How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup

I get a lot of questions about how to make the best chicken tortilla soup, so here's my easy recipe and why I think it's so amazing.

Any day of the week I'll take a chicken tortilla soup. I love everything about the warmth, the zest, the spice, and the freshness of those incredible vegetables, savory chicken and the broth.

Just thinking about the best chicken tortilla soup recipe and all the incredible toppings is already getting me hungry.

Best Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

This is the Best Tortilla Soup Recipe around, in our opinion, and I have experimented a lot. As those of you who follow this blog are aware I am a HUGE soup fan.

I loved this soup so much I just had to perfect it and learn how to make the best chicken tortilla soup possible!

There is a secret to making this soup taste as great as it does. It's not mandatory but I urge you to try it at least once.

Take a large pan and roast the chili powder and cumin over heat for a couple minutes. It can't burn, your goal is to add a mild toasty flavor. I can't wait to hear what you think.

For us, this simple step makes a big difference in the final result and I can't wait to hear what you think. I'm hoping you'll agree that you have found the best chicken tortilla soup recipe!

I enjoy this soup so much that I will prepare a couple extra chicken breasts with dinner the night before I'm planning on making some. I simply shred the cooked chicken breast or chop it into cubes and keep it inside the fridge until needed the next day.

Using a rotisserie chicken makes this soup easier too. I am all about simplifying mealtime and rotisserie chickens are a life saver!

Whether you choose to serve this soup with fresh cilantro, cheese, sour cream, avocados, jalapenos or green chilis, you will not be disappointed with this easy chicken tortilla soup recipe.

Chicken Tortilla Soup will be Your New Favorite

This easy chicken tortilla soup is so good and so easy to make. Just think of adding your favorite soup side dish and then your dinner will be complete. This will become a family favorite in no time. Its depth of flavor is so good, and the veggies and lean protein in the dish make it a healthy option that is also flavorful, which is a winner in my book.

What Vegetables are in Chicken Tortilla Soup?

Below is a list of the most common vegetables found in the best chicken tortilla soup recipe.

• corn
• zucchini
• onions
• celery
• carrots
• tomatoes

These are the vegetables we use most frequently to make this easy tortilla soup recipe but remember the wonderful thing about soups is they are terrific fridge cleaners.

If you have an extra vegetable or two that you need to use up, consider throwing it in. I regularly do.

Is Chicken Tortilla Soup Healthy?

Absolutely. The only questionable ingredient in this easy chicken tortilla soup is the tortilla. The fact that it is tortilla soup lends some confusion, which makes many people wonder about how good for you the soup actually is.

In truth, the tortilla strips or chips you use in the soup are more of a topping than anything else. It isn't quite the same as say a soup with noodles or rice, which permeate the dish.

As a topping, the tortilla part of the soup is completely at your discretion. You could fill the bowl with tortillas, or just add a few to the top for a pleasant crunch.

I've had some tortilla soups that had no tortillas at all. Whether that was intentional or a mistake, it was there. You can make yourself a tortilla soup in name only, which utilizes all of the amazing and very healthful ingredients the rest of this recipe has to offer.

A brief rundown of some of the ingredients with the best health benefits are zucchini, tomato, shredded chicken and garlic. Those are just some of the things inside this easy chicken tortilla soup.

You can top it with other healthy ingredients such as avocado, onions and cilantro. Lots of tortilla soup recipes call for black beans, which are also very nutritious.

I use corn in mine, but you could either add black beans or swap them with the corn.

Personally, I'm satisfied with the health benefits of my version of the easy chicken tortilla soup and I enjoy the flavor that the corn brings to the mix.

Other ingredients such as sour cream and shredded cheese should be handled according to personal taste. I see no harm in a easy chicken tortilla soup that is a little extra cheesy.

What Are the Main Types of Chicken Tortilla Soup?

If you love tortilla soup as much as I do, you've had quite a variety of recipes. Tortilla soups come in all kinds of iterations from creamy to smokey.

I have a tip that I'll get into later about giving your chicken tortilla soup a smokier flavor, but adding heavy cream to your broth can add a really nice additional element to your soup as well.

I have a phenomenal creamy tortellini soup recipe that incorporates heavy cream into a chicken broth base with tomato sauce to bring about a deep and satisfying flavor.

Sometimes there is a place for creamier soups and I love them as much as anybody, but when it comes to tortilla soup I prefer to keep it more vegetable-focused.

The best chicken tortilla soup recipe is a very hearty combination of vegetables, chicken and spices that is absolutely wonderful.

Instead of cream for this easy chicken tortilla soup, as I mentioned I chose to deepen the flavor by toasting the spices before adding the rest of the ingredients for the soup.

Tortilla Strips VS Chips in Chicken Tortilla Soup

One thing about best chicken tortilla soup recipe is that you pretty much have to have tortillas, at least in some form. Most homemade corn tortilla soup recipes you will find call for tortilla chips.

That's because they are easier to come by. If you get tortilla soup at a restaurant, most likely it will come served with tortilla strips. So, you might ask "what's the difference?" and "is it important?".

To answer the last question first, I'll say kind of. That is to say, you can use them interchangeably, but you should be careful of which tortilla chips you use. The reason for that comes from the first question "what's the difference?"

The difference is that strips like the ones served at Mexican restaurants have a different composition than typical tortilla chips. They are crispier and airier. and most importantly they are cut to size, which makes them ideal as a soup or a salad topping.

You can find strips like this in the same section as croutons or wontons in most stores, but you can also find them in the Mexican aisle or the gluten-free aisle.

In the chip aisle, the strips you may find are intended for dipping, not for soups. They are just a different cut of the same tortilla chips that normally come in triangle form.

When you choose tortilla chips for this easy chicken tortilla soup look for crisper chips that are not too thick or have an overly processed appearance, Tostitos and Doritos are not good options.

However, since these are a topping for the chicken tortilla soup, take it with a grain of salt and pick whatever option best suits you. You might already have Tostitos in your pantry and it's okay to use them.

That being said, I have used our recipe for Easy Soup or Salad Wonton Crisps and they have worked out great on top of this or any other soup. You'll understand if you give them a try!

If you want something homemade for the best chicken tortilla soup recipe, these crisps are super addictive and perfect. If you're not interested in using wonton wrappers, use tortilla instead and follow the same recipe.

You won't be disappointed. I can almost guarantee it.

Building a Proper Base

Start your easy chicken tortilla soup in a large skillet, the best way to impart deep flavor into your soup right from the beginning is to toast the spices in the pan prior to string in the garlic.

This may seem like an extra step that you could skip, but if you do, you'll definitely be short-changing yourself with this recipe. The toasted spices add so much to this dish. If you try it with toasted spices and then without, you'll say that not toasting the spices leads to an almost anemic-tasting soup.

This will start the best chicken tortilla soup recipe on the right foot and allow you to build a rich and robust flavor profile with a hint of smokiness at the center.

How to Cook the Chicken (If Not Precooked)

If you don't start with a precooked chicken, you can follow the steps on my creamy tortellini soup recipe for how to cook it and incorporate it into the soup.

It's the last thing you add, but the first thing you cook. Starting the best chicken tortilla soup recipe by cooking the chicken in the pan is another good way to give the dish a little bit of extra flavor.

It's also a good opportunity to get a good sear on the chicken which adds texture and bite to the easy chicken tortilla soup.

Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 ½ teaspoon powdered cumin
• 1 Tablespoon garlic, diced
• 2 cups shredded chicken (Rotisserie chicken is great, leftover or freshly baked chicken breasts)
• 1 can (15 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup cubed zucchini 
• 6 cups chicken broth

Optional Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients

• ⅓ onion, diced
• ⅓ cup celery, diced
• ⅓ cup carrots, diced
• ½ can black beans, drained

Optional Toppings to Garnish

• ½  cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 ½ cups Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
• ⅓ cup sour cream
• 1-2 avocados, sliced
• freshly squeeze lime wedge or lime juice
• a small can of green chilies
• ⅓ cup Pico de Gallo, drained
• Tortilla chips, corn tortillas or corn chips

Making the Best Chicken Tortilla Soup

1. This step is optional but adds extra flavor to the best chicken tortilla soup recipe.   In a large pan, roast the chili powder and cumin over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Don’t let it burn, you just want to give it a nice toasted flavor.  
2. Add the garlic and stir for another 15 seconds.
3. Immediately add the chicken, corn, tomatoes, zucchini, and chicken broth.  Stir well and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. 
4. Serve soup with your choice of toppings. 

And that's all there is to it! It's a very straightforward recipe that offers big rewards for very little work. A recipe that's this good and this easy is gold, in my opinion, and I think you'll agree after you're tried it!

Serving the Best Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Serving up soup is always an easy affair. Simply ladle out a big portion of this amazingly delicious soup into a nice, big bowl and watch the family devour this dish.

With such a great flavor and with such a shallow learning curve, this soup is an amazing dish for any occasion from special events to weeknight meals, and serving it is as easy as making it!

How to Store the Soup

You can store this best chicken tortilla soup recipe for up to five days in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

For longer storage, you can freeze this soup for a couple of months in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty freezer bag. It reheats so well and so easily. Just put the frozen soup in a pot and heat it on medium until defrosted and hot.

Chicken Tortilla Soup FAQ

As you've probably noticed, I like to hit the highlights before you go to make sure you get the best outcome possible. So let's go over the major points before you start cooking.

Q: Is chicken tortilla soup healthy?
A: Absolutely. This chicken tortilla soup is full of lean protein and veggies. The only questionable part of this soup is the tortilla strips, but as they're mainly a topping, I'd say this soup still qualifies as healthy.

Q: Are there different types of chicken tortilla soup?
A: Yes. This soup can be made in a variety of ways. This soup has an almost Mexican flair, however, others can be Tex-Mex, extra creamy with the addition of cream, and any number of other variations.

Q: What's the difference between tortilla strips and chips? Can I use either?
A: You can use either for your soup. However, there is a difference. Tortilla chips, especially mass-produced ones tend to be thin and break easily. Tortilla strips are lighter and airier with a different texture but are also a little more hardy.

Q: Do I HAVE to toast the spices first?
A: You don't HAVE to toast the spices, but you'll be missing out on some major depth of flavor if you don't.

Q: How long does this chicken tortilla soup last?
A: This soup will last for about five days in the refrigerator. For longer storage, you can freeze it for up to 2 months.

Give this best chicken tortilla soup recipe a try, and I'm sure you'll agree that it's one of the best soups you've ever had. And I can't stress this enough. Toast those spices! Trust me, you'll be thanking me later.

Chicken Tortilla Soup will be Your New Favorite

This easy chicken tortilla soup is so good and so easy to make. Just think of adding your favorite soup side dish, and then your dinner will be complete. This will become a family favorite in no time. Its depth of flavor is so good, and the veggies and lean protein in the dish make it a healthy option that is also flavorful, which is a winner in my book.