The best Chicken Tortilla Soup is fully loaded with tender chicken, fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, corn, and smoky spices. It’s perfectly finished with crispy fried tortilla strips and fresh lime juice.
It’s a hearty dinner for any night of the week, but especially cozy and warming for cold nights!
Tortilla Soup is so easy to make!
This Mexican-inspired soup recipe is not only delicious, but it’s super simple to make. I’m not kidding!
It takes about 40 minutes to create this smoky, veggie-packed, high-protein meal using ingredients that you probably already have.
I’m showing you how to make this chicken tortilla soup recipe with fresh chicken breasts, but you can make dinner prep even easier if you have leftover roast chicken or a rotisserie chicken on hand.
Don’t skip the crispy tortilla strips! They give each bite that perfect crunch factor, and they are the top reason why this recipe has made it to my list of favorite fall soups.
Ingredient Notes
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Chicken: You’ll need about a pound of chicken for this soup, and I’m using boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I slice the breasts in half lengthwise before cooking them right in the broth. This way, the chicken is easy to shred into pieces that are perfectly bite-sized. If you’d rather not deal with raw chicken to make this soup, pick up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and use the meat from that.
- Onion and Garlic: These two aromatics create a wonderfully savory base layer of flavor for the soup. I suggest freshly minced garlic rather than packaged garlic in a jar.
- Canned Tomatoes: Fire-roasted diced tomatoes give the soup a smoky, warm flavor. You can also use plain diced tomatoes; just add a pinch of extra smoked paprika to make up for the flavor.
- Canned Beans: Black beans are the best option, but you could use pinto beans or navy beans if that’s what you have on hand.
- Canned Green Chiles: These typically come in small, 4-ounce cans, which is the perfect amount to add a bit of heat.
- Low-Sodium Chicken Stock: The canned items we’re adding to this recipe contain enough salt already, so it’s best to use a low-salt broth or stock.
- Corn: I usually have a bag or two of frozen corn in my freezer, so that’s what I’m using in this recipe. Canned corn will work just the same, or even fresh corn if you have it.
- Seasonings: Smoked paprika for extra smoky flavor, plus dried oregano, ground cumin, and a bit of salt, to taste.
- Lime and Cilantro: For finishing the soup, these two add fresh, bright flavor notes.
- Tortillas: While the soup simmers, fry sliced corn tortillas in a skillet until they’re golden and crispy. If you don’t want to fry your own tortillas, you can also serve this with tortilla chips or bagged tortilla chip strips.
More Delicious Soup Recipes!
Italian Wedding Soup
Chicken Enchilada Soup
Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup
Creamy Chicken And Mushroom Soup
Recipe Tips
- You can use any type of chicken in this recipe. Use chicken breasts, chicken tenders, or even chicken thighs. If you have chicken leftover or rotisserie chicken, that works perfectly too.
- Want a vegetarian version? Leave the chicken out and add an extra can of beans. Use veggie stock instead of chicken stock and enjoy.
- Toppings are optional, but delicious! Try a dollop of sour cream, some sliced avocado, or a bit of lime crema to add creaminess. You could also add shredded cheese, salsa, sliced jalapenos, or anything else that you might put on top of tacos.
- You can fry the tortillas ahead of time if you need to. Let them cool and then store them in a ziplock bag on the counter for up to a day. Reheat in a skillet just to crisp them up again.
- Meal Prep! This soup (minus the tortillas) freezes very well. I like to freeze my leftovers in single-serving portions, then enjoy whenever I feel like it, with some tortilla chips on the side.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Chicken Tortilla Soup
This hearty chicken tortilla soup is loaded with tender shredded chicken, fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, corn, and smoky spices, then finished with fresh lime juice and crispy tortilla strips. It’s warm, zesty, and perfect for a cozy dinner any night of the week.
Servings
This hearty chicken tortilla soup is loaded with tender shredded chicken, fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, corn, and smoky spices, then finished with fresh lime juice and crispy tortilla strips. It’s warm, zesty, and perfect for a cozy dinner any night of the week.
Equipment
- Cutting board and knife
- Mixing spoon
- Small skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 medium (150 g) yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 15-ounce can (425 g) black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 14.5-ounce can (411 g) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 4-ounce can (113 g) fire-roasted diced green chilies
- 1 15-ounce can (425 g) corn or frozen corn (1½ cups equals one can)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 4 cups (1 liter) low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 to 2 (450 g) chicken breasts about 1 pound, sliced in half lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lime juice plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons (8 g) fresh cilantro chopped
For the Tortilla Strips
- 4 to 6 small corn tortillas cut into thin strips
- Vegetable oil for frying
For Serving
- Fresh avocado diced
- Sour cream
- Extra chopped cilantro
- Fried tortilla strips or tortilla chips
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, green chilies, corn, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Pour in the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
- Add the halved chicken breasts. Simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches 165°F (74°C).
- Remove the chicken from the pot, let it cool slightly, then shred it with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the soup.
- Stir in the lime juice and chopped cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt or lime juice if needed.
- To make tortilla strips, heat a layer of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the tortilla strips for 1-2 minutes until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
- Serve the soup hot with avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and tortilla strips or chips.
Notes:
- Instead of cooking the chicken in the soup, use leftover cooked chicken, or the meat from a whole rotisserie chicken. Add it toward the end to heat through.
- Instead of chicken breasts, try this recipe with boneless chicken thighs.
- For extra heat, add ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or a few dashes of hot sauce.
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes: These are not common in UK or Australian supermarkets. Use regular canned diced tomatoes and add an extra pinch (about ¼ teaspoon) of smoked paprika.
- Diced green chilies: Substitute with 1 finely chopped roasted green chili, or a few spoonfuls of mild green chili salsa.
- Chili powder: U.S.-style chili powder is a mild seasoning blend, not pure ground chili. UK and Australian “chilli powder” is much hotter, so use only ¼ teaspoon if substituting, or make your own blend (paprika, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne).
- Corn tortillas: Use any small corn tortillas or soft taco wraps labeled “corn and wheat blend” if pure corn ones are hard to find.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 269kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.002g, Cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 580mg, Potassium: 669mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 567IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 78mg, Iron: 3mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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