How To Make Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup From Scratch
Heat the oil in a dutch oven pot and saute the onion and bell pepper for 3-4 minutes. Add in the garlic and seasonings and cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
Add the corn, salsa, jalapeño, beans, chicken, and broth. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to a low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it. Return back the shredded chicken and stir in with the cheeses.
Top with additional garnishes and enjoy!
Easy Chicken Taco Soup
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Easy Chicken Taco Soup is full of the same flavors found in your favourite chicken tacos, but in soup form.
Its hearty, healthy and this stovetop version is incredibly simple and fast to make!
Top it with your favorite toppings including cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream and jalapenos for the perfect one pot meal!
If you are a Mexican food fan like I am, this Chicken Taco Soup recipe is going to be life changing. Its just what you need when its dark and chilly outside, though Ive been known to make it throughout the year because it is that good.
Im not even kidding when I say that this is the best version of taco soup out there. It has approvals from everybody and this chicken taco soup usually vanishes before you know it and it is so quick to make.
We put out a plate of our favorite toppers like cheese, sour cream and fresh tomatoes and cilantro for everyone to top as they like it!
If you are like me, you will probably end up adding everything especially a squirt of lime and lots of crunchy tortilla chips for texture, and because tortilla chips are just awesome.
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 youre so inclined.
Make sure to 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.
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How To Make Chicken Tortilla Soup Creamy
Make a creamy chicken tortilla soup recipe by making a roux in the beginning. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add onions and 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour, whisking continuously.
After 3-4 minutes, when flour starts to brown, slowly pour in broth and keep whisking while everything thickens. Then add remaining ingredients and follow the recipe as usual. At the very end, add ¾ cup of heavy cream while stirring.
What Vegetables Go Well With Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love vegetables and you can think of them as the handbags of the meal. They can be small or oversized, but you really do need one, so make it memorable.
I love that you can easily transform vegetable dishes with just a different oil or spice. Here are some vegetable combinations tailor-made for Chicken Tortilla Soup.
Roasted Cauliflower: Rinse the cauliflower, chop into 1-inch cubes, toss with olive oil, season with cumin, salt, and pepper, bake 350 until edges turn lightly brown.
Green Beans with Seasame Seeds: Rinse and snap the green beans. Saute in a pan with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and sesame seeds.
Sweet & Spicy Corn: Microwave sweet corn kernels until cooked. Sprinkle with Tampico seasoning.
This combination of sugar, salt, lime, and chili powder will make this quick side a new family favorite.
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How To Make Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup:
My Twist To The Recipe
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What Toppings Can I Serve With Chicken Tortilla Soup
Do my outfits really need jewelry? No, but the right amount of accents can transform a closet staple.
Toppings for soup are the same. It lets everyone customize their own. Plus, its fun passing all the bowls and getting the conversation started.
Some of my favorite toppings for Chicken Tortilla Soup are the same choices I would put on tacos.
- limes wedges,
- grated cheese
- sour cream
And just like taco night, a generous amount of freshly fried tortillas this time in thin strips, makes for a memorable meal.
More Ways To Make Tortilla Soup
- If you are looking to make it in a crockpot then check out my Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe.
- Another delicious variation to try is my Grilled Chicken Tortilla Soup which includes grilled chicken breast, grilled corn and fire roasted tomatoes for a delicious lightly charred background flavor, so good!
- Love a creamy soup? Try my Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup.
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How To Make Chicken Tortilla Soup In The Instant Pot
- Using the sauté function, add onions, spices, and oil until onions are translucent.
- Add everything except for the tortilla strips to the instant pot. Lock the lid in place and close the pressure valve.
- Set in manual mode on high for a total time of 10 minutes, then let it release naturally.
- Once the pressure is released, open the lid. Remove the chicken and shred with a fork, then add it back into the soup with the tortilla strips. Stir and serve.
Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
When I see chicken tortilla soup on a restaurant menu, I get excited. Theres 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 cant resist.
Rather than making a trip out for it, you can make Mexican tortilla soup at home in 30 minutes and its 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 its ready so quickly and with very minimal effort. And its better than from a restaurant.
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.
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How Spicy Is This Chicken Tortilla Soup
This Chicken Tortilla Soup has a medium kick to it which I think will be perfect for most people BUT if you are sensitive to spicy food or want to make this ultimate kid friendly then substitute the poblano pepper for a green bell pepper and reduce chili powder from 2 teaspoons to 1. At this point you can add hot sauce to your individual servings if you like it spicier.
The Best & Easiest Soup

Im in Soup Mode right now and taking advantage of this cool weather to try out even more soups.
I mean, how can you NOT love them?
Todays recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup tastes so good and is so simple that we wanted to make sure you could try it too. Being Hispanic, our family loves anything with tortillas, so this recipe was right up our alley.
We ended up topping it off with some homemade tortilla strips and cubed avocado, which made it even that much better!
If Im going to be honest, if a recipe calls for Chicken and Avocados, I pretty much know Ill love it. Put it in a soup form, and I love it even more. This really is the best and easiest soup!
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Pin Or Save This Recipe
Don’t be like me and neglect to save or pin this delicious Black Bean Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe. We served it to guests last night and they all commented how delicious it was, cleaning up their bowls to the last drop. I just heated up a bowl for Scott and myself and the leftovers are just as fabulous as when it was first made, maybe even better as all those wonderful ingredients have had a chance to marry and meld. I think you will enjoy it as much as we have!
Egg Sandwiches Denver Style
We all know the traditional egg salad: boiled eggs, blended with mayo and seasoning, stuffed between bread.
And we probably all grew up with a fried egg sandwich for rainy days. But are you familiar with Denver Style Egg Salad?
This pita egg sandwich has all the ingredients of a Denver Omelet but is cooked flat, not folded. Just slice the omelet into triangles and place it in a pita pocket.
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Ingredients You Will Need For This Chicken Tortilla Soup
Below is a list of ingredients and some substitutes you can use to make this creamy tortilla soup. The full measurements are listed further down in the recipe card.
- Avocado oil: essentially, any oil you decide to use is fine.
- Onion: we used yellow onion, but purple and sweet onion can be used.
- Bell pepper: any color works, but we used red.
- Garlic cloves: use fresh garlic cloves instead of garlic powder. If you must, you can use garlic pwder.
- Seasonings: cumin, dried oregano, taco seasoning.
- Beans: we used black beans, but any other bean will do.
- Corn: use frozen, canned, or fresh.
- Tomato salsa: if you like your tortilla soup to be more on the spicy side, use spicy salsa.
- Pickled jalapeños: pickled is our prefered choice. you may use fresh.
- Chicken breast: use raw, or to save on time, use shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Broth: chicken broth was used, but you may use vegetable broth
- Cheese: You will need shredded cheddar cheese and one pack of cream cheese
- Additional garnishes: chopped avocado, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, yogurt, or sour cream
Tips For Making Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Top with cheddar or pepper jack cheese for a cheesy chicken tortilla soup.
- Instead of skinless chicken breast, this is a great recipe for using up leftover rotisserie chicken. Just shred the chicken, and add at the end, just to heat it through.
- Make this recipe gluten free by substituting gluten free corn tortilla chips instead of the flour tortillas.
- Serve this soup with fresh avocado, sour cream, jalapenos, cheddar cheese, cilantro, tortilla chips, and lime juice.
- Use diced jalapenos and fire-roasted tomatoes for an extra kick of spice!
Pin this recipe now to remember it later
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What Bread Goes With Chicken Tortilla Soup
If youre serving chicken tortilla soup, you want to make sure your bread is the right kind. Bread thats too heavy will overpower the soup, but bread thats too light wont be filling enough.
To achieve the right balance, try a loaf of sourdough or focaccia. These are both hearty enough to stand up to a big bowl of soup without being too filling.
Read on for even more ideas!
French bread is best for chicken tortilla soup because its light and airy, which allows it to soak up the broth without becoming soggy or heavy.
It also has a crispy crust that adds extra texture and flavor to the dish.
If youre looking for a lighter option, French bread is a great choice for your chicken tortilla soup.
How To Make Homemade Tortilla Chips
We love to eat the Chicken Tortilla Soup with some crunchy tortilla chips. I love the healthier homemade baked chips as they can be baked as you wait for the soup to be cooked.
Here are the quick steps to make homemade tortilla chips:
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How Do You Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken Tortilla Soup is very easy to make and you can prepare it from start to finish in under thirty minutes. The secret to making this soup even better is making sure that the tortilla strips are still perfectly crunchy when it is time to serve the soup.
You can achieve this by frying to tortilla strips right at the end and adding them to the bottom of the bowl right before pouring in the soup.
Although there are different ways to make this soup, almost every version starts with a similar base of fresh ingredients and that is why it is one of my favorite recipes!
You start out by roasting the tomatoes on a hot stove, along with the onion and cloves of garlic. Next, you blend it together with ancho chilies and chicken stock.
I always get excited when I see tortilla soup on a menu at restaurants here in the United States. Unfortunately, I havent found any that have that authentic Mexican taste, which is why I usually end up making my own version at home.
The last step after making the soup is to fry the tortilla strips and add all of the toppings. I am positive that you will love this version and I hope that you will try it soon!
What Is Chicken Tortilla Soup And Where Can I Find It

There are thousands of chicken tortilla soup recipes, but the most common is a whole chicken simmered in broth, combined with tomatoes, spices like cumin or oregano, and topped with tortilla strips.
Its a great soup to have for lunch, dinner, and even freeze for later.It can take an hour or two to make it homemade.
But this popular soup can now be found on the menus of American, TexMex, and Mexican restaurants and is also one of the more popular soups sold at Costco.
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What Is Tortilla Soup
Tortilla soup is a Mexican-inspired soup made with a tomato base. It usually has ingredients like corn, beans, and often other additions like jalapenos and cilantro. It is simmered, then topped with crispy tortilla strips and whatever youd like to add.
Tortilla soup is most commonly made with chicken but you can also find it made with lamb, beef, and fish. Cooking the protein in the soup adds a ton of flavor!
How To Make Crispy Tortilla Strips
Fresh tortilla strips really make the soup! Sure, you can use store bought tortilla chips, but I highly recommend you fry up some fresh strips. They are the BEST and they only take a few minutes to make. WORTH IT!
- In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add tortilla strips in small batches and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until lightly browned.
- Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and place on a plate that has been lined with a paper towel. Season with salt while they are still warm. Set aside.
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How Do You Make Tortilla Strips For Chicken Tortilla Soup
Making your own homemade tortilla strips is so crazy easy and delivers chip quality results -AND you can never guess these tortilla strips are BAKED not fried. Not only is this healthier but it is way simpler. We make our tortilla strips while our chicken is simmering so it requires no extra time!
Tips For Tortilla Soup:
- Use Leftover Chicken. Have a rotisserie chicken hanging out in your fridge? What about some leftover chicken breasts you dont know what to do with? You can always use leftover chicken to make a fresh batch of Chicken Tortilla Soup.
- Bone Broth Makes All The Difference. Use low-sodium bone broth or easily make your own chicken broth.
- Adjust The Spice. Do you like it spicy? Add some extra jalapeños into the mix.
- Save Time With Canned Corn And Beans. Speed up the cooking time by using canned corn and beans.
- Cut Avocado Right Before Serving. To keep your avocado from browning, cut it right before you serve the soup
- Season To Taste. Depending on the tomatoes and broth you use, you may need to adjust the salt to taste at the end.
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