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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Originally posted September 15, 2015 and reposted September 4, 2020 with updated text.
So very easy to make!! My family just loved the soup!! Will definitely make again!!
So very easy to make!! My family just loved the soup!! Will definitely make again!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad your family loved it and you’ll make it again!
I suggest using an immersion blender on the tomatoes before adding to the soup. I didn’t do that and my soup was watery looking with chunks of tomato. I added a can of tomato juice to give it debth. Otherwise it was very good. Made a huge pot.
I suggest using an immersion blender on the tomatoes before adding to the soup. I didn’t do that and my soup was watery looking with chunks of tomato. I added a can of tomato juice to give it debth. Otherwise it was very good. Made a huge pot.
Canned tomatoes vary so so much from brand to brand, consistency, texture, etc. and I’ve never need to blend them, but glad the immersion blender helped your soup get to the texture you were looking for.
I made this for me and my daughter. Unfortunately we really didn’t like the overwhelming flavor of smoked paprika. Of we make it again, I definitely would either half (or quarter) it or use regular paprika.
I made this for me and my daughter. Unfortunately we really didn’t like the overwhelming flavor of smoked paprika. Of we make it again, I definitely would either half (or quarter) it or use regular paprika.
Are you sure you only used 1 teaspoon and not tablespoon of smoked paprika? 1 teaspoon is quite a small quantity when you consider there are probably 12 cups of soup between the beans, tomatoes, chicken, broth, etc.
I am thinking you could be confusing 1 tbsp of chili powder for the flavor of smoked paprika. 1 tbsp is a fair amount of chili powder but not excessive UNLESS it’s bitter. Some are. I am thinking that is your culprit right there, whatever brand you’re using, just my hunch.
Thanks for trying the recipe.
Yum! Only minor tweaks… Let onions/jalapeno go fully soft, added garlic for 2 min, then added spices prior to tomatoes. Really really good, bookmarked!
Yum! Only minor tweaks… Let onions/jalapeno go fully soft, added garlic for 2 min, then added spices prior to tomatoes. Really really good, bookmarked!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you have this bookmarked!
great
Great
This was amazing! I usually make enchiladas with my leftover chicken, but I love tortilla soup, so one chilly evening I tried this recipe. It is fantastic. The first time I made it, I only had flour tortillas for the tortilla strips and the whole family gobbled them up. The second time, I used corn, but I actually liked the flour better. I also used a large 28 oz can of petite diced tomatoes (instead of the two smaller ones) and jarred jalapeno slices because I did not have fresh. I just guestimated how much to use. The beauty of this recipe is that you can adjust it for whatever you have on hand. Thanks so much for posting!
This was amazing! I usually make enchiladas with my leftover chicken, but I love tortilla soup, so one chilly evening I tried this recipe. It is fantastic. The first time I made it, I only had flour tortillas for the tortilla strips and the whole family gobbled them up. The second time, I used corn, but I actually liked the flour better. I also used a large 28 oz can of petite diced tomatoes (instead of the two smaller ones) and jarred jalapeno slices because I did not have fresh. I just guestimated how much to use. The beauty of this recipe is that you can adjust it for whatever you have on hand. Thanks so much for posting!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad you have made it twice and yes, I love soup recipes like this one since they are so flexible and adaptable which I am glad you discovered as well!
Made this three times now and it’s simply great. You can improvise though. Of course a little less red pepper will reduce the heat, but I added a tablespoon of Simply Organic Southwest Seasoning and a little more smoked Paprika. Then when served I top it off with Honduras or Mexican creamer. You could use sour cream, but it isn’t the same.
This is a delicious soup! I ended up having only one can of tomatoes on hand and decided to go for it anyway–glad I did! I either got a really spicy jalepeno or the cayenne was too much for me. Will cut that back a little bit next time, but there will definitely be a next time! Thanks for the recipe!
Glad I chose this receipe! So much flavor!!!
My family voted this the beat soup ever! Made it exactly as written except I was lazy and purchased tortilla strips rather than bake them. We ate on it several days. I kept the seeds in from the jalapeños and it’s pretty spicy!