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! Made in ONE pot and ready in 30 minutes, this is a fan FAVORITE that will impress your friends and family!
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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.
I like using a large 6 to 7-quart Dutch oven. This Le Creuset Dutch oven has been with me for 20 years! You can’t argue with the quality workmanship and materials with anything Le Creuset. A more budget-priced Dutch oven is also another option.
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
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven, about 7 quarts
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
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!!
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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.
This soup was amazing, I substituted chopped green chilies for the jalapeño and used taco seasoning as I didn’t have paprika – it was a bit spicy, but adding sour cream as a topping took the heat down – next time I will try it with only 1/2 teaspoon taco seasoning and add more to taste. Great recipe, my husband and I both loved it!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad you both loved it and were able to make it work with what you had on hand!
I wish is used bell pepper or Anaheim instead of Jalapeño. It was too hot for my family even without cayenne.
So at that point the only singular ingredient that would have heat would be the chili powder but for the amount of liquid and other ingredients, it’s not enough to be ‘that hot’ given the volume of food.
Maybe your pepper was a hotter variety than you thought you were purchasing (that has happened to me) and that is what happened, which is my guess, because otherwise nothing listed here is spicy.
OMG! This recipe is fantastic. I fixed to the T, except didn’t add cilantro or jalapeno (personal preference), also used rotisserie chicken. Definitely will be making again! Fix it, it does not disappoint!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved it and will make it again!
This is so delicious! I’d never made a soup before from scratch and it was so easy. I’m going to be trying more recipes on this site this week! Hubby and I are excited.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that you’ll be trying more recipes from my site! Please leave comments on what you try, I love to know!
We used 5 medium Roma tomatoes instead of the 28oz of canned tomatoes and it was incredibly delicious.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that 5 Roma tomatoes rather than the canned tomatoes worked out great!
I made this for dinner and followed the recipe (almost) exactly. I didn’t have any black beans and I don’t care for cilantro, but other than that I used all the spices, etc. I made half the recipe as there were only two of us for dinner. It was ABSOLUTELY delicious. My husband was thrilled!! It’s a keeper.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad your husband loved this and glad it’s a keeper for you!
This was one of my qt goals, crushing some tortilla soup and was delish, down to the tortilla strips. I feel like a pro. Thanks babe!! – MJ
Be fun to hear more about running a food blog and being a boss babe in the kitchen on my show:
Keeping It Casual Podcast, you have my email! Let’s connet
PS I just cant find the Pinterest button to save it so I can make it again…help pls? (Probably in front of my face 😬)
Glad you loved this recipe!
You can Pin anything by hovering over either side of the top corner of any of the photos and the Pin It buttons should appear. It depends which browser, device, etc you’re using whether it’s the R or L hand corner.
Very good and super easy to make. I used shredded chicken breast that I made in the slow cooker and fire roasted tomatoes and I substituted canned green chilies for the jalapeno. I will definitely make it again and next time follow the recipe for the tortilla strips. I used store bought tortilla chips this time.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you will definitely make it again!
Made this soup exactly as per the recipe. It was perfect and my wife loved it as well. Will be making it over and over.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was perfect and you’ll be making it over and over!
This is the best soup, and I make it all the time. It is delicious and so easy to prepare.
Thank you for posting.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you make it often and that it’s easy and delicious!
I have tried many tortilla soup recipes. This is the best and the easiest. Be sure to make the tortilla strips, they add so much to the soip.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you think my recipe is the best and the easiest!
Excellent flavor in this soup and it is very hearty. I will be making this one again.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was excellent and you’ll make it again!
Delicious!! This was so easy to make. My favorite part = the melted cheese on top 😉
We also topped this off with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream for a healthier alternative.
This is the only chicken tortilla soup I make!! Kids love it! Do you think this could all get thrown into a slow cooker as well?
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you love it. I have never done it in a slow cooker because it’s such a fast recipe, done in 30 minutes, I never like to lengthen anything that I can do quickly.
This is an excellent and easy recipe to make. Loved it!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was excellent and easy to make!
Made the soup back in January on a cold night and I had been craving chicken tortilla soup! It was so good! Added sour cream and cheese on top was great! I froze the rest—how do you suggest to best thaw? I didn’t see that listed anywhere? Put in the fridge, put in pot straight from freezer or let it come to room temp on the counter? Thank you!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you were able to freeze some for later!
I just thaw on the counter at room temp. Maybe some food scientists would disagree but I find trying to thaw something in the fridge that’s frozen solid like soup takes forever (12+ hours!) so the countertop is my method but do as you’re comfortable with.