The BEST Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe (Takes Just 10 Minutes To Prep)

This chicken tortilla soup is jam-packed with flavor. It combines tender shredded chicken with the perfect balance of veggies and spices in a crazy good broth. Then, the whole thing is topped with fresh tortilla strips and diced avocado to add even more flavor. What's even better than how it tastes though, is how easy it is to make. In fact, just a few easy steps are all that stand between you and this delicious chicken tortilla soup!

The Best Chicken Tortilla Soup

If chicken tortilla soup is your favorite thing on the menu at your local Mexican spot, then just wait until you make this recipe.

I know I'm biased, but I honestly think this is the best chicken tortilla soup ever! I mean, it just has something for everyone. The soup packs a ton of protein from the shredded chicken and black beans, and it's also filled with hearty veggies and the perfect balance of savory spices. Then, everything gets cooked together in a rich broth and topped with homemade tortilla strips and an assortment of fresh toppings like diced avocado, sour cream, and shredded cheese.

Gah, it's just so, so good.

And it's so easy to make too! In fact, you'll have to follow less than a handful of steps to make it. And, as far as prep work goes, 10 minutes is all you'll need to invest to get it started. Then, the rest of the time is pretty much all passive cooking. 

Also, since everything for this tortilla soup cooks in one pot - except for the homemade tortilla strips - cleaning up after you make it is a breeze too! And you know I'm a big fan of that.

By the way, since most of the time spent making this chicken tortilla soup recipe is so passive, you'll have plenty of time to whip up some delicious appetizers to go with it, like this Mexican street corn casserole, these fried oyster mushrooms, these bacon wrapped armadillo eggs, or these Bisquick sausage balls.

Ingredients

This chicken tortilla soup recipe may look like it has a lot of ingredients, but I promise they're all super basic ones that you can get at any grocery store. That is if you don't already have them at home already!

Anyway, here's everything you'll need to make this chicken tortilla soup:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 lb. chicken breasts
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken broth 
• 1 ½ cup black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 ½ cup corn, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste

For the homemade tortilla strips:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 8 corn tortillas

And last but not least, here are some optional toppings:

• 1 large diced avocado
• 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
• Shredded cheese 
• Sour cream 

See, not too bad, right?

By the way, I use a majority of these ingredients to make this chicken taco casserole recipe as well. So, you might want to check that out next if you have any extras. 

Ingredient Substitutions And Suggestions

Now, I always make this chicken tortilla soup recipe with the ingredients listed above, but there are plenty of changes you can make to the recipe, and it'll turn out just as delicious.

For example, this recipe calls for raw chicken breasts that cook in the soup, but if you want to save time, then you can use cooked chicken instead. I usually just use a store-bought rotisserie chicken when I go this route since it's just so flavorful and so convenient.

As far as the broth ingredients go, if you want to up the flavor a little bit, sometimes I'll use an equal amount of some Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles in place of the crushed tomatoes.

Oh, also, don't be afraid to explore adding some different toppings to take this chicken tortilla soup to the next level. You can try adding a dollop of sour cream, some shredded cheddar cheese, shredded Monterey jack cheese, or even extra green onions and diced tomatoes on top. Honestly, anything goes great with the crispy tortilla strips. 

How To Make Chicken Tortilla Soup

Now it's time for the fun part, making the chicken tortilla soup!

As I've mentioned a few times, this soup is actually really easy to make. You basically just fry up the corn tortillas, then add the soup ingredients to your pot and let everything cook together. That's all there is to it.

So, let's stop wasting time and make this chicken tortilla soup!

Step 1: Cook The Soup

First, you'll want to get the soup cooking. So, to start, you'll want to heat a large pot - or dutch oven - with the oil in it over medium-high heat. Then, you'll want to add the raw chicken, chopped onion, garlic, and chopped jalapeño and sauté the veggies until they are tender and slightly translucent and the chicken is slightly golden.

Once the veggies and chicken are looking good, you can add in the corn, black beans, chili powder, cumin, crushed tomatoes, salt, ¼ cup of fresh cilantro, and the chicken broth to the pot. Then, after you've got that in there, you can bring this soup mixture to a boil and reduce the heat. You'll want to let all of that simmer for at least 25 minutes.

Step 2: Fry The Tortilla Strips

While the soup is simmering, you can make the homemade tortilla strips to top it off.

So, to make 'em, you'll want to add a ¼ cup of oil to a frying pan and put it over medium-high heat. Then, while the oil is heating up, you'll want to cut the tortillas into thin strips. Once the oil is hot, you can fry them in batches until crispy and slightly golden brown. Also, while they're frying, you'll want to line a plate with paper towels and then transfer the chips to 'em when they're done cooking.

Step 3: Shred The Chicken

Once the soup has simmered, you can remove the whole chicken from the pot and shred it using two forks. Then, you can add the shredded chicken back to the soup pot, give everything a good stir, and let it continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. 

Step 4: Serve

When the additional 5 minutes of simmering is up, you can squeeze some fresh lime juice into the pot and give the chicken tortilla soup one final stir.

Then, serve the soup with some of your homemade tortilla strips on top, along with some diced avocado, fresh cilantro, and a couple of lime wedges or anything else you want. Enjoy!

How To Store Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe for chicken tortilla soup makes about 6 servings, so it should be plenty for a big family dinner.

That said, if you do happen to have any leftover soup, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3-5 days.

Alternatively, if you want your chicken tortilla soup to last even longer, you can freeze it. Just let it cool completely, then transfer the cooled soup to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag and store it in the freezer. Stored this way, it'll last for up to 3 months.

How To Reheat Chicken Tortilla Soup

Whenever you're ready to enjoy your leftover chicken tortilla soup, you'll definitely want to reheat it first.

I think the best way to reheat it is by putting it back in a pot and warming it over medium heat for a few minutes - stirring frequently until it's warmed through.

Alternatively, to warm it up even quicker, you can microwave the soup in 30-second increments - stirring between each one - until it reaches your desired temperature.

Wrapping It Up

Well, that's how to make chicken tortilla soup!

Again, I know I'm a bit biased, but I really think this is the best chicken tortilla soup recipe ever. Honestly, from the blend of flavors to the homemade tortilla strips, I think it's tastier than any soup you could get at a restaurant - and that's really saying something!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chicken soup recipe as much as my family and I do. Of course, if you give it a try, be sure to leave a comment and let us know how it went.

More Soup Recipes

If you're looking for more easy soup recipes, we have a ton on the blog you can try next!

Here are some of our most popular ones:

• Okra soup
• Shrimp soup
• Udon soup
• Cabbage soup
• Dill pickle soup
• Rotisserie chicken noodle soup
• Chicken and dumpling soup

Oh, and for even more deliciousness, be sure to check out our Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok pages. We post new recipes on them every day.

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