Chicken Tortilla Soup

If there is one recipe that earns a permanent spot on my fall and winter rotation, it is this Chicken Tortilla Soup. We are talking a deeply smoky, flavor-packed broth built on chipotle and fire-roasted tomatoes, loaded with shredded chicken and black beans, and finished with every topping your heart desires. I love using Easy Mexican Shredded Chicken when I have a little extra time, but a rotisserie bird works beautifully on a busy weeknight. If you are already in soup mode, my Chicken Posole is another Mexican-inspired bowl that belongs in your life immediately. And if you want to turn this into a full spread, Chicken Poblano Skillet Enchiladas alongside the soup is honestly a dream dinner situation.

Why I love Chicken Tortilla Soup

There was a restaurant in Tucson, AZ, where I grew up called Café Terra Cotta, and they had the most iconic Chicken Tortilla Soup in the city. It’s long gone now, but back in the good old days of high school, when we had zero responsibilities, my friends and I would go for lunch or girls’ night and, without fail, every single one of us ordered that soup.

It was smoky, a little spicy, and I always added extra cheese the second it hit the table. It’s one of those food memories that just sticks, and being able to recreate that same flavor at home makes me so happy.

If you’re a fan of Southwestern flavored soups, you’ll also love my Chicken Chili Verde, my White Chicken Chili, and my Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili!

Ingredients

• 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! And If you love black beans and are looking for other recipes you should check out my black bean sweet potato chile.
• 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 and I love making my own homemade 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

Substitutions & Swaps

🍗 Chicken

• Leftover roasted turkey - Shreds the same way as rotisserie chicken and absorbs the smoky chipotle broth beautifully. A perfect post-holiday swap that wastes nothing.
• Poached chicken thighs - Thighs have more fat and connective tissue than breasts, so they stay juicy in the broth rather than drying out. Poach directly in chicken stock for a double hit of flavor.
• Canned chicken breast - A genuine pantry-emergency move. Drain well and break it up with a fork. The smoky broth does the heavy lifting so the texture holds up fine.
• Shredded pork carnitas - The rendered fat in carnitas adds richness to the broth and the caramelized pork bits bring a slightly sweet, savory depth that plays well against the chipotle.

🌶️ Heat and Spice

• Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - Swap one whole chipotle pepper plus a teaspoon of the adobo sauce for the ground chipotle. The adobo adds a vinegary, slightly sweet complexity that the dry spice alone cannot match.
• Serrano pepper - Roughly twice the heat of a jalapeno with a brighter, grassier flavor. Use half a serrano if you want the same heat level, or a full one if you like it punchy.
• Ancho chile powder - Made from dried poblanos, ancho powder is earthy and mildly fruity with very little burn. A great swap for the ground chipotle if you want smokiness without the spike in heat.
• Canned diced green chiles - If you cannot find fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles as one product, use a standard can of fire roasted tomatoes plus a 4-ounce can of Hatch green chiles. The roasted pepper flavor stays intact.

🫘 Beans and Corn

• Pinto beans - Creamier and slightly more buttery than black beans, pinto beans dissolve a little at the edges into the broth, giving it a thicker, heartier body.
• Hominy - Nixtamalized corn kernels that are chewy and starchy. They push the soup in a posole direction, adding an earthy corn depth that frozen corn simply cannot replicate.
• Fresh corn cut from the cob - In peak summer, fresh corn is noticeably sweeter and snappier than frozen. Add it in the last five minutes of cooking so it does not go mushy.
• Roasted frozen corn - Spread frozen corn on a sheet pan at 425 degrees until it chars in spots before adding it to the soup. That caramelization adds a smoky sweetness that mirrors the fire roasted tomatoes.

🧀 Cheese and Toppings

• Cotija cheese - Crumbled cotija is salty, dry, and slightly funky. It does not melt into the broth the way jack cheese does, so it sits on top as a savory, briny finishing layer.
• Queso fresco - Milder and milkier than cotija, queso fresco crumbles cleanly over the hot soup and softens just enough to get creamy at the edges without fully melting.
• Sour cream or Mexican crema - A swirl of crema cools the heat from the chipotle and adds a tangy richness. Mexican crema is thinner and less acidic than sour cream, so it ribbons through the broth more elegantly.
• Flour tortilla strips - If you are out of corn tortillas, thin strips of flour tortillas crisped in a dry skillet work as a topping. They go slightly chewier and puffier than corn, but the crunch is still there.
• Crushed tortilla chips - The fastest topping shortcut. Use thick restaurant-style chips and crush them coarsely so they hold up for a few minutes before going soggy in the broth.

🥣 Broth and Base

• Vegetable stock - A straight one-for-one swap that makes the soup fully vegetarian. Use a rich, roasted vegetable stock rather than a pale generic one so the smoky chipotle base still has something to stand on.
• Bone broth - Higher in collagen than standard chicken stock, bone broth gives the finished soup a slightly silkier, more coating mouthfeel without changing the flavor profile at all.
• Avocado oil - If you are out of olive oil for sauteing the aromatics, avocado oil has a higher smoke point and a completely neutral flavor, so it will not compete with the chipotle and cumin.

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.

FAQs