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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Chicken Poblano Soup — All the familiar flavors of chicken tortilla soup but with the addition of roasted poblanos and tomatillos to give extra heartiness and depth of flavor!
Easy 30-Minute Chicken Enchilada Soup — Don’t have all day for chili to simmer? No problem! This EASY, hearty, healthier chili full of Mexican-inspired flavors is ready in 30 minutes! Perfect for busy weeknights!!
Easy 30-Minute Homemade White Chicken Chili — Hearty, healthy, loaded with tender chicken, and packed with bold flavor!! Fast and easy comfort food that everyone loves!! It’ll be on rotation all winter!!
Easy 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup — Classic, comforting, and tastes just like grandma made but way easier and faster! This soup is amazing and it’ll be your new favorite recipe!
Chicken Tortellini Soup — This chicken tortellini soup has all the comforting qualities you want in classic chicken noodle soup but with the unexpected twist of cheesy tortellini.
Chicken Pot Pie Soup — All the comfort food feels of pot pie, but in soup form! Rich, hearty, creamy and ready in just 30 minutes!
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup — Why have regular chicken noodle soup when you can have CREAMY instead? Pure comfort food at its finest! Ready in 30 minutes, an instant family favorite, and PERFECT for chilly weather!!
Originally posted September 15, 2015 and reposted September 4, 2020 with updated text.
I made this chicken tortilla soup today for lunch – it was simple, quick and delicious! Thanks for the recipe, I have already forwarded your link on to friends and will check out your other recipes :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Thanks for sharing the link with your friends!
Awesome soup! Â I used corn tortillas to thicken my soup, it make it very hearty and it’s still gluten free! Â Thanks for the tips for making it a quick meal! – Gluten Exodus
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
This was awesome!  Made it tonight for dinner.  Got thumbs up from my 26 year old son.  Added some red, yellow, and green bell peppers in the mix.  Added the spices and sautéed a minute before adding the liquids.  Used a rotisserie chicken which made it super easy and quick to throw together.  Added the cilantro to individual bowls when serving as I love the freshness it adds to a dish.  Baking the corn tortilla strips pulled it all together!  Thanks for a great soup recipe!  Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! You sound like a great cook and can improvise and make things work out, and even get a thumbs up from your son :)
This was a great recipe! I used a 28oz can of tomato sauce instead of the 2 cans of diced tomatoes, and it made the soup into a really nice, thick texture! I also omitted the black beans (I didn’s have any) and added 1 tsp. of coriander.Â
YUM!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! It’s also a very flexible recipe as you found out and glad your swaps worked great!
Thank you very much for this recipe! I made it for dinner last night and my family loved it. I enjoyed how filling and flavorful it turned out yet how quick and easy it was to make with inexpensive ingredients. Â I’ll definitely check out more of your recipes.Â
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! I try with my recipes to have them be quick, easy, and use everyday ingredients and glad it all worked out for you!
Very good soup but I will make it with half the salt next time. Â Â
Glad you liked it and yes, salt is one of those very personal preference type of things – and some brands are saltier than others, as is chicken broth, rotisserie chickens, etc. Just salt to taste.
Thank you for sharing your recipe for homemade chicken tortilla soup. It’s the best we have ever had. We barely spoke through dinner because we were so busy enjoying the soup ??
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad it’s the best you’ve ever had!
Best soup ever!! I make it twice a week, my boys love it and so do I! Thank you so much for this recipe ;))
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And that you make it twice a week!
I love tortilla soup, and have made this recipe many times, so I thought it was about time I sang its praises.  It always turns out great, and couldn’t be easier to make; a bit of dicing, chopping & shredding…open a few cans, and voilà …soups on!  I like that you can spice it up or down according to your taste (I like mine with a “kick” to it!).
Thanks for trying the recipe last night and I’m glad it’s a favorite of yours!
Wondering if you could cook the chicken in the soup? I make my chicken and rice soup by adding raw chicken breasts in and taking it out and shredding it and adding it back in–gives it extra flavor!
You probably could play with the recipe to do that but I haven’t tried it so can’t make recommendations about exactly what to do, how long to cook for, when to take it out, how to make sure the vegetables then don’t become over-cooked, etc.
I made this soup for my cooking class presentation, and everyone enjoyed it so much!! I was wondering if you could substitute fresh tomatoes in for the canned ones, and if so, how much would be a good amount? Thanks for this recipe, love it! :)
Yes you could likely use fresh, although I haven’t personally tried, and you’d want to use approximately the same amount of fresh as I have used with canned, but again just guessing as I haven’t done it that way.
This was seriously amazing!! So flavorful and a touch of spice! My hubby approved. It was so easy and we have leftovers for a couple days. Thanks for a great recipe! I’ll be making it again :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
I have been looking for a good Chicken Tortilla Soup for awhile and this hit the spot!!! This soup was excellant and I happy to say the search is over. Thank you.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad your search is now over :)
YUM!! Â What a great recipe! Â Thank you, Averie! Â It is the first recipe I have tried from your blog and I will certainly be trying more. Â I made the soup last night and it was delicious. The corn I had in my freezer was actually “Roasted Corn” from Trader Joe’s which I think was a perfect match for your recipe. I also had scallions on hand so I sliced some of those up and put it on top with the diced avocados and tortilla strips. Â Excellent! Â I know I will make this recipe again as it is as good as my favorite tortilla soup in our local restaurant. Thanks again!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Let me know what other recipes you try out!
Years ago I made a chicken tortilla soup that had been written by a friend. Â It was delicious. Â I lost the recipe and have been looking literally for years for a recipe that sounded similar to that one. Â Just finished making your recipe and it is THE ONE! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And that mine is now THE ONE for you!
What a fabulous  recipes, a lot of  flavors. I enjoy with your cooking. So great.