This Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe makes the perfect weeknight meal that can easily be made right in your instant pot, slow cooker or on the stove! Loaded with tender shredded chicken, veggies, beans and all the toppings for a delicious, flavor-packed meal!
Calling all fellow soup lovers! It’s officially soup season and this is one of the easiest soups you could make. Can you believe this is the first recipe I ever posted on my website over 15 years ago?! This Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe is still a favorite family staple in our home because it is packed with so much bold flavor and is easy to throw together for a quick weeknight dinner. You probably already have all the ingredients right in your pantry! Tender chicken, black beans, veggies and all the best toppings for a delicious cozy dinner the whole family will love.
Why You’ll Love This
- Quick and Easy – this soup can easily be ready in just 30 minutes if making on the stove top or throw all the ingredients into your crock pot, set it and forget it!
- Healthy – this flavorful chicken tortilla soup is high in protein and fiber, while still being light and comforting.
- Customizable – you can easily adjust the spice level in this soup, add in extra veggies or use rotisserie chicken for a shortcut.
- Great for meal prep – the best part about this soup is that the flavors taste even better the next day, making it great for leftovers! I like to make a big batch of this soup on the weekends to enjoy throughout the week.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken – you’ll need boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, but you could also use chicken thighs or even shredded rotisserie chicken for even more flavor. Leftover chicken or turkey works great too!
- Onion + garlic – chopped onion and garlic cloves really punch up the flavor in this soup.
- Chicken broth – I used a low sodium chicken broth, but you could also use chicken stock or vegetable broth.
- Tomatoes – I used a large 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, but diced tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes or even canned tomato sauce would work too. A can of rotel tomatoes would add extra flavor as well.
- Green chiles – adds a kick of spice and extra flavor.
- Enchilada sauce – this really enhances the flavor of this soup and you can choose the spice level you want between mild, medium and hot.
- Black beans + corn – a whole can of black beans adds extra protein and texture to this flavorful soup and feel free to use fresh corn or frozen corn.
- Lime juice – tastes amazing with all these bold flavors!
- Spices – a delicious combination of chili powder (or chipotle powder), cumin, kosher salt, black pepper and a bay leaf. You could even add a little cayenne pepper for additional spice.
How to Make the BEST Chicken Tortilla Soup
Because I know all of you use a variety of different methods when making soups, I’m sharing how to make this homemade chicken tortilla soup in the crock pot, your Instant Pot and on the stovetop!
- Sauté onion and garlic. In a large soup pot or dutch oven, drizzle a little olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté onion for 3 to 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
- Build the soup. Add in the rest of the ingredients, except the cilantro and lime juice, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes, until chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Shred the chicken. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the post and shred using two forks. Add the shredded chicken back into the pot along with the cilantro and lime juice.
- Serve and enjoy! Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with your favorite toppings like crunchy tortilla strips, avocado and extra cilantro or green onions on top of the soup.
How to Make in the Crock Pot
In a 6-quart slow cooker, add the chicken and rest of the ingredients (except for the cilantro and lime juice), cover and place on high for 3 to 4 hours or low 6 to 8 hours. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon or tongs and shred with two forks. Add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker along with the cilantro and lime juice.
How to Make in the Instant Pot
Drizzle olive oil in the bowl of your instant pot and turn on the sauté function. Once oil is simmering, sauté the onion for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the garlic, sautéing for an additional minute. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for cilantro and lime juice. Set the Instant Pot to the soup setting and set the timer for 7 minutes. Once cooking is complete, let the instant pot sit for about 12 minutes, then release the steam by placing the valve to the venting position. Remove chicken and shred using two forks, then return the shredded chicken to the pot and stir in the cilantro and lime juice.
Optional Toppings
- Slices of avocado.
- Fresh cilantro leaves, parsley or green onions
- Crispy tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
- Shredded cheese such as Monterey jack cheese, cheddar cheese or even shredded Mexican cheese
- Dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Sliced jalapeño peppers
- Extra lime wedges to squeeze over top
Variations
- Make it creamy – to make creamy chicken tortilla soup, feel free to add in some heavy cream, coconut cream, cream cheese or mix in a dollop of sour cream before serving.
- Adjust the spice – you can easily adjust the spice level of this soup by using mild, medium or hot enchilada sauce. You could also add in chopped jalapeno, chopped poblano pepper or even a dash of hot sauce for more heat.
- Switch up protein – you can use rotisserie chicken for a simple short cut when making this soup, or feel free to use turkey, ground beef, shrimp or even chickpeas for a hearty vegetarian option.
- Add more veggies – boost the nutrition and flavor with extra vegetables such as zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, spinach or kale.
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Prepping and Storing
To Store: This chicken tortilla soup will last in your fridge in a sealed, airtight container for up to 5 days. You can easily reheat this soup in the microwave or on the stovetop for a quick, delicious meal. I love making this soup for my weekly meal prep!
To Freeze: This chicken tortilla soup freezes really well too. First let the soup cool completely, then store it in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, let the soup thaw completely in the fridge. Warm it up in a pot on the stove or re-heat individual servings in the microwave.
More Healthy Soup Recipes
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Detox Immune-Boosting Chicken Soup
- Sausage and Spinach Tortellini Soup
- One Pot Spicy Sausage and Kale Soup
More Mexican Recipes
- Healthy Chicken Enchiladas
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Baked Chicken Fajita Roll-Ups
- Healthy Breakfast Enchiladas
- Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Hope you all enjoy this Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup! If you love this as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!
Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, if using Instant Pot or stove top
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
- 1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chiles
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Juice of 1 lime
- Optional Toppings: cilantro, avocado, tortilla strips
Instructions
To Make on the Stove Top:
- In a large pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat and sauté onion for 3 to 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients, except the cilantro and lime juice, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes, until chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the post and shred using two forks. Add the shredded chicken back into the pot along with the cilantro and lime juice.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with your favorite toppings like crunchy tortilla strips, avocado and extra cilantro or green onions.
To Make in the Crock Pot:
- In a 6-quart slow cooker, add the chicken and rest of the ingredients, except cilantro and lime juice). Cover and place on high for 3 to 4 hours or low 6 to 8 hours. Remove chicken and shred with two forks then add back into the slow cooker along with the cilantro and lime juice.
To Make in the Instant Pot:
- Drizzle olive oil in the bowl of your instant pot and turn on the sauté function. Once oil is simmering, sauté the onion for 3 to 4 minutes then add garlic, sautéing an additional minute.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (except lime juice) and set the Instant Pot to the soup setting and set timer for 7 minutes. Once cooking is complete, let the instant pot sit for about 12 minutes then release the steam by placing the valve to the venting position.
- Remove chicken and shred using two forks, then return chicken to the pot and stir in the cilantro and lime juice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is one of the best soups I have ever made!!! It is SO flavorful.
So excited to try the IP version of this soup! If the chicken is frozen, does that impact the cooking time? Thanks!
Yes I would just add an additional 10 minutes to your cooking time!
Silly question….can I make this on the stove top?
Absolutely! 🙂
My entire family loves this recipe. We mix in a dollop of plain greek yogurt for a creamy, cooled-down version for our youngest (3 years old). And when we forget to mix it up in the slow cooker, we just cook down the onions first and then throw it all together on the stove top – easy peasy that way, too. Wonderful, flavorful, and guilt-free – Thank you!!
Love this recipe! Very satisfying and yes, I always make a double batch and freeze it. Have shared the recipe with many and they love it at well.
Thank you!
Just discovered your blog and love it! I’m curious why you wouldn’t cook the chicken in the slow cooker as the same time as everything else cooks?
Thank you so much! Honestly this was one of my first recipes and one that I should update – I usually DO cook the chicken with everything then shred it one its cooked which of course is a time saver 🙂 Either way would work just fine!!
This Recipe is fabulous. Easy to make. My only regret is not making a double batch. Next time I roast chicken I will cook 2 and then make the soup!
Thank you!
I made this today, WOW is it good. I had this same recipe but with all the seasoning packets and was loaded in salt. This will be my new go to recipe for tortilla soup. I made one change, Instead of purchasing canned enchilada sauce I made my own using the recipe from this website.
http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/04/black-bean-avocado-enchiladas/
Nice low sodium dinner! Thank you
Yesterday was the first time I’ve ever made tortilla soup- so I made this one for our dinner party and everyone loved it! Perfectly delicious.
This recipe is SOOO good!! You’d never guess it wasn’t terrible for you!
To thicken it, I add a tablespoon or two of masa flour, which adds that cooked in tortilla flavor. It adds a few calories, but it’s very worth it!