30-minute Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe made with shredded chicken, diced tomatoes, black beans, and corn. It's garnished with homemade tortilla strips, lime, and cilantro for classic Mexican tortilla soup flavors!
This tortilla soup recipe dates back to my earliest blogging days in 2014. It's a timeless classic that gets happily devoured without fail. I love to turn rotisserie or baked chicken into this soup on busy weeknights. The classic Mexican ingredients make it just. so. dang. good! If you want the meatless version, check out my Vegan Tortilla Soup. Even my meat lovers are crazy about it!
Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredient List
* get full recipe below
- olive oil
- garlic
- onion
- bell pepper
- chicken broth
- canned diced tomatoees
- canned black beans
- corn (fresh, frozen, or canned(
- crushed red pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper
- cooked shredded chicken
- toppings: cilantro, lime, tortilla strips
How to make Chicken Tortilla Soup
* get full recipe below
- In a soup pot on medium-high heat, saute garlic, onion, and bell peppers.
- Add chicken broth, canned tomatoes, canned beans, frozen corn, and seasonings.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer.
- While soup simmers, bake the tortilla strips. You can always use packaged tortilla chips.
- Add shredded chicken and (optional) cornmeal thickener near the end of cooking cycle. Serve warm with Mexican toppings.
What I love about this Tortilla Soup recipe
- use up leftover rotisserie chicken or IP shredded chicken or baked chicken
- naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
- stove to table in 30 minutes
- makes the perfect leftovers and tastes even better the next day
- easy to meal prep for busy weekday lunch or dinner
How to make chicken tortilla soup thicker?
If you've ever searched for chicken tortilla soup, you've probably stumbled across Pioneer Woman Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe. When she makes her chicken tortilla soup, she mixes cornmeal with water to form a paste and adds it to the soup while it's simmering.
I borrowed that technique for my recipe and it was spot on! I like Chicken Tortilla Soup brothy, but I also want that distinct cornmeal flavor and slight thickening effect. If you want yours thicker, just add more of the cornmeal/water paste.
How to make tortilla strips
- Preheat oven to 400° and slice corn tortillas into thin strips.
- Toss strips in olive oil, a little chili powder, and salt.
- Place on a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes (toss them around after 5 minutes)
- Cool the strips (and try to not eat them all before serving)
Guys, these strips, they take this Mexican soup to the next level...you'll crave them for dayyyyys!
Recommended Tools
- chef knife and cutting board
- 3-quart soup pot
- small baking sheet (to bake tortilla strips)
- small mixing bowl (to make cornmeal paste)
- food storage container
Grab these easy dinner recipes
- Taco Pasta [Instant Pot or Stove]
- Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
- Italian Sausage Soup with Orzo
- Tomato Soup [Instant Pot or Stove]
- Lasagna Soup [Instant Pot or Stove]
- Three Bean Turkey Chili
- Crockpot Chicken Vegetable Soup
Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
INGREDIENTS
Soup Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil, or any cooking oil
- 2 cloves Garlic, finely grated
- ½ large Onion, diced
- ½ large Red Bell Pepper, diced
- 3 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 (15 ounce can) Diced Tomatoes, keep juice
- 1 (15 ounce can) Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup Sweet Corn, frozen, canned, or fresh
- ½ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 cup Cooked Shredded Chicken
- 1 bunch Cilantro, chopped for garnish
- 1 Lime , sliced into wedges for garnish
For the cornmeal thickener:
- 2 tablespoons Corn Meal
- 2 tablespoons Water
For homemade tortilla strips
- 4 Corn Tortillas, sliced into thin strips
- 1 tablespoon Canola Oil
- ¼ teaspoon Chili Powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Sea Salt
Instructions
For the Chicken Tortilla Soup:
- In a 4 or 5 quart soup pot, heat OLIVE OIL; add GARLIC, ONION, and BELL PEPPER; sauté until tender.
- Add CHICKEN BROTH, TOMATOES (with juice), BLACK BEANS, CORN, RED CHILI FLAKES, CUMIN, SALT, and PEPPER; stir to combine; increase heat to med-high and bring it to a gentle boil for a few minutes.
- Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer (about 15 minutes); add cooked CHICKEN in the last 5 minutes.
For the Pioneer Woman tortilla soup-thickening trick:
- In a small bowl, combine the CORNMEAL and WATER to form a paste. Work the lumps out with a fork; add this paste to the soup; stir to combine.
Bake the homemade tortilla strips (while the soup simmers)
- In a mixing bowl, combine TORTILLA STRIPS, CANOLA OIL, CHILI POWDER, and SALT; work the oil and seasonings into the strips with your hand; scatter on a baking sheet.
- Insert into oven and bake for about 8-12 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from oven; remove strips from baking sheet onto a plate or bowl; set aside to cool.
To serve Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Ladle warm soup into bowls, top with cilantro, lime, and baked tortilla strips. Add cheese if desired.
NUTRITION
Nutrition data provided as courtesy estimates using unbranded ingredients from a nutrition database. Please consult preferred resource for precise data.
Katie says
I made this tonight with leftover shredded chicken from ranch chicken tacos and it was delicious!!! I opted to use a can of diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers in it and only used half of the crushed red pepper flakes and my husband and I kept going back for more!!! My kids kept asking for more salt or milk (oops!) so it may have been a little too spicy for them. My 7 year old was a big help with dicing the red pepper, and she made the tortilla strips all by herself! Great recipe!! We will definitely be making this again (mayyybe with less spice for the kids). *I wasn’t familiar with corn meal so I used corn starch like I would to make gravy and it turned out great. Not sure how different it would have been with corn meal.
Thanks again!
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesome, Katie! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe as much as we do. We always go back for more too LOL. I love it that you got your little one involved in the tortilla strips...great idea! Thanks for the review...much appreciated! Cheers!
Christine says
This was a knockout! I used a full can of tomatoes (about 28 oz) so upped the chicken stock by about 5/6 cups, added some Adobo spices and added a full bag of frozen corn, and let it all stew for a few hours. It was absolutely fantastic! Best way to use up leftover Rotisserie chicken!
The Kitchen Girl says
Oh, I'm so glad to hear it, Christine! I love your changes...esp the Adobo spices YUM! Chicken Tortilla soup might just be my fav way to use up rotisserie chicken Thanks so much for your feedback
MJ says
Loved this soup and so did my husband, who can be like a stubborn two year old when it comes to eating his vegetables.
Traci Antonovich says
Haha well, I'm so glad you both enjoyed this one! It's a fav over here too 🙂 Thanks so much for the feedback!
JB says
Great recipe for chicken tortilla soup. Utilizing rotisserie chicken made this an extremely easy prep. Delicious!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks, JB! It's one of my favorite soups of all time. I'm glad you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂
Sara says
The hardest part of this recipe was not eating all the tortilla strips before it was ready lol. But seriously so yummy!!
Traci Antonovich says
Haha, that is TOTALLY my problem too, Sarah. Every. Single. Time And thank you for the kind words
Andrea says
Wow, this looks fabulous. Really like how easy this is to make too.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks, Andrea! Love hearing that...and it really is so easy to make 🙂
Denise says
What a great and flavorful recipe! I am saving this for the fall/winter when we are eating soup often!
Traci Antonovich says
Yay, so glad you'll enjoy this soup, Denise 🙂
Claudia Lamascolo says
this is one beautiful bowl of comfort food I love soups with so much in it .. that makes a whole meal in itself!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks, Claudia! This soup does have a fair amount of ingredients 🙂
Liz says
I am SO excited for soup weather! and I bet this soup has so much flavor. Perfect for a healthy dinner!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks, Liz! Yes, I feel like chicken tortilla soup is pretty healthy...and SO flavorful 🙂
Cookilicious says
How hearty and delicious this soup is!
Traci Antonovich says
Awesome! So glad you like it! 🙂
Chichi | mydiasporakitchen.com says
This soup is a regular in my home. So so delicious
Traci Antonovich says
Yay Chichi! Us too...we always look so forward to this one!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I've heard of tortilla soup, but didn't realise it actually had strips of tortilla. Thought it was more just Mexican flavours and you might have served the tortillas with the soup. You learn something new every day.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks, Jacqueline...actually, I like to serve my tortilla soup with tortillas on the side too, sometimes 🙂
Dannii says
This is one of my favourite comforting soups. It just has so many layers to it.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks, Dannii! You are so right about the layers! 🙂
Morgan Eisenberg says
Love adding cornmeal to this soup! Double whammy, adds flavor and texture.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks, Morgan! Meee too! Great minds... 😉
Danielle Wolter says
it's been so long since i had tortilla soup - this version sounds divine! I really look forward to trying it 🙂
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks, Danielle...hope you love it like we do! 🙂
Alexandra says
This is such a fantastic recipe - it is full of flavour, and one for the whole family to enjoy. It is such a great use of chicken!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks, Alexandra...yes! Hard to believe all of the flavor in a 30-minute soup 🙂
Brian Jones says
This was delicious, simple and really easy to make, loved it!
Traci Antonovich says
Awesome, Brian! So glad you enjoyed it. Chicken tortillas soup IS so easy, isn't it! 🙂
Jeannette says
I love what you've done with the leftovers! The tortillas add that perfectly satisfying crunch! Yum!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks, Jeanette! The garnish ingredients are really what takes this soup to the next level 🙂
Natalie says
Looks so delicious and comforting! I love tortilla soup!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks, Natalie...I'm right there with you in the tortilla soup fan club 🙂