah! Enjoy!
This soup was absolutely amazing! I added some diced bell peppers just because I had them. I’ve never had chicken tortilla soup but I had all the ingredients on hand and decided to give it a try. So glad I did. This is gonna be perfect as we head into cooler weather.
So good!! I used a tablespoon of both the cumin and chilli powder, and it was delicious!! Would absolutely make it again
I am wondering if this could be done in the crockpot? Sounds delicious!
Hi Katie, we do have a slow cooker version of this soup! Click here for the recipe!
The receipts sound wonderful can’t wait to try them
Enjoy Judy!
Every Tuesday is chicken tortilla soup!! Family requests this every week, from 92 year old Grandpa to the kids, everyone loves this recipe!
I’m so glad your family loves this recipe Deborah!
Baked the chicken, covered in fajita marinade, at 450 for 30-35 minutes. Then I let it rest (tented with foil) for another 10+ minutes before shredding. Other than that, I made this recipe exactly as written. It was fantastic AND kid-approved! Will be adding it to my meal rotation list as it’s a good deviation from my family’s usual “Taco Tuesday” dinner – and especially during the cooler fall and winter months! Thank you for the delicious recipe!
So glad your family loved the soup, Kimberly!
So easy and better than any tortilla soup I order at a restaurant. Highly recommend!
This is good. Made a homemade broth and used a tsp of cayenne pepper powder an an extra can of diced tomatoes instead of the rotel tomatoes. Never realized how easy this is to make.
Absolutely delicious. I added a little extra lime juice to brighten the flavor. And shred your cooked chicken with a hand mixer, people! Best kitchen hack I’ve learned in years
Could I use chicken thighs instead I’m not a fan of breast breast
Absolutely.
Made it today! It is fantastic!
This isn’t tortilla soup. Tortilla soup does not have meat, nor does it have corn or beans.
This is one way to make chicken tortilla soup! Enjoy Rex!
Great, quick, easy, and tasty! Hits all the tastebud spots and have a ton left over. Thanks!
Approximately what would the “2 chicken breasts” equate to, in measured cups of shredded chicken? I would like to use shredded chicken from a whole chicken that we smoked.
Thank you!
Hi Lauren, it would be about 2 cups of shredded chicken. You can add a little more or a little less depending your preference.
Thanks for the great recipe. It’s my families favorite chicken recipe and that’s saying something. They are beyond picky!
I loved this soup! Just great! I had decided I wanted to use a serrano pepper instead of jalapeño, but I then forgot it altogether at the store! Used a double-can of crushed tomatoes and a full box-style container of chicken broth. To replace the pepper, I added a good dash of cayenne powder and also some smoked paprika. Because I don’t like cilantro (I’m a soap-taster) but didn’t want to lose that aromatic, I added some dried parsley. Replaced the tortilla strips with a bit of fritos for ease of use (and I love fritos! so nostalgic) and topped with a dollop of sour cream. Threw the frozen chicken breast right in the soup, brought to a boil and simmered for a couple hours.
this soup hit ALL the notes! Savory, bright, deep. I’m going to make this so much– definitely going to be my go-to soup! It’s just so great! Thanks for this!
Great recipe! Made it tonight and it was fantastic. Super easy, and makes enough to feed a family. Only things we did different was baking the tortilla strips (and seasoned with Trader Joe’s “everything but the elote” seasoning… try it, seriously), and added a little salt to the broth. But not much. I’m a bit of a salt aholic. Definitely flavorful as is. Thanks for a great recipe!!!! Can’t wait to make it again.
That sounds delicious Tom, thanks for sharing!