Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Add Preferred SourceChicken Tortilla Soup is what I make when the week has gone sideways and there’s leftover chicken sitting in the fridge. If you haven’t made it before, it’s a Mexican-inspired soup of shredded chicken, tomatoes, and corn in a lightly spiced broth, finished with crisp tortilla strips on top.
Two cups of cooked chicken and a few pantry cans stretch into eight bowls, so one rotisserie chicken or a batch of leftovers goes a long way. The part that makes it work is baking your own tortilla strips from corn tortillas and adding them right at the table, so they stay crisp instead of turning soft in the broth.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One rotisserie chicken or a container of leftovers stretches across eight bowls once you add the stock, tomatoes, and corn.
- You bake the tortilla strips from plain corn tortillas, so there’s no need to buy a bag of chips, and day-old tortillas work well here.
- The soup itself is a one-pot job on the stovetop, and it comes together in under an hour.
- Everyone tops their own bowl, so the fussy eaters at my table get exactly what they want, and I’m not making two dinners.
- It reheats well, which makes it one of my go-to cheap soup dinners for lunches later in the week.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what’s worth a note before you start. The full amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Cooked chicken. Leftover rotisserie chicken is ideal and adds the most flavor. If you’re cooking chicken just for this, thighs stay juicier than breast, though either works.
- Chicken stock. Use low-sodium so you can salt the pot to taste at the end rather than fighting a broth that’s already salty.
- Corn tortillas. These become the strips. Slightly stale ones work best here, and baking your own is cheaper than a bag. If you’d rather make a bigger batch to snack on, my homemade tortilla chips use the same trick.
- Canned diced tomatoes and canned corn. Two pantry cans that give the soup body and sweetness without adding much to the shop. Drain the corn before it goes in.
- Diced green chiles. They bring a mild warmth. If you like more heat, add extra chili powder or a fresh jalapeño.
- Toppings. This is where it comes alive. Cheese, avocado, and lime are the three I never skip, with lettuce, green onions, and cilantro if you have them. Use what you have on hand rather than buying everything.
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
Scroll down for the full recipe card containing a full printable recipe and measurements in both US customary and metric units.
Bake the Tortilla Strips
Heat the oven to 350°F. Brush the corn tortillas with oil, season with salt and pepper, and slice them into strips. Spread them out in a single layer on a baking tray and bake for about 10 minutes, until crisp, then set them aside. Keep an eye on them near the end, since they go from golden to overdone quickly.
Soften the Aromatics
While the chips bake, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a big pot over medium heat.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, garlic, and green chiles and cook, stirring now and then, until softened, about 7 minutes.
Build and Simmer the Soup
Stir in the cumin and chili powder so the vegetables are coated, then add the chicken stock, shredded chicken, and diced tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, bring it to a simmer, and cook for 25 minutes. Because the chicken is already cooked, keep the pot at a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil, and it stays tender instead of going stringy. If you’re cooking raw chicken to shred for this, cook it to an internal temperature of 165°F first.
Add the Corn and Serve
Stir in the drained corn just before serving so it keeps its bite. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the baked tortilla strips, cheese, avocado, lettuce, green onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
Recipe Notes and Expert Tips
Here are some helpful tips I’ve picked to make sure your Chicken Tortilla Soup turns out perfectly every time:
- The chicken is already cooked when it goes in, so it only needs to heat through. A gentle simmer keeps it tender.
- Add the tortilla strips just before serving, or put them on the side, so they stay crisp. Stirred in early, they turn soft.
- Low-sodium stock is worth it here. You can always add salt at the end, but you can’t take it out.
- Stir the cumin and chili powder into the softened vegetables for a minute before you add the liquid. Letting the spices bloom in the oil makes the broth taste fuller.
Recipe Variations
- Creamy version. Stir sour cream or Greek yogurt into each bowl at the table. The recipe card calls for this, so it’s a tested finish that won’t split the broth.
- More heat. An extra fresh jalapeño or more chili powder, both suggested on the card, make a tested tweak that takes it up a notch without changing the timing.
- Use leftover turkey. Swapping the chicken for cooked turkey is well supported since it’s a like-for-like cooked protein, which makes this handy the week after Thanksgiving.
- Slow cooker. Readers ask about this a lot, but I haven’t tested it here, and it would change the liquid and timing, so treat it as a starting point rather than a set method.
How to Store Leftovers
To get ahead, make the soup base through the simmer, cool it, and refrigerate it. Hold the tortilla strips and fresh toppings until you serve, since they don’t keep once they hit the broth. Don’t leave the pot out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it’s a hot day above 90°F, which is worth remembering for a game-day or potluck spread.
Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days, and reheat until the soup comes to a rolling boil. The base freezes well for 2 to 3 months if you leave out the avocado and dairy toppings, which don’t thaw nicely. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.
What to Serve With Chicken Tortilla Soup
This is a light main, so I round it out with something to dip or a fresh side.
- Use Leftover Chicken: This recipe is perfect for using up any leftover chicken you have in the fridge.
- Homemade Tortilla Chips: Making your own tortilla chips is not only cheaper but fresher and tastier than store-bought.
- Canned Ingredients: Using canned tomatoes and corn is budget-friendly and convenient without sacrificing flavor.
FAQs
Yes, and it’s what I’d recommend. Two cups of shredded rotisserie meat drop straight in with the stock, and you skip cooking chicken from raw entirely.
Season it at the end. A good pinch of salt, a squeeze of lime, and a little more chili powder usually wake it up, which is exactly why the low-sodium stock earns its place.
More Easy Chicken Dinners Worth Cooking
If this is the kind of dinner you’re after, here are a few more chicken recipes I come back to.
- Chicken and Broccoli Casserole bakes chicken, broccoli, rice, and cheddar into one dish for another cheap weeknight dinner.
- Chicken and Dumpling Casserole is a good use for the same shredded chicken when you want something warm and filling.
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders turn leftover chicken into an easy handheld dinner for a busy night.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup diced green chiles
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 2 teaspoon garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups cooked chicken shredded
- 1 ½ cups can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup canned corn drained
- Salt and pepper
To serve:
- Cheese shredded
- Lettuce shredded
- Avocado sliced
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Lime
Tortilla chips:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 8 corn tortillas
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350°F). Brush each corn tortilla with olive oil, then season them with salt and pepper. Slice the tortillas into strips and spread them in a single layer on a baking tray. Bake for about 10 minutes until they’re crispy, then set them aside.1 teaspoon olive oil, 8 corn tortillas, Salt and pepper
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions, garlic, and diced green chiles. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes.1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ cup diced green chiles, ½ cup onion, 2 teaspoon garlic
- Stir in the cumin and chili powder, coating the vegetables evenly. Add the chicken stock, shredded chicken, and diced tomatoes to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.½ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon chili powder, 6 cups chicken stock, 2 cups cooked chicken, 1 ½ cups can diced tomatoes, Salt and pepper
- Just before serving, stir in the drained corn. Ladle the soup into bowls, then top with the baked tortilla chips, shredded cheese, lettuce, avocado, green onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.1 cup canned corn, Cheese, Lettuce, Avocado, Green onions, Lime, Cilantro
Notes
- Use low-sodium chicken stock so you can salt the soup to taste at the end.
- Leftover rotisserie chicken works best; if cooking your own, thighs stay juicier than breast.
- Add the tortilla strips just before serving, or serve them on the side, so they stay crisp.
- For a creamier soup, stir in sour cream or Greek yogurt off the heat.
- Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days, and reheat until the soup comes to a rolling boil.
