Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Chicken Tortilla Soup is the perfect easy weeknight dinner. Full of shredded chicken, corn, beans, and homemade tortilla strips, this soup is a meal in itself. It’s comforting, hearty, and filling.
What’s even better? Just like our Taco Soup and Beef Chili, this Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe comes together in one pot.

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Hi there! My name is Natalya and I run the blog Momsdish. If you already follow me, you know I can’t get enough of easy meals that require simple ingredients
Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup:
Chicken tortilla soup is like a taco in soup form. Its rich tomato and chicken broth pairs perfectly with chunky veggies, shredded chicken, beans and sweet corn.
You can sprinkle some tortilla strips right on top with a healthy handful of cheese, or pair the dish with soft Dinner Rolls.

Tips For Tortilla Soup:
- Use Leftover Chicken. Have a rotisserie chicken hanging out in your fridge? What about some leftover chicken breasts you don’t 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.

To Make Crispy Tortilla Strips:
- Pan Frying: Preheat a pan with 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat. Cut 8 (6″) corn tortillas into thin strips and fry them in a couple of batches, adding more oil as needed. Remove from the pot and let drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.
- To Bake: Toss tortilla strips in a bowl with 2 Tbsp oil until well coated. Bake on a cookie sheet in a single layer at 350˚F for 15 minutes.

How To Make Chicken Tortilla Soup:
- Place a soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp oil and sautee chopped onion, garlic, and jalapeno until tender.
- Add chicken breasts and remaining soup ingredients to the pot. Bring to a boil then simmer for 25 minutes.
- Remove the chicken to a bowl and shred it with 2 forks. Return chicken to the pot and simmer 5 minutes then add lime juice.
- Serve the soup with homemade tortilla strips, chopped avocado, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges.

Make-Ahead Tip: the broth gets more and more flavorful the longer it marinates in itself. Can you say delicious leftovers? Make a big batch of tortilla soup and eat it for lunch throughout the week.
Serving Chicken Tortilla Soup:
The only thing that makes Chicken Tortilla Soup taste even better are the toppings. These are our favorites:
- Sour cream
- Homemade tortilla strips
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Cilantro
- Avocado
- Lime wedges
- Jalapeno, sliced or diced

Storing Leftover Soup:
- Refrigerator: Store your leftover soup without toppings in an airtight container in the fridge. It should stay fresh for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: You can also freeze your soup in an airtight container for up to two months. When you are ready to eat it, allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat soup by bringing it to a boil in a saucepan.

More Soup Recipes You’ll Love:
- Beef Stew – with tender morsels of beef
- Pasta e Fagioli – easy Olive Garden copycat recipe.
- Loaded Potato Soup – creamy and you’ll love the toppings
- Chicken Noodle Soup – a family favorite
- Cabbage Soup – a soup to warm your soul in winter
- Minestrone Soup – a hearty, tomato-based soup that never gets old.
Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Chicken Tortilla Soup is the perfect, cold weather weeknight dinner. What’s even better? It comes together in one pot.
Ingredients
Chicken Tortilla Soup
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper , seeded and diced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 lb chicken breasts, (2 medium)
- 20 oz crushed tomatoes
- 32 oz chicken broth
- 14 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
- 14 oz corn, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, divided (reserve 1/4 of it for garnish)
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
Homemade Tortilla Strips
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 8 corn tortillas , (6" tortillas)
Toppings
- 1 large avocado, diced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
Instructions
Tortilla Strips:
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Preheat a pan with 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat. Cut tortillas into thin strips and fry them in batches in the hot oil until crisp. Remove from the pan and allow them to drain on a paper towel. Repeat with remaining tortilla strips, adding more oil as needed then set aside.
Chicken Tortilla Soup:
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Preheat a pot with oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, garlic and chopped jalapeño and sauté until veggies soften.
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Add whole chicken, corn, beans, chilli powder, cumin, crushed tomatoes, salt, ¼ cup of cilantro and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and let simmer for at least 25 minutes.
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Remove chicken from the pot and shred it using 2 forks. Add shredded chicken back to the soup and simmer another 5 minutes then add lime juice.
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Serve the soup with some tortilla strips, pieces of avocado, fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
Excited to make this! Though I’m not a huge fan of actual tomatoes. Can I use tomato sauce instead?
Hi there, I honestly haven’t tested that to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Make this soup, make it just as is for a cold night delight. Smells amazing, looks yummy and tastes better than restaurant soups.
Thanks for the awesome feedback, I’m happy that you loved this soup recipe!
Love this recipe- pretty easy to make- highly recommend- I did not add the jalapeño ( forgot to pick it up) but still had enough zing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this on Tuesday and as always it is another 5-star review. You truly make my life easier, thank you, thank you!!!
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that awesome review with me. I’m all smiles
I love all your recipe and my son who is 5years old loves watching your video. I made this today and everyone loved it. Thank You
Great to hear that! Thank you for sharing that with us.
I am looking to save a little more time. Can I put this into the crockpot?
Hi Christina, I haven’t tested that to adivse. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
I’m making this tonight but doubling to freeze for when it baby comes. I don’t have corn tortillas so we will use chips instead. Anything I should know about freezing it.
Congratulations, Kandice! We note that in the recipe, but you can also freeze your soup in an airtight container for up to two months. When ready to eat it, allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat soup by bringing it to a boil in a saucepan. I hope this helps!
This recipe was awesome. I may have accidentally on purpose left the majority of the jalapeno seeds in and it was perfectly spicy.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This definitely taste better the next day once the flavors settle so I would make it ahead of time, next time. I ate some right after making it and I thought it was too sweet and tasted too much like crushed tomatoes. I didn’t get any other flavors. But I ate some the next day and it was amazing and I could taste more of the other flavors.. The chicken was more tender too. It was delicious!
Glad you enjoyed this recipe, Melissa. Thanks for your great review!
Hallo wanted to say I love your recepies. They make my mouth water. They make my eyes quiver. They make my face turn red with happiness.
Aaw, thank you! That’s so sweet of you and I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes.
Wow, same. Thank you for your wonderful advice Jacob, I will make this recepie tongihtg.
My family absolutely LOVES this soup! I’ve made it a few times and each time it gets gobbled up! I love adding all the goodies on top….fresh lime, fresh avacado (I use frozen chunks too when they’re off season), cilantro, jalapenos, sour cream, and did I mention lime! Delicious and even better the next day for lunch.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Makes a great option for soup rotation in the fall/winter other than chili and chicken noodle soup.
Fun Side Note – we don’t use fresh jalapenos much except for this recipe. I shop at Aldi and they come about 5 in a bag. I used a total of two for this recipe….one in the soup and the other for fresh topping. While the soup was cooking, I made bacon wrapped cream cheese jalapenos . Popped them in the air fryer for a little bit….and it was a fun appetizer before the soup was ready! Don’t waste those extra jalapenos 😉
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Rachel! I’m glad you found this recipe and now have it on regular rotation! That’s when you know it’s good!
I made this for the first time yesterday evening to use up leftover Thanksgiving Turkey and it was delicious! The only thing I did differently was add an extra jalapeño and some red pepper flakes to give it a little extra kick. My daughter loved it! Yum! Thanks again for another great recipe!
Yum! That sounds amaizing! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Made this last night and it turn out of delicious! The chicken was perfect!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Shannon!
We loved this recipe! My husband was feeling a little under the weather, but anyway, this was delicious and he felt way better after consuming a very big bowl. I added 1/2 a habanero to clear out his sinuses and It worked. We’ll be making this again, soon. Much better than previous tortilla soup recipes that I’ve tried over the year. Thanks so much!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Molly! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
First time making this soup and my (usually) picky husband who is not fan of chicken nor tomatoes had 3 bowls! Love your recipes! Every recipe of yours that I make is spot on and my cooking skills are pretty limited haha 😉
It sounds like the picky found a new favorite! I’m so glad it’s this tortilla soup recipe! Thank you for sharing your excellent review with me!
It was my first time making it and my husband said it was great and will definitely make it again! I grabbed the wrong pepper at the store so I ended up not using any. And I omitted the lime but it was still perfect. Thank you for this recipe! I have been struggling to find new dinner ideas lately lol
You’re very welcome, Ann. Good to know that you loved this recipe, thank you for the review!
So very good! I also added a can of Rotel. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for your review, Sandra! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
This soup is super easy and oh so delicious! Thanks Natasha, you are my go to now for great family friendly food!
You’re so welcome, Kathy. I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try.
This soup blew me away! Perfect as is, and such an easy recipe. I needed a lower sodium version than most recipes I’d seen. This answered all my needs. Spicy, warm and filling, heart healthy. Thank you Natasha!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Sandra!
Wow, amazingly fast and one of the very best chicken tortilla soups we’ve ever had!!!
I’m so happy you loved this tortilla soup, Angie! Thank you for sharing your awesome review with me!
Ammmmazing. Just so good. I added more jalapeño, cilantro and lime because we love those flavors and this soup blew us away. Thank you!
So glad you all loved it! Thank you for your great comments and feedback, Jessica.
Amazing soup. I followed the recipe exactly as stated. I did use fresh corn from the cob though. 100% delicious. Family loved it.
That is awesome feedback, thank you so much for trying out this recipe. I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
I’ve made this many times, it’s delish! I’ve thrown in diced green chilis and hominy into the pond as well, definitely a flexible recipe. Thanks Nataha😘
Great idea, Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Chuck!
Hi Natasha…
Tried your chicken tortilla soup recipe for the first time yesterday and my husband absolutely loved it – he had 3 bountiful bowls, always telling me that he needed to try more to ensure he liked it. Thank you for making your recipes so simple and hearty 😉
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.😊 Thanks for the great review!
Eating low carb foods, I cannot figure out how a few black beans and a few corn kernels in a serving can add up to 62 grams of carbs. This looks so good but that just doesn’t fit in our eating. What am I missing? I really want to make it. Is that accurate?
Hi Sabdra, the nutrition calculator is per serving and it is an estimate. You can cross-check it with another nutrition calculator for exact nutrition counts.
It’s probably the tortillas. You can buy a la Madre corn tortillas and they are 3 net carbs per tortilla. They freeze really well so I buy more than 1 package to justify the shipping.
This sounds delicious! Does anyone have any ideas what I might be able to substitute for the corn and corn tortillas? I know this probably “makes” the soup (after all, “tortilla” is in the name of it!), but I’m allergic to corn. The idea of the soup makes me want to try it, however, as it sounds incredible!
Hi Mandy, I definitely think it would still work if you were to omit the corn and corn tortillas.
You can omit both. They are not needed ,the soup is still amazing.
About how many quarts does the original recipe make?
Ho Rowan, I wish I measured it that way! This recipe serves six at about 1 – 1.5 cups per serving
The soup was so easy and so delicious. My chicken breasts were pretty thick so it took a little longer than 25 minutes to get them to where I wanted them to be before shredding. As well, I added a dollop of sour cream just to add a hint of creaminess. I think some half and half would work to. Definitely being added to the recipe book for an easy delicious week night meal. As always, thanks!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Scott!
Is it spicy??????
Hi Adrianna, You are welcome to Adjust The Spice. Please see this note in the recipe “Do you like it spicy? Add some extra jalapeños into the mix.””
I made this with a rotisserie chicken. I only put the chicken in for about 15 minutes after the broth was done. Still Amazing.
Greta to hear that you liked it! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Love this soup. Super easy to make and super flavorful.
I’m so glad you enjoeyd that, Maryann! Thank you for sharing that wonderful review!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!! I had to use bone in chicken breast and substitute tortilla chips, but it still turned out wonderful! Perfect hot dinner in for this snowy Saturday night ❤️
Sounds perfect! Thank you for your wonderful review, Shelby. Appreciate it!
So easy and so good!!!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Josselinne.
Absolutely loved it. For some reason its hard to get fresh jalapeños in Germany but I substituted with Harbanero and it was amazing.
I’m glad that worked well too, Kristina. Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
OMG this is a must. Today mother nature dropped 13” plus of snow and thought soup would Be good. My family loved it everyone had 2 or 3 bowls. The soup was tasty,filling and just perfect! Thank you Natasha for all your recipes
That’s just awesome, Doris! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. This is the perfect recipe for a cold winter day!
I was wondering if I can substitute pinto beans for the black beans. Just not a huge fan of black beans. This looks so delicious!
Hi Karen, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise. You might need to do an experiment on that one. If you do try it, please share with us how it goes.
Made this soup for the first time tonight. Wow it was so delicious and easy to make. This is a keeper….will make again and again!! Thank you Natasha!!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
This is definitely going into my recipe box. We used to always buy Wolfgang Pucks Tortilla soup in a can and add shredded chicken but after the pandemic our store hasn’t carried it so I came out to Natasha’s site for a recipe. This was easy and did not disappoint, waaaay better than the can, and my family loved it, even more so the 2nd day. Once again,love your recipes. Thank you
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Very easy and absolutely delicious! I made it tonight and will make it again for sure. Watching my husband going for the second bowl was a good sign:-)
Definitely a great sign! Thanks for sharing your good comments and feedback with us.
Hi there! I have tried many of your recipes and love them all! This soup sounds amazing, but I was wondering if I could use rotisserie chicken? (I happen to have some leftovers in the fridge). Thank you!
Hi Mary, I haven’t tested that with rotisserie chicken; if you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I made this soup tonight…amazing! Excellent recipe once again Natasha’s. Probably the best chicken tortilla soup I have ever made! Don’t skip on the homemade tortilla strips!
Awesome! Thanks, Janice. I’m glad you enjoyed this soup!
Fantastic! I doubled the recipe so we’ll have plenty of leftovers while my adult sons are still in town.
Very nice! I hope they will still be able to try and love this recipe.
Just tried this receipt last night. Made as is. Loved it!!! Will go into my make more offend binder for sure.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Debbie!
It was snowing a few days ago and my husband and I were craving soup to go with the cold weather. This hit the spot! Incredible recipe!
I’m a newlywed, and I’ve been learning how to cook through your website and wonderful videos on social media. I never knew how much I would enjoy cooking and trying new recipes! Thank you Natasha for all you do!
P.S.: My husband’s family is German and I made pork schnitzel for them using your recipe and they absolutely loved it! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Hello Lara, that is so wonderful! I’m so glad that you’ve been learning a lot of new recipes. I hope that you and your husband will love every recipe that you will try.
This was delicious and very easy. I made it for me and the kids to have for lunch. I dropped out the peppers, but used a 28 oz can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes. My very picky 1 year old actually said, “mmm” when she started eating it! Can’t wait to eat it again for lunch tomorrow! I also used Bona Fide Provisions bone broth, if you haven’t checked them out before, I highly recommend them! Great quality product with a lot of extra nutrients.
That is the best when kids love what we parents make. That’s so great!
Can you suggest how to make this in an Instant Pot? I love all your recipes BTW!!
Hi Lisa, I haven’t experimented with making this in an instant pot because it’s so quick to make on the stovetop. If you try this as an Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup, please let me know how it goes.
Can I make this in a CrockPot? If so what are the instructions.? I really want to try and make it in a crockpot like the “chicken cream cheese chili”
I would really like your input/advice.
Hi Nataly, I think it could be adapted similar to the way the cream cheese chicken chili is but it is so quick that we do it on the stovetop.
20 oz crushed tomatoes, not 28 oz? Since the link opens to 28 oz jars
Hi Valerie, 20 oz is correct but I have added 28 oz when that is what I had on hand and just adjusted the seasoning – adding a touch more seasoning.
Honestly i was kind of hesitant half way through but i continued and it is beyond amazing so yummy both me and my dad loved it 100% gonna repeat it
Hello Roua, I am so happy that you continued with this recipe and I’m glad you loved it! Thanks for your trust and for sharing your great review with us.
This was absolutely delicious! A keeper for sure!
Thank you for this lovely review, Jennifer! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
Hi, when does the lime juice go in? It’s in the ingredients but not in the directions. Thanks
Hi Alecya, so sorry I missed that. Thanks for asking! I Added it after adding the shredded chicken back to the pot and simmering 5 minutes. Its added at the very end. I updated the recipe card.
How much chicken broth?
Nevermind was reading right over it
Hi Nelly, we used 32oz of chicken broth. To see the list of ingredients you can click Jump to Recipe and that will take you to the printable recipe card
Just made it!!! used exact ingredients! let it simmer for an hour total. It’s delicious!
Isn’t it the best! Happy you liked that Anita!
I will have to try your version out. A quick suggestion, as a twist, try adding Habanero peppers seeded & diced instead of jalapeno. (caution use gloves when cutting due to juice). My magic number is 7 – 8 peppers. I have been using this recipe as my standard with the habanero mod & 3 diced sweet small sweet peppers. I also changed brands on the Old El Paso ingredients. I use Rio Organic green Chiles, Frontera red enchilada sauce, Pacific low sodium chicken broth, and gtwo 7 oz cans Green Giant mexicorn. The recipe is from Betty Crocker slow cooker recipes if you want to have another recipe to modify/try. I like the slow cooker option so that it frees time.
Thank you for sharing some suggestions and tips, Michael.
This soup is great..it’s a keeper for sure!!!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe Laura!
Delicious dinner meal! We added shredded cheese and it was perfect. Thank you for the recipe!
Yay, love it! Thank you so much for your awesome review and perfect rating, Lana. We appreciate it!
I’ve been a fan since trying to Chicken Marsala recipe! I still use that for hibiscus and birthdays in my family. The tortilla soup was amazing and can’t wait to share it! It was delicious, hearty and a perfectly easy meal after a long week. Thanks again Natasha!
You are most welcome, Kayla. I’m happy that you’re enjoying all the recipes that you tried. I hope you love all my other recipes too!
This soup recipe is a keeper! Thanks!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
What would be the suggested serving size?
Hi Ken, this recipe makes 6 servings at about 1 – 1.5 cups per serving.
Super delicious and easy! I love the bright and slightly spicy flavors in this savory, brothy soup! So perfect for cool evenings!
Hi Betsy, I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! It really is perfect for this cooler weather that is rolling in.
One pot meals are such a lifesaver for busy nights! This was delicious!
They are my favorite kinds of dinners also. I’m so glad you loved the Chicken tortilla soup!