Chicken Tortilla Soup is my favorite comforting chicken soup. It's loaded with flavor and spices, the broth is part creamy and part chunky and topped with an assortment of goodies. Bonus, it can be batched ahead for any days you need a comforting lunch or dinner!
Table of Contents
Why I love Chicken Tortilla Soup
There was one restaurant in Tucson, AZ where I grew up called Café Terra Cotta and they had the most epic tortilla soup in the city. It's since closed but during the good old days of high school (when we literally didnt have a care in the world) we’d go out for lunch or a girls night out and without fail, each and every one of us would order tortilla soup. It was equal parts smoky and spicy and I made sure to add extra cheese once it arrived to the table. It's a memory that I'll forever have and being able to recreate that magical soup in my own kitchen brings me great joy! If you're a fan and want more such recipes, will also love the Chicken Chili Verde!
Ingredients/Substitutions
- Olive Oil- You can totally sub this ingredient with another oil of your choice such as avocado oil, canola oil, etc.
- Onion- Onions add an extra kick of flavor to any recipe and this one is no exception!
- Garlic- We cannot live without garlic. Soak in that captivating scent during the first few steps of this recipe!
- Jalapeño- Sliced jalapeños if you want a bit of a kick
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper- These two are a must in any recipe, they are so simple yet so important!
- Dried Oregano- This spice complements the rest of the flavors beautifully!
- Cumin- Any sort of Mexican dish is not complete without this spice! This is one of the key ingredients to pull all the flavors together.
- Chipotle Pepper- We're adding some spice to this recipe because why not!? If you'd rather keep the spice level mild, you can skip this spice.
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes and Green Chiles- These add SO much flavor to this recipe. It gives a nice smokey flavor without a ton of spice.
- Chicken Stock- If you want to skip the chicken entirely and make this vegetarian - just use vegetable stock and you're in business.
- Black Beans- While black beans are traditional in a Chicken Tortilla Soup, you could use Pinto Beans if you prefer!
- Frozen Corn- I like using frozen corn for convenience but if you prefer to use canned or fresh corn, go for it!
- Rotisserie Chicken- Any sort of shredded poultry works in this. Chicken is my favorite but if you're making this and have leftover turkey - be my guest!!
- Cheese- Freshly shredded cheese - I always opt for freshly shredded over the pre-shredded. It melts better and it's just more flavorful as it's freshly grated.
- Cilantro & Green Onion- Fresh herbs like cilantro, scallions or chives add a nice punch of flavor.
- Corn Tortillas- Crispy tortilla strips or crumbled up tortilla chips are the secret ingredient when it comes to chicken tortilla soup. The crunch really levels up the dish love making my own chips and strips - use this as a guide.
- Limes- Lime juice - adds a little extra oomph
- Avocado- The avocado chunks adds a nice creamy touch to this soup without being overwhelming!
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below
How to make this Chicken Tortilla Soup
Step 1: Turn on the stove to medium-high heat. Put a large saucepan on the stove and add the onion, garlic and jalapeño.
Step 2: Cook until the onion is see-through and the jalapeño is soft. Then add salt, pepper, dried oregano, cumin and chipotle pepper. Stir until it is all mixed together and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
Step 3: Add fire roasted tomatoes and chicken stock to the pan and wait until it boils. Then turn down the heat so it is just simmering and let it simmer for 30 minutes without stirring.
Step 4: After 30 minutes, use an immersion blender to make the soup smooth before adding black beans, corn and shredded chicken into the pot.
Step 5 (optional): In a small skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add the tortilla strips in a single layer, frying quickly for about 30-45 seconds, flipping them once to ensure both sides get crisp. Remove the tortillas once crisp with a pair of tongs and transfer them to a paper towel lined plate to dry.
Step 6: Once everything is added, taste it to see if you need to add more salt or pepper before dividing into 4 bowls equally. Top with cheese, avocado, cilantro, crisp tortilla strips, lime juice, and jalapeño slices.
How to Store Chicken Tortilla Soup
To store this recipe, transfer the remaining soup to a container of choice and cover. This will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
If you prefer to freeze this soup, you can transfer it to a tightly sealed container and freeze for up to 4-5 months. When you're read to eat, you can reheat by placing it in a saucepan on medium-low heat or place in the microwave until warm.
Tip and Tricks
- When you shred your own chicken - use a stand mixer to do it in 15 seconds!! It's my favorite hack!
- The flavor starts at the very beginning of this recipe - so be sure to sweat the onions and jalapeños to really start developing flavors at the early stages.
- After step 2, I like to use an immersion blender to blend the base of the soup. A lot of tortilla soups are SUPER chunky but I prefer a blended base and then add some chunks from the chicken, corn and black beans
FAQs
How Can I Make This Recipe Creamy?
You can make this soup creamy by adding avocado chunks or adding a splash of heavy cream!
Is Chicken Tortilla Soup Gluten Free?
Yes it is! Typically most corn tortillas are gluten free. However, it's always best to double check when shopping for these at the store!
Related Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper stem and seeds removed and roughly chopped
- kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
- 1 14- ounce can fire roasted tomatoes and green chiles
- 3 cups chicken stock
- ¾ cup black beans
- ¾ cup frozen corn
- 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
Toppings:
- shredded cheese - colby jack / monterey jack / pepper jack your choice
- quartered limes
- cubed avocado
- cilantro
- sliced green onions
- 2 small corn tortillas cut into thin strips
- sliced jalapenos
Instructions
- Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno and sauté for until the onion is translucent and the jalapeno softens. Season with the salt, pepper, dried oregano, cumin and chipotle pepper. Stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes until the spices toast.
- Add the fire roasted tomatoes and the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Add black beans, corn and shredded chicken.
- Divide the soup into 4 bowls and top with cheese, avocado, cilantro and crisp tortilla strips. Add extra lime juice if desired and/or jalapeno slices. Serve immediately.
- To make the tortilla strips: In a small skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add the tortilla strips in a single layer, frying quickly for about 30-45 seconds, flipping them once to ensure both sides get crisp. Remove the tortillas once crisp with a pair of tongs and transfer them to a paper towel lined plate to dry.
Notes
Tip and Tricks
- When you shred your own chicken - use a stand mixer to do it in 15 seconds!! It's my favorite hack!
- The flavor starts at the very beginning of this recipe - so be sure to sweat the onions and jalapeños to really start developing flavors at the early stages.
- After step 2, I like to use an immersion blender to blend the base of the soup. A lot of tortilla soups are SUPER chunky but I prefer a blended base and then add some chunks from the chicken, corn and black beans
Substitutions / Variations
- While black beans are traditional in a Chicken Tortilla Soup, you could use Pinto Beans if you prefer!
- Any sort of shredded poultry works in this. Chicken is my favorite but if you're making this and have leftover turkey - be my guest!!
- If you want to skip the chicken entirely and make this vegetarian - just use vegetable stock and you're in business.
I made this recipe today. The only modification was I left out the jalapeño because I forgot to buy one. Kind of glad I did though because even though the soup has such good flavor, it was too spicy for me. I will make it again and only use 1/2 of the amount of the ground chipotle pepper the recipe says to use. Hopefully that helps. Any suggestions on how to cut the spiciness of the already made soup? Thank you!!!
This soup is SO good! I threw in a chipotle chili in adobo sauce because I happened to have an open can and all of the shredded chicken from the rotisserie because I wasn't sure what else I'd do with it. Topped it with tortilla chips made in my air fryer, avocado, cilantro, scallions, and avocado!
This soup is INCREDIBLE and so easy! This will be one of my new favs besides the fire roasted tomato soup!
This soup is one of VERY few that everyone eats. I have a husband and girls age 3 and 5 who are all pretty picky in their own way () They gobble up this soup! And they each get to “dress it up” however they want. Avocado, cheese, chips, etc etc.
Made this soup for the first time!! It was absolutely was i was looking for on this cold December night!!
I ate all the tortilla strips before the soup was ready!!! LOL had to make another batch!!!
Always great, easy to follow recipes !! Thanks Gaby
This tasted delicious! I didn’t have chipotle powder so I subbed with ancho chili powder and it was so yum.
perfect substitution!
Hands-down best homemade tortilla soup I have made. Plus, it came together so easily. I added a bit more corn and beans, purely due to personal taste, but you can't go wrong following this recipe exactly as is. As many people have commented, wish I had doubled it—it disappeared quickly.
This recipe is easy and great (from a retired Home Ec teacher!). I did not blend the soup because I used broth with chicken, which I had frozen. I didn't want to "blend" the chicken! The soup was still wonderful. I am quite particular about recipe sites, but Gaby, you are a "go to" for me. Thank you!
Could I use regular tinned tomatoes if I don’t have fire roasted tomatoes & green chilis? Or any better substitute? Can’t wait to make this!
yes that works!
Rotel!
This was excellent! Next time I will double it!
I made this recipe today. The only modification was I left out the jalapeño because I forgot to buy one. Kind of glad I did though because even though the soup has such good flavor, it was too spicy for me. I will make it again and only use 1/2 of the amount of the ground chipotle pepper the recipe says to use. Hopefully that helps. Any suggestions on how to cut the spiciness of the already made soup? Thank you!!!
This soup is delish! Will definitely make again!
Yep! I’d say that was bull licking!!
Yep! I’d say that is bowl licking!
(Sheesh.. voice texting)
One of our go to recipes once the weather starts to turn cool! So, so, so good! A squeeze of lime at the end is everything!
This was delish!! I followed the recipe exactly except I added more shredded chicken to make it a bit hardier. It has a little kick, but not too much. My teenage kids and husband gobbled it up. Will add to our regular rotation. Be sure to make the homemade tortilla strips. They are easy and make this especially good.
Loved it!