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!!
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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!
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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.
Delicious! I added an extra can of chicken broth to increase the liquid because I added pastina at the very end before adding the cilantro and needed to allow for some liquid to be soaked up. Let the pasta cook for about 5 minutes then added the cilantro and cooked for another minute. Had to adjust the seasoning a bit by adding a tad  more of each spice. Came out fantastic and filling ! Served with homemade guacamole and chips :)
Delicious! I added an extra can of chicken broth to increase the liquid because I added pastina at the very end before adding the cilantro and needed to allow for some liquid to be soaked up. Let the pasta cook for about 5 minutes then added the cilantro and cooked for another minute. Had to adjust the seasoning a bit by adding a tad  more of each spice. Came out fantastic and filling ! Served with homemade guacamole and chips :)
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you were able to tweak this to your liking and that it was perfect!
This was really good. I didn’t have boxed chicken broth so I added 4 teaspoons of Knor to 4 cups of water. The soup had a hint of spice and I loved it.Â
This was really good. I didn’t have boxed chicken broth so I added 4 teaspoons of Knor to 4 cups of water. The soup had a hint of spice and I loved it.Â
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved the soup!
Omg this soup is delish!!  I always order tortilla soup when we eat at a Mexican restaurants and this soup is restaurant quality, but even better!!  I didn’t even include the jalapeño bc of my 8yo but it was still plenty flavorful.  We put diced avocado and cheese on top and it was the perfect dinner for a cold night.  Thank you!!
Omg this soup is delish!!  I always order tortilla soup when we eat at a Mexican restaurants and this soup is restaurant quality, but even better!!  I didn’t even include the jalapeño bc of my 8yo but it was still plenty flavorful.  We put diced avocado and cheese on top and it was the perfect dinner for a cold night.  Thank you!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is even better than from a restaurant! That is my goal, always :)
Absolutely Nummy! Made a double batch and froze some for 3 more meals. Shredding the rotisserie chicken took the longest, but other than that it was so easy.
Absolutely Nummy! Made a double batch and froze some for 3 more meals. Shredding the rotisserie chicken took the longest, but other than that it was so easy.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you were able to double this and get some freezer meals out of it, too!
Love this recipe! I’ve made this a handful of times and it’s always a hit. Plus there’s plenty left over for my husband to take to work. Great cold weather recipe and those tortilla strips are addicting!
Love this recipe! I’ve made this a handful of times and it’s always a hit. Plus there’s plenty left over for my husband to take to work. Great cold weather recipe and those tortilla strips are addicting!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is always a hit for you!
I used a can of Rotel fire roasted tomatoes and  fire roasted corn (Trader Joes). Oh mama this was delicious! It was good freshly made and even better the next day! Thanks! It will be a regular in our house!
This has been my go-to chicken tortilla soup recipe for several years now. I pretty much make it as is, but swap one diced tomato can for Rotel or add 4 oz of green chiles. As a matter of personal preference, I use pinto beans not black and don’t drain. Cannot recommend this recipe enough – great for dinner and leftovers for lunch!
p.s. if you want to make in instant pot, sauté the onions, jalapeno and garlic until soft and then add all other ingredients (cube raw chicken) and high pressure cook for 7 mins. Comes out perfect!
This has been my go-to chicken tortilla soup recipe for several years now. I pretty much make it as is, but swap one diced tomato can for Rotel or add 4 oz of green chiles. As a matter of personal preference, I use pinto beans not black and don’t drain. Cannot recommend this recipe enough – great for dinner and leftovers for lunch!
p.s. if you want to make in instant pot, sauté the onions, jalapeno and garlic until soft and then add all other ingredients (cube raw chicken) and high pressure cook for 7 mins. Comes out perfect!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this has been your go-to tortilla soup recipe for years! Also good tip about how to adjust the recipe for the Instant Pot!
Used fire roasted tomatoes, very good!
Delicious recipe! The whole family loved it even the picky eaters. I made a few changes by adding in a fresh red pepper, only used 1 can of tomatoes, used frozen corn/carrots mix, and accidentally added an extra tbsp of chili powder, which turned out great. Thank you for sharing your recipe.Â
Delicious recipe! The whole family loved it even the picky eaters. I made a few changes by adding in a fresh red pepper, only used 1 can of tomatoes, used frozen corn/carrots mix, and accidentally added an extra tbsp of chili powder, which turned out great. Thank you for sharing your recipe.Â
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that even the picky eaters enjoyed this!
Used fire roasted tomatoes, very good!