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Chicken Tortilla Soup

This easy Chicken Tortilla Soup is bursting with fresh, zesty Tex-Mex flavor! Top your tortilla soup with crunchy tortilla strips, avocado, and sour cream for a comforting weeknight dinner. Ready in under 40 minutes!

Overhead view of a bowl of chicken tortilla soup

The Best Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

This one-pot Chicken Tortilla Soup brings delicious comfort and a surprising element of fun to the table. It’s a family favorite soup recipe filled with tender chicken and veggies, made in one pot and ready in under 40 minutes!

My friend Meghan shared this recipe with me many years ago. It’s a riff on the chicken tortilla soup from local restaurant Brasa. While this soup is no longer on their menu (sadly), I’m happy that we can still enjoy its goodness at home!

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken soup is the ultimate comfort food, isn’t it? If you love this wholesome chicken tortilla soup, try more easy recipes like Thai chicken soup, coconut curry chicken soup, and chicken wild rice soup.

Overhead view of chicken tortilla soup ingredients

What You’ll Need

This easy soup recipe is loaded with robust Mexican flavors and ingredients, like chili powder, Mexican oregano, corn, and black beans. Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable ingredients list.

How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup

This chicken tortilla soup comes together quickly, perfect for busy weeknights. Below is a visual step-by-step. You’ll find the printable instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

A ladle of tortilla soup over a soup pot

Tips and Variations

Here are a few tips and variations to keep in mind when making this one-pot soup.

Angled view of a bowl of chicken tortilla soup topped with lime and cilantro

Soup Toppings

Toppings turn this easy chicken tortilla soup into the best kind of make-it-your-own dinner. Load up your bowls with your favorite toppings, add a few lime wedges to squeeze over top, and dinner is served! Here are some of our favorite soup topping ideas:

Easy Homemade Tortilla Strips

Crispy tortilla strips are the perfect garnish for a bowl of chicken tortilla soup! You can find bags of tortilla strips at the store near the croutons. It’s also super easy to make tortilla strips at home in just two steps:

A hand holding a spoon in a bowl of chicken tortilla soup

How to Serve Chicken Tortilla Soup

When our family eats this chicken tortilla soup, we always add fresh mozzarella and avocado to the bottom of our bowls. Cut up large chunks of fresh mozzarella, or use small mozzarella balls or even smaller mozzarella “pearls”. For the avocado, just cut it into bite-sized chunks. When you ladle the hot soup over the mozzarella, the cheese transforms into soft, super melty, ooey-gooey fun!

For a satisfying Mexican-inspired dinner, pair this soup with your protein of choice, like these zesty grilled shrimp skewers or a Southwest salad with chicken and a starter of Southwest egg rolls. Wash down your meal with a refreshing margarita or tequila mojito!

Overhead view of a bowl of chicken tortilla soup

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

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Overhead view of a bowl of chicken tortilla soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Yield: 6 servings
prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 40 minutes
This easy Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe is loaded with fresh and zesty Tex-Mex flavor. Top your bowls with crunchy tortilla strips, avocado, and sour cream for an easy weeknight dinner!
5 Stars (3 Reviews)
Print

Ingredients

  • 1 yellow onion chopped
  • 2 sweet bell peppers any color(s) you like, chopped
  • 3 large garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
  • ½ teaspoon ground chipotle powder
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 can 28 ounces diced tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 can 14 ounces corn, drained – or use fresh sweet corn kernels, so good!
  • 1 can 14 ounces black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 3 to 4 cups cooked shredded chicken breasts – a roasted deli chicken works great!
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Optional Garnishes, see Notes for more ideas:

  • fresh mozzarella cut into 1″ chunks – or use small mozzarella balls or “pearls”
  • fresh avocado cut into 1″ chunks

Instructions

  • Heat a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add oil. Once oil is shimmering, stir in onion, sweet bell peppers, and garlic. Stir occasionally, until just softened, about 4-5 minutes.
  • Then add chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, chipotle powder, salt, pepper, tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. 
  • Stir in corn, black beans, shredded chicken, and lime juice. Simmer for 10 minutes more, or until heated throughout.
  • To serve: Place avocado and mozzarella in the bottom of individual serving bowls. Ladle hot soup over the top. The cheese will stay in its form but become melted and ooey-gooey, yummy! Top soup with cilantro, green onions, sour cream, and tortilla crisps or chips. Offer fresh lime slices on the side for squeezing over the top.

Notes

Optional Garnishes:
fresh cilantro, chopped
green onions, chopped
fresh jalapeno slices and/or pickled jalapenos
pickled red onions
tortilla crisps or chips
fresh lime slices
sour cream
Adapted from Meghan Kell's recipe box, inspired by the soup once offered at Brasa.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 Calories: 757kcal Carbohydrates: 37g Protein: 79g Fat: 33g Saturated Fat: 8g Polyunsaturated Fat: 22g Cholesterol: 211mg Sodium: 1033mg Fiber: 7g Sugar: 8g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles or tag @farmgirlsdabble!
Overhead view of a bowl of chicken tortilla soup

This post was originally published in 2011, then updated in 2022.