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Craving a comforting and flavorful meal? Our creamy chicken tortilla soup recipe is a must-try! This hearty blend of chicken, jalapeños, tomatoes and corn will warm you from the inside out with Mexican-inspired spices and a touch of fresh lime juice and zest. The secret to its thick, creamy texture is crushed tortilla chips and melty Monterey Jack cheese. Serve with a side salad for a complete and satisfying one-dish meal.
Notes from the MGC Kitchen
This easy recipe for chicken tortilla soup has been in our weeknight rotation for years. Although our favorite way to make it is to simmer boneless, skinless chicken thighs in chicken broth, we found that using pre-cooked shredded chicken is a great shortcut, shaving about 15 minutes off your cook time. So if you’re in a rush, don’t hesitate to grab some rotisserie chicken at the store and shred it for this soup – you won’t be sacrificing too much in the way of flavor.
Although crushed store-bought tortilla chips aren’t necessarily the traditional choice for making tortilla soup (authentic Mexican recipes often call for fried corn tortilla strips), they’re certainly a welcome time-saver in the kitchen. Our creamy chicken tortilla soup has bright citrus notes from the fresh lime juice and zest, but we like to enhance that citrus flavor even more with our secret weapon – Tostito’s Hint of Lime tortilla chips! We also like Late July’s lime-flavored chips.
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you need to know about the key ingredients in this recipe. The complete list, including quantities, is in the printable recipe card below.
- BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN: Thighs are always our preference as they yield more flavorful and moist results, but boneless, skinless chicken breasts are perfectly fine, as well, especially as they’re simmered in chicken broth.
- JALAPEÑOS: We like a little bit of fresh, bright heat from jalapeño peppers. However, you could up the spice level with serrano peppers, which have a little more kick than jalapeños.
- CANNED DICED TOMATOES: Though this recipe does include a fresh tomato, the bulk of the acidity and tomato flavor comes from the canned diced tomatoes. Unless you’re watching your sodium intake, avoid the no-salt-added variety. If you want a little extra smoky heat, you can use canned tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel) instead.
- TORTILLA CHIPS: Tortillas serve as the thickening agent for this soup, but since we purée the soup before serving, we found that store-bought tortilla chips, which are easy to crush up, are a great choice. Just place the chips in a food storage bag and gently run a rolling pin over them to crush them into small pieces.
- MONTEREY JACK CHEESE: Our favorite cheese for this recipe is Monterey Jack because it melts smoothly and easily, creating a creamy and delicious texture when it blends into the soup.
- FROZEN CORN: Corn kernels add some sweetness to this soup, but there’s no need to thaw them ahead of time – they can be added frozen.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Planning to make this recipe? Here’s a quick overview of how it’s done. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
SAUTÉ THE AROMATICS: Heat olive oil in a small stockpot over medium heat and sauté the onion until softened. Add the jalapeños and continue cooking until crisp-tender. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander and oregano, and cook until the spices bloom and become fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.
SIMMER AND SHRED THE CHICKEN: Stir in the chicken broth, add the chicken and simmer, covered, until the chicken is tender and just cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, and when it’s cool enough to handle, shred it and set aside.
THICKEN AND PURÉE THE SOUP: Stir in the diced tomatoes and crushed tortilla chips and cook until the soup starts to thicken. Purée the soup until smooth with a hand-held blender, then add the cream and shredded cheese and stir until the cheese has melted.
FINISH THE SOUP: Return the shredded chicken to the soup along with the corn and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently. Add the fresh tomato and scallions, reserving some for garnish. Stir in the lime juice and zest and then taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Add a dash of Tabasco if you want even more kick.
GARNISH AND SERVE: Top each bowl of soup with the reserved diced fresh tomato, scallions and cilantro as garnish and serve.
More Delicious, Comforting Soup Recipes
- Classic Split Pea Soup (can be made on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot)
- Minestrone Soup with Sausage (hearty and rich, flavored with pancetta and red wine)
- Italian Wedding Soup (bite-sized meatballs and escarole are the stars)
- French Onion Soup Gratinée (a luxurious, rich soup everyone adores)
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5-ounce), undrained
- 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
- 1/4 cup cream or half-and-half
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 4 scallions, chopped
- 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
- Juice and zest of 1 lime
- Tabasco sauce, optional
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a small stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the jalapeños and continue cooking until they are crisp-tender, 2 minutes longer. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander and oregano and continue cooking until the spices are fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Stir in the chicken broth, then add the chicken. Bring the mixture to a slow simmer (reduce the heat if necessary), cover and cook until the chicken is tender and no longer pink in the middle, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, allow it to cool for a few minutes, then use 2 forks to shred it into small pieces. Set aside until needed.
- Stir the diced tomatoes and crushed tortilla chips into the broth mixture and continue cooking just long enough for the chips to start thickening the broth, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Using a hand-held or conventional blender, purée the soup until smooth, then add the cream and shredded cheese and stir until the cheese has melted.
- Return the chicken to the pot, add the corn and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes. Add the fresh tomato and scallions, reserving about 1 tablespoon of each for garnishing the bowls.
- Stir in the lime juice and zest, taste, adjust the seasonings if needed, and add some Tabasco if desired.
- To serve, ladle the soup into 4 bowls and top each with some diced fresh tomato, scallions and cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I tried it with the lime chips like you suggested and it was really good! I also used Rotel instead of plain diced tomatoes.
Hi Janie,
We’re happy to hear you liked the soup and appreciate the tip about the Rotel tomatoes. Thanks for taking the time to let us know.