Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

This easy chicken tortilla soup is made with simple pantry ingredients, tender chicken and comes together in 30 minutes using only one pot! It’s gluten-free, high protein, and delicious – the perfect fast weeknight meal for busy nights. Freeze this tortilla soup into portions for a healthy meal later on.

When I need a comforting, healing, delicious recipe, I always turn to soups, specifically chicken soups. Our favorites include this Italian Chicken Soup, Chicken Enchilada Soup, Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup, Chicken Tortellini Soup with Spinach, Mexican Chicken Soup, and this quick and easy Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Reasons you’ll love this recipe.

• One-pot meal. This makes preparation and cleaning up a breeze. You even cook the chicken in the soup!
• Pantry ingredients. If you keep healthy pantry staples stocked, you’ll only need to buy the chicken, cilantro, and other toppings! 
• Super fast. This easy chicken tortilla soup recipe comes together in about 30-minutes for a quick healthy dinner recipe. 
• Absolutely delicious. Spicy broth, juicy tomatoes, sweet bites of corn, hearty beans, and tender pieces of tender chicken all topped with salty corn tortillas creates a comforting tortilla soup that you’ll want to enjoy all winter long. 
• Healthy and filling. This gluten-free chicken tortilla soup is packed with lean protein and tons of nutrition. Everybody loves this soup!

Ingredients

• Onions and garlic start the foundation for this easy chicken tortilla soup recipe.
• Jalapeño pepper provides the first layer of heat. 
• Cumin and chili powder give the soup a classic Mexican-inspired flavor.
• Chicken broth is the base. You can also use bone broth for extra flavor and healing power.
• Boneless skinless chicken breasts are cooked directly in the broth, but you can also use leftover chicken.
• Chili-style diced tomatoes give the broth a rich flavor and texture. Fire roasted tomatoes are tasty in this soup too, or stir in a can of green chiles for extra flavor.
• Corn provides a nice sweet bite that balances out the other spicy flavors.
• Black beans give the soup extra fiber and protein.
• Corn tortillas chips or tortilla strips are the perfect crunchy topping to this cozy hot soup. I like using organic store-bought chips but you can also make homemade tortilla strips.

The Best Soup Pot!

How to Make Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

• Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a soup pot and sauté the onion until translucent and fragrant. Add the jalapeño and garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes.
• Stir in the cumin and chili powder and cook for another 30 seconds or until fragrant. 
• Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
• Add the chicken and cook for about 15 -20 minutes or no longer pink on the inside. Remove from the soup pot and place aside on a plate.

• Pour in the diced tomatoes, black beans, and corn into the soup pot
• Carefully chop or shred the chicken and add it back with the other ingredients in the soup pot. Be careful because the chicken could still be hot to the touch. 
• Bring the soup back to a simmer and continue cooking until all of the soup is hot.
• Serve each bowl of soup with fresh cilantro, lime wedges, crushed tortillas, avocado, shredded cheese, and sour cream. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice, and then top the soup with the rest of the toppings.

Can chicken tortilla soup be made in the slow cooker?

It sure can! Here’s how to do it.

1. Place the onions, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, and cumin into a microwave-safe bowl. Stir in the olive oil and then microwave for 4-5 minutes until fragrant. This method mimics cooking aromatics on the stovetop but without the mess.
2. Place the aromatics into the slow cooker insert with the chicken broth, chicken breasts, diced tomatoes, beans, and corn.
3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Remove the chicken breasts and chop or shred the chicken.
4. Stir the chicken back into the soup.
5. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with your favorite toppings.

Cooking Tips & Substitutions

• You can use leftover chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken in place of the breasts. You’ll need about 2 cups of shredded chicken, but this is a forgiving soup, so if you add a little more or less, that’ll be fine. You can also use this Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken if you have leftover.
• You can use chicken thighs in place of the breasts; this will increase the fat and calories and enhance the flavor.
• Swap in vegetable broth. I think chicken broth works best, but use vegetable broth if that’s what you have in the pantry. Chicken Bone broth is also a great choice and adds to the healing qualities of this chicken soup.
• Add in extra jalapeno, more chili powder, or cayenne pepper for an extra kick of spice. You can also stir in chipotle chili powder for a spicy, smokey flavor.
• Canned corn keeps this recipe easy, but you can also use 1 cup or so of frozen or fresh corn. 
• Adjust the salt and pepper based on your preference. The saltiness of the soup will depend on the broth and other ingredients you use, to wait until the end to stir in the salt and pepper.
• Pinto beans are another excellent choice to take the place of the black beans, and Mexicorn adds another flavor if you want to use that instead of plain canned corn.
• Bulk up the veggies with bell peppers or add some spinach or kale.

Serving suggestions

This easy chicken tortilla soup is already a meal in itself but if you are looking for a heartier option, then serve with cooked brown rice. You can either stir a cup or so directly into the soup or ladle the soup over rice in a bowl.

Crusty bread is also a great way to soak up the delicious broth.

Storage tips

• Slightly cool the soup and then place it into airtight containers store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you’re planning to take soup for lunches, I find it helpful to portion it into portable containers.
• This easy tortilla soup freezes beautifully, so make a few batches to have later on. After the soup cools, place it, minus the tortilla chips, into airtight containers. You can also freezer into portioned-out blocks using silicone trays or Souper Cubes. Put in the refrigerator overnight and then heat up on the stovetop to thaw. You can heat directly from frozen, but it will take more time. 

For more information on freezing soup, check out my tutorial on how to freeze soup.

Other healthy soup recipes

• Pizza Soup
• Buffalo Chicken Soup
• Cheeseburger Soup
• Healthy potato soup

See all of my healthy soup recipes.

Did you make this recipe?

Have you tried this Easy Chicken Tortilla recipe? If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #organizeyourselfskinny. I can’t wait to see it!