Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup — Chicken, tomatoes, corn, black beans, avocado, cheese, and addictively crunchy tortilla strips! Fast, easy weeknight meal, and better than from a restaurant!!
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Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
When I see chicken tortilla soup on a restaurant menu, I get excited. There’s something about the slightly spicy broth with tender chicken, the corn and black beans, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado, and those addictively good tortilla strips on top that I can’t resist.
Rather than making a trip out for it, you can make Mexican tortilla soup with chicken at home in 30 minutes and it’s easy.
So many ingredients get tossed into the pot all at once and before you know it this hearty, comforting soup is ready. And it tastes better than my favorite restaurant version!
My family loved this easy tortilla soup and I love that it’s ready so quickly and with very minimal effort.
It makes enough that I stashed half in the freezer for those nights when I just want to pull something out of the freezer for dinner. And with winter cold and flu season around the corner, soup is perfect.
Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients
To make this easy tortilla soup recipe, you’ll need:
- Corn tortillas
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt and pepper
- Yellow onion
- Jalapeño pepper
- Garlic
- Chicken broth
- Diced tomatoes
- Black beans
- Cooked shredded chicken
- Corn
- Lime juice
- Spices
- Fresh cilantro
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
This really is such an EASY recipe for chicken tortilla soup! Here’s a look at how it’s made:
- Sauté the onion and jalapeño in an oiled Dutch oven, then add the diced garlic and continue cooking until fragrant.
- Add the chicken broth, tomatoes and juice, black beans, chicken, corn, lime juice, spices and bring to a boil.
- Let the mixture boil for 5 minutes, then stir in fresh cilantro and boil another minute.
- Ladle the homemade chicken tortilla soup into bowls and top with homemade crispy tortilla strips (I’ve given the recipe in the recipe card below), cubed avocado, shredded cheese, and/or sour cream.
Tips for the Best Chicken Tortilla Soup
To save time, use store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken that you have on hand. Of course you can roast or pan sauté chicken if you’re so inclined.
Salt your soup to taste. I use low-sodium chicken broth and no-salt-added tomatoes and add a bit of salt to my soup so I can control the overall salt level.
The saltiness of low-sodium broth, rotisserie chickens, canned tomatoes, black beans, and personal preferences for salt all vary so salt to taste.
Recipe FAQs
I’m sure you could, but when a recipe is as quick and easy as this one I’d rather use the stove to avoid dirtying extra dishes.
Absolutely! Buy pre-shredded rotisserie chicken at your local grocery store to save yourself some prep work and reduce the cook time.
We love garnishing out individual bowls of soup with fresh cilantro, cubed avocado, a little shredded cheese (like cheddar or a Mexican cheese blend), and / or sour cream. And tortilla strips, of course! But use any toppings that sound good to you!
As written, this homemade recipe has a nice kick to it without being burn-your-tongue-off spicy. You can easily reduce the amount of spice by removing the seeds from the jalapeño pepper or using half of the jalapeño instead of the whole thing. For more spice, keep the seeds in the jalapeño or add another jalapeño to the pot of soup.
Storage Instructions
This easy tortilla soup will keep airtight in the fridge for 5 to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Extra tortilla strips will keep in airtight at room temp for up to 5 days.
Can the Soup Be Frozen?
Yes! You can freeze the soup (without the tortilla strips on top) for up to 6 months.
What to Serve with Chicken Tortilla Soup
This simple tortilla soup pairs well with crusty bread or a green side salad. Here are a few side dishes to serve with chicken tortilla soup:
- Grilled Mexican Corn
- Homemade Tortilla Chips
- Salsa (Pineapple Chipotle Salsa or Restaurant-Style)
- Guacamole
- Grilled Corn and Avocado Salad
- Mexican Wedge Salad
Pair your bowl of soup with a homemade margarita or refreshing glass of horchata to wash it all down!
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Easy 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
Tortilla Strips
- 10 small corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch wide strips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, peeled and diced small (about 1 medium onion)
- 1 large jalapeno pepper, about 4 to 5 inches long, diced very small (the seeds are where the heat is concentrated; included or discard them based on preference)
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
- 32 ounces 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- two 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes and juice, I used petite diced, no-salt-added
- one 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, use storebought rotisserie chicken to save time; or roast or cook your own chicken in a skillet
- 1 ½ cups corn, I used frozen straight from the freezer, fresh may be substituted
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, regular paprika may be substituted
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional and to taste
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely minced
- diced avocado for serving, optional for serving
- shredded cheese, optional for serving
- sour cream, optional for serving
Instructions
Make the Tortilla Strips:
- Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with a Silpat or foil to save cleanup time.
- Loosely scatter the tortilla strips, evenly drizzle with olive oil, evenly sprinkle with kosher salt, toss with hands to coat evenly, and bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until crisp and lightly golden brown; set aside.
- While strips bake, begin making the soup.
Make the Soup:
- To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat over medium-high heat to warm.
- Add the onion, jalapeno, and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir intermittently.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir intermittently.
- Add the chicken broth, tomatoes and juice, black beans, chicken, corn, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt, pepper, smoked paprika, optional cayenne pepper, and bring to a boil.
- Allow mixture to boil gently for about 5 to 7 minutes. If at any point the overall liquid level looks low or you prefer your soup to have more broth, add 1 to 2 cups of water; you’ll adjust the salt and seasoning levels at the end.
- Add the cilantro and boil 1 minute.
- Taste soup and add salt to taste. This will vary based on how salty the chicken broth, tomatoes, black beans, and rotisserie chicken are, and personal preference. Make any necessary seasoning adjustments (i.e. more salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, etc.).
- Ladle soup into bowls, top with tortilla strips to taste, optionally garnish with avocado, cheese and/or sour cream; serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Soup will keep airtight in the fridge for 5 to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Extra tortilla strips will keep in airtight at room temp for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Chicken Soup Recipes:
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Originally posted September 15, 2015 and reposted September 4, 2020 with updated text.
Brilliant, just brilliant. It`s very delicious and I made the soup for 22 minutes, I don`t know is this a record but the most important is that after that I have some personal time for myself :) Thank you for that
Thanks for trying the soup and glad you were able to make it so quickly and that you had some time for yourself!
Great recipe – it’s simmering on the stove right now. I made a few changes – the main one was adding some cubed sweet potato since I only had a little corn. Also I’m going to crumble some tortilla chips in the finished soup since I don’t have corn tortillas. But I already know it’s going to be delicious. Our nights in KC have been down into the 40’s so it’s soup weather. Thanks for the recipe.
Oh sweet potatoes sound wonderful in this! And crumbled tortilla chips or Doritos or anything along those lines will work just fine rather than homemade tortilla strips. Enjoy! LMK how it turns out!
The soup turned out great! Love it.
So glad to hear that!
Oh my, homemade chicken tortilla soup is my favorite soup in the whole world!! Your recipe looks so good Averie! Yum!
Yummy! I love a little spice in my soup. And using a rotisserie chicken makes it so easy.
This soup looks so good…I love all the spiciness and the crunchy tortilla strips are the best. Â Your photos
always make me want to make the recipe right away. Â We are bracing for a possible hurricane this weekend so a pot of this soup will hit the spot.
I’ve heard about the hurricane and hope you guys are safe!!
This looks so full of flavor! LOVE the idea of freezing it nothing better than a hot bowl of soup that doesn’t take any work to make on cold evenings!
Mmmm, I too get excited for chicken tortilla soup! Â It’s something about the crunchy bits of tortilla mixed with the spicy soup. Â So comforting!
It actually rained today and I’m totally in a soup mood! This sounds perfect for dinner!
And soup weather is upon us! Â This definitely sounds like a hit!
Well it’s still 85F in San Diego but it’s cooling off…soon :)
This looks amazing! Your pictures are always so beautiful and make me want to eat everything you cook!
Paige
https://thehappyflammily.com
Thanks for the compliments :)
Wow, this looks crazy good! I don’t think I’ve ever had tortilla soup before, so I’m glad I found your recipe. I will definitely try this once :)
YESYESYESYES!!!!
I love tortilla soup. Â It’s so simple to make, and the flavors are nothing fancy, but this is really my comfort food soup, much more so than chicken noodle. Â LOVE IT.
It’s so loaded with all the flavors and things you love! There was so much texture in with the corn, beans, onions, tomatoes, avocado…so good!
I’m not gonna lie. This ingredient list just perked up my day. Spicy and filling. I too get excited when I see chicken tortilla soup on a menu – I’m always wondering what the restaurants take on it will be. Your soup is pretty much to die for based on the pic.Â
Thanks for the compliments and yes, it’s always a grab bag, literal pot luck, when you order it from a restaurant and wonder what their take on it will be! If you try this one, LMK!
I’ve also had chicken tortilla soup in restaurants but I’ve never made it. Soup weather is kind of hitting us this week so this would be a great one to kick off the season with!
LMK if you try it, Paula. It’s definitely not soup weather here (mid 80s still) but I’ve been making soup anyway :)
This soup was a very tasty lunch for us today. Jon said there was just the right amount of spice after his first spoonful. I totally agree… your description of slightly spicy is right on. We really love trying your recipes–they’re easy to do, loaded with all sorts of good stuff and never short on flavor!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for all the compliments about my recipes, too :) You’ve been on a Mexican-themed cooking-fest this weekend. I bet your house smelled so good!
I can’t believe I can have this amazing soup in only 30 minutes! It looks delicious!
I love fast soups!
This looks fabulous! Â I’ve really been craving soup lately. Â This would def hit the spot!