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:
Easy Chicken Stew – You don’t need to wait all day for this one-pot comfort food chicken stew recipe that’s ready in 45 minutes! It’s chock full of juicy chicken, buttery potatoes, tender carrots, celery, green beans, and seasoned to perfection with a variety of herbs and spices!
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.
Made this Tortilla Soup today and it was excellent! 5*
Not like the greasy soup at the local supermarket.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad my recipe turned out excellent for you and not greasy!
This was amazing!! My family enjoyed it!! All I did differently was add zucchini. I will make this again!! Thank you for such a great recipe!!
This was amazing!! My family enjoyed it!! All I did differently was add zucchini. I will make this again!! Thank you for such a great recipe!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad it was amazing! Adding zucchini is great to sneak in some extra veggies :)
Back in December of 2019, Laura with Garden Answer made your recipe on their YouTube channel. This recipe has become a mainstay in my home. Absolutely delicious!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n26rDYeLQs
Back in December of 2019, Laura with Garden Answer made your recipe on their YouTube channel. This recipe has become a mainstay in my home. Absolutely delicious!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n26rDYeLQs
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad it’s been a mainstay of yours!
Almost more importantly, thank you for alerting me to the video. I didn’t watch the video in entirety because I just don’t have the time! Perhaps Laura mentioned me by name in the video. However, it is concerning and frustrating to me that she did not make one mention of my website on her Youtube page where she basically copied/pasted my recipe in entirety – unless I am missing it but I just had my family check for any mention of my name in writing and it’s not there. This hurts me and my business. At least you found the soup! And I sincerely appreciate your comment so very much!
I don’t know her personally, but I’m a huge fan of her Garden Answer and have watched her for years. She hardly ever shows what she is making in her kitchen, she mostly focuses on gardening. She seems like a very thoughtful and kind person. I bet if you reached out to her she would make it right for you.
Thank you for the info and I went back and triple checked her description and I did see her link. I had been looking for my name, my site name Averie Cooks, or it linked out “for the full recipe please go here….” with my site linked, which is why I missed it.
She seems like a nice person and that’s great and I am happy for her that has a large and loyal following it seems like. As I am also happy and extremely grateful for my own readers, followers, and anyone who comes to my site looking for a recipe and makes one of mine as it’s so competitive these days. I am happy you’re a fan of this soup and thanks for taking the time to write such kind-hearted, thoughtful messages 😊
This is in our weekly rotation! Made according to the recipe is great. Also works when there is an ingredient that we don’t have. We tend to add a 2nd can of black beans. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
This is in our weekly rotation! Made according to the recipe is great. Also works when there is an ingredient that we don’t have. We tend to add a 2nd can of black beans. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that this is in your weekly rotation! Yes, this is a very flexible recipe and you can mix and match the ingredients and good idea to add more black beans too.
I just posted the question about the calorie content. I’m seeing that the recipe calls for rotisserie chicken and maybe that’s why it’s 737 calories. I plan to use poached boneless, skinless breasts and will use less oil for sautéing the onion and peppers so that will lighten the calorie load. Looks delicious and am looking forward to trying this.
The nutrition stats are a computer generated courtesy estimate. Many online tools can often have a wide variety of results for the “same” recipe. I am not a dietician so all info is provided as a courtesy estimate. IMO this estimate is high but of course, that’s just my hunch. Enjoy the soup!
This was fantastic. I left out the beans to make it more keto friendly for my husband. I’ve made it several times and each time it’s a mega hit. It’s been added to our favorites. Thank you!
And for those interested, it’s perfect in a crockpot, smoked paprika is a must and a dollop of sour cream on top of it is divine.
This was fantastic. I left out the beans to make it more keto friendly for my husband. I’ve made it several times and each time it’s a mega hit. It’s been added to our favorites. Thank you!
And for those interested, it’s perfect in a crockpot, smoked paprika is a must and a dollop of sour cream on top of it is divine.
I am glad it has been fantastic and a mega hit and one of your favorites! Also great to know you’ve been able to make it in a Crock Pot!
This is very good and extremely easy! Thanks!
This is very good and extremely easy! Thanks!
I am glad you enjoyed it and that it was extremely easy for you!
Hi Averie,
I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago, and we really liked it! I did make a couple of adjustments to fit our taste though – I used only 1 tsp of cumin (since cumin is very overpowering) and instead of salt I used Goya Bouillon powder for a richer chicken flavor. I couldn’t help myself by frying up the corn tortilla strips since that’s how I’m used to eating them, however, baking them is a much healthier approach Thanks again! I’ll be cooking up another batch soon since the weather is still chilly in Vegas.
Hi Averie,
I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago, and we really liked it! I did make a couple of adjustments to fit our taste though – I used only 1 tsp of cumin (since cumin is very overpowering) and instead of salt I used Goya Bouillon powder for a richer chicken flavor. I couldn’t help myself by frying up the corn tortilla strips since that’s how I’m used to eating them, however, baking them is a much healthier approach Thanks again! I’ll be cooking up another batch soon since the weather is still chilly in Vegas.
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe and that this hit the spot and you tweaked it to your liking and hope the weather is warming up for you now!
Hi Averie,
Last night my daughter and I went out to dinner and just for 2 bowls of chicken tortilla soup it was $10. So, today I decided to look up your recipe online and make it myself. Since neither of us can eat real spicey food, I used half of the jalapeno and decreased the spicey spices a little and it was perfect. I didn’t have any corn tortillas, so I broke up sea salt tortilla chips.
Hi Averie,
Last night my daughter and I went out to dinner and just for 2 bowls of chicken tortilla soup it was $10. So, today I decided to look up your recipe online and make it myself. Since neither of us can eat real spicey food, I used half of the jalapeno and decreased the spicey spices a little and it was perfect. I didn’t have any corn tortillas, so I broke up sea salt tortilla chips.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad you decided to learn how to make this and that it was perfect! Necessity is the mother of invention, right! :)