Quick and Flavorful Chicken Tortilla Soup

There’s nothing better than a quick and flavorful chicken tortilla soup with a hint of spice on a cold afternoon. Sometimes it can be very intimidating to make soup from scratch, especially when you have a toddler running around and opening all the kitchen cabinets helping you reorganize the shelves that were just reorganized yesterday. Luckily, this foolproof and flavorful chicken tortilla soup can be made in a pinch and will leave your kitchen smelling absolutely delicious!

What’s in the soup?

• Salsa – When I make this soup I like to use mild salsa from the refrigerator section.
• Chicken thigh – This recipe calls for 1.5 – 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thigh, I tend to look for a 2 pound pack myself.
• Chicken bone broth – As usual, I opt for bone broth over stock, for the added nutrients and protein, but you’re the boss.
• Limes – This recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of lime juice. It’s nice to serve the soup with a few lime wedges in case you like to taste a bit more lime.
• Corn – 1 can of corn does the trick! Don’t forget to drain and rinse.
• Black beans – 1 can of black beans is all you need, be sure to drain and rinse!
• Spices – Cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika – the perfect trio! Don’t forget your kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
• Garnishes – I love to garnish my chicken tortilla soup with cilantro, avocado, tortilla strips, and a few slices of jalapenos. Shredded Mexican cheese or some sour cream is a nice addition as well.

Add your own twist to this quick and flavorful chicken tortilla soup

What I love most about this recipe is that it is so versatile, you can really make it your own; pick the salsa you like most, make it more or less spicy, add extra fix-ins to bulk up the texture, use store bought or homemade tortilla strips/chips.  Cook your soup in the slow cooker or on the stove top. The adjustments are endless!

You will notice in the instructions below I have outlined the different cook times for the desired cooking vessel you choose to use!

Tips and Tricks

In a pinch and don’t have salsa?

Here’s a quick way to make your own soup base full of flavor:

• Saute 1 onion (white or yellow), 3-4 cloves of garlic, and 1 diced and seeded jalapeno.
• Once the onions are translucent, add the spices (from the recipe) and stir until fragrant (about 1-2 min).
• Add 1 can of diced tomatoes (bonus if they are roasted or with chilis), then add all the remaining ingredients to make soup base.

Quick way to make your own tortilla strips:

I have found that using corn tortillas is the way to go when making tortilla strips for this soup. Every time I make these, Kevin says they taste like fritos.

• Slice 3-4 tortillas into 1/4 inch strips. Then cut those strips into 2 inch pieces.
• In a medium sized non-stick skillet, melt 1-2 tbsp of butter or avocado oil over medium high heat, and add in the strips.
• Season with kosher salt ( about 1/2 tsp).
• Continue to stir and flip your tortilla strips until golden brown.
• Once your desired doneness is achieved, place on a paper towel to remove excess grease and set aside.

FAQ

Is this chicken tortilla soup whole30?

No. Since this soup contains corn and black beans, it is not whole30 compliant. However, if you omit the corn and beans, you can add in some chopped zucchini before serving to make this dish whole30 compliant.

Is this soup really spicy?

Nope, my toddler loves this soup! If you have any concerns about the spiciness, find your favorite salsa and use that.

Do I drain and rinse my diced tomatoes?

Nope, just add the whole can in. But, you should drain and rinse the corn and black beans.

I don’t have smoked paprika, can I sub regular paprika, or sweet paprika?

Yes, but I do recommend getting yourself some smoked paprika, it’s delicious!

How do I store my soup?

Absolutely! Store your quick and flavorful chicken tortilla soup in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3-4 days. Or, you can freeze leftovers in a freezer friendly bag or container for up to 3 months. If you are placing leftovers in the fridge or freezer, let the soup cool before storing.

How to make this Quick and Flavorful Chicken Tortilla Soup:

• Choose the cooking vessel of your choice, Instapot, Dutch Oven, or Slow Cooker.
• Add your chicken, chicken bone broth, salsa, can of diced tomatoes, cumin, chili, smoked paprika, kosher salt and pepper to your cooking vessel.
  • Set the slow cooker to high for 4 hours.
  • For Dutch Oven: cover, and cook over medium-high heat for 30 minutes, or until chicken is easily shredded.
  • For Instapot: pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.
• Once done cooking, remove chicken and place in a bowl to shred.
• Add drained and rinsed corn and black beans to soup along with shredded chicken. Add in the 2 tbsp of limes.
• Give everything a good stir and taste for any additional seasoning.
• Enjoy!

With very minimal planning you will have a full and warm belly in no time!

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Quick and Flavorful Chicken Tortilla Soup

Easy and versitile chicken tortilla soup

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course dinner, entree, Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword easy, flavorful, quick, slow cooker, soup, spicy, tortilla soup

Equipment

• Slow Cooker
• Dutch Oven (heavy-bottomed pot)
• Instant Pot

Ingredients

• 1½-2 lbs chicken thigh boneless skinless
• 4 cups chicken bone broth
• 12 oz salsa mild
• 2 limes juiced (about 2 tbsp)
• 14 ½ oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1½ tbsp chili powder
• 1½ tbsp smoked paprika
• 1-2 tsp kosher salt to taste
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 can sweet corn drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 avocado sliced for garnish
• cilantro for garnish
• jalapeno for garnish
• tortilla chips for garnish, or tortillas of your choice with 2-3 tbsp butter
• shredded cheese for garnish

Instructions

Get the soup going, below you will find 3 different and easy methods for cooking the soup:

• Slow Cooker: Combine all ingredients (except corn and black beans) in the slow cooker. Set the slow cooker to high for 4 hours.

  Dutch Oven: Combine all ingredients (except corn and black beans) in your Dutch Oven (aka heavy-bottomed pot), cover, and cook over medium-high heat for 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and can be easily shredded.

  Instant Pot: Combine all ingredients (except corn and black beans) in your Instant Pot, pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.
• About 10 minutes before cook time is complete, drain and rinse your corn and black beans, and prep all garnishes you wish to use. Slice your avocado, rinse cilantro, slice the jalapeno, shred your cheese.
• Once the chicken is cooked through (165°F), remove the chicken from the soup and shred.  Add the shredded chicken back to the soup base along with the corn and black beans and stir well.
• Taste soup for any additional desired seasonings or salt you wish to add.
• Spoon the soup into bowls and top with desired garnishes and tortilla chips/strips.
• Enjoy!

Notes

1. Most of what this recipe calls for is typically already in my fridge or pantry.  Don’t have salsa? Saute 1 onion, 3-4 cloves of garlic, and 1 diced and seeded jalapeno.  After sauteing and onions are translucent, add the spices and stir until fragrant (about 1-2 min), add 1 can of diced tomatoes (nice if they are roasted or with chilis), then add all the remaining ingredients to make soup base (same as above).
2. If you wish to make your own tortilla strips, cut your tortillas of choice (corn is great here) into about ¼ inch strips. Cut those strips into 2 inch peices.  Heat 2-3 tbsp butter (or avocado oil) in a small pan over medium-high heat. When butter starts to foam, add the tortilla strips, continue to stir and flip the strips until desired level of golden brown crispiness, I like about 3-4 minutes.  Set aside on paper towel to garnish soup.