There’s nothing more comforting than a big bowl of chicken tortilla soup. It comes together so easily in one pot, and it’s always a crowd-pleaser. This soup recipe is slightly spicy thanks to the jalapenos and is filling from the chicken, beans, and corn. This recipe also includes homemade tortilla strips that are insanely addictive and make for the best toppings. Like my taco soup recipe and black bean soup recipe, everyone will reach for seconds!
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Tortillas — I love making your own tortilla strips for this recipe, but you can use store-bought tortilla chips if you prefer.
Chicken — I use chicken breasts for this soup, but you are welcome to use whatever cut of chicken you have available.
Beans — this recipe calls for black beans, but you can swap for pinto beans, navy beans, or whatever you have on hand.
Corn — you can use fresh corn or canned, drained yellow corn in place of frozen corn.
Seasoning — for the classic chicken tortilla flavors, you will need chili powder and cumin. If you are in a bind, you can use taco seasoning.
Lime — I highly recommend using fresh lime juice for the best flavoring. Bottle lime juice does not have the same fresh flavors.
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
1. In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. In two batches, add the tortillas strips and cook until crispy, about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with ⅛ teaspoon salt and set aside.
2. Return the pot to medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Cook, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes.
3. Add the broth and canned tomatoes.
4. Add the beans, corn, chicken, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue simmering for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from the heat. Remove the chicken and shred. Return the pot to medium-low heat. Stir the shredded chicken back into the pot.
6. Stir in the lime juice. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes. If desired, serve the chicken tortilla soup with shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, and cilantro.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Decrease the amount of jalapeno if you want the soup less spicy.
- When cutting the jalapeno, make sure to remove the seeds before adding them to the pot. You can wear gloves to avoid your hands feeling tingly.
- If you have leftover rotisserie chicken, you can shred it to add to the soup instead of cooking the chicken breasts in the tortilla soup. You will need approximately 3 to 4 cups of shredded chicken. You can even simmer the soup with some rotisserie bones to add more flavor to the soup.
- If you want to thicken the soup, you can whisk some masa harina with the soup before pouring it back into the soup. Masa harina gives a distinctive corn flavor to the soup but if you don’t have any then a cornstarch slurry will also thicken the soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to store leftovers?
Leftover chicken tortilla soup keeps really well as it tastes even better the next day. Make sure only to top individual bowls with the fried tortilla strips, so you don’t end up with soggy tortillas. Refrigerate the soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days. When ready to eat, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
How to freeze the soup?
You can freeze the soup in individual airtight freezer-safe containers, so you can thaw precisely how much you need for a quick lunch or freeze the entire batch of soup for an easy dinner for later. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw overnight before reheating.
What can I serve with this soup?
I love pairing this tortilla soup with chips and dip such as guacamole, salsa, or pineapple salsa. You can even serve this with some chicken fajitas or grilled corn for an even more hearty meal.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large pot
Ingredients
Tortilla Strips:
- ¼ cup olive oil (60mL)
- 4 6-inch yellow corn tortillas cut into 1/4-inch strips (95g)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Chicken Soup:
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped (1 1/4 cups) (160g)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon seeded, diced jalapeno
- 4 cups chicken broth (.50L)
- 1 can crushed tomatoes (794g)(28-ounce)
- 1 can black beans rinsed and drained (432g)(15.25-ounce)
- 1½ cups frozen yellow corn (172g)
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (454g)
- 1½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Toppings:
- shredded cheese
- sour cream
- sliced avocado
- chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
For the Tortilla Strips:
- In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. In two batches, add the tortillas strips and cook until crispy, about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt.
For the Chicken Soup:
- Return the pot to medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened, about 4 minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, corn, chicken, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue simmering for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the heat. Remove the chicken and shred.
- Return the pot to medium-low heat. Stir the shredded chicken back into the pot. Stir in the lime juice. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Serve the soup with shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, and cilantro, if desired.
Notes
- Decrease the amount of jalapeno if you want the soup less spicy.
- When cutting the jalapeno, make sure to remove the seeds before adding them to the pot. You can wear gloves to avoid your hands feeling tingy.
- If you have leftover rotisserie chicken, you can shred it to add to the soup instead of cooking the chicken breasts in the tortilla soup. You will need approximately 3 to 4 cups of shredded chicken. You can even simmer the soup with some rotisserie bones to add more flavor to the soup.
- If you want to thicken the soup, you can whisk some masa harina with the soup before pouring it back into the soup. Masa harina gives a distinctive corn flavor to the soup. A cornstarch slurry will thicken the soup if you don’t have any masa harina.
