Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup is simmered in a creamy velvety broth that is out of this world and can be made on the stovetop or in the crockpot. Top with your favorite Tex-Mex toppings and enjoy this easy comforting one-pot meal any time of the year!
Soup season is finally here, and I am all about easy soup recipes. This creamy chicken tortilla soup is mind-blowing good and will make you crave it! It’s actually one that I enjoy eating year-round, but I know some of you only eat soups in the fall and winter months. 😉
What I love about this easy chicken tortilla soup is that I can put the ingredients in my slow cooker and come home to a meal that is ready to go. Then when you add the crispy homemade tortilla chips, it’s a meal made in heaven.
What You’ll Need To Make Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Olive oil: You just need a little bit of olive oil to sautee the onions, peppers, garlic, and cilantro in.
- Onion & Peppers: Some diced onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos are excellent in this creamy soup.
- Garlic: You can crush or mince the garlic. Both are yummy options.
- Cilantro: The only way to go is to use fresh cilantro. Yum!
- Chicken broth: I enjoy the subtle flavor the chicken broth adds, but you could swap it with water if you’d rather.
- Chicken breasts: The heart of the soup is the juicy chicken.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes: You will get TONS of flavor from the tomatoes. You can use diced or crushed tomatoes.
- Black beans: They add some lovely texture and flavor to the chicken tortilla soup.
- Corn: The corn is super versatile, and you can use fresh, canned, or frozen.
- Seasonings: Cumin, chili powder, and salt are all the seasonings you need.
- Heavy cream: The soup gets its velvety, creamy texture from the heavy cream.
- Shredded cheese: Adding some shredded cheese is like the icing on the cake, the perfect finishing touch.
How To Make Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
This is one of the easiest soup recipes ever. Let’s take a look:
Start off by sauteing the onion in a large pot with olive oil. Then after 3-4 minutes or when the onions are softened, add in the bell peppers, garlic, jalapenos, and cilantro. Saute for an additional minute.
Then pour in the chicken broth, chicken breasts, tomatoes, beans, corn, seasonings, heavy cream, and cheese. Let the ingredients simmer in the pot for 15 minutes on low-medium heat.
After 15 minutes, remove the chicken from the soup and shred. Add it back to the soup and stir well. Pour into bowls, add toppings and serve!
Slow Cooker Method: Place all ingredients except the heavy cream and cheese, in the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return the chicken to the crockpot along with the heavy cream and cheese and simmer until the cheese is melted.
Topping Ideas
You can add any toppings that you enjoy to this chicken tortilla soup recipe. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Avocado
- Freshly made tortilla strips (recipe HERE!)
- Cilantro
- Lime
- Shredded Cheese
How Do You Store Leftover Soup?
After the soup has cooled, place it in an airtight container. Be sure not to include any toppings because they will become soggy as the soup chills. Place the soup in the fridge, and it will last up to 5 days.
Reheat the soup in a pot using medium heat. Stir frequently, so it doesn’t burn. Once it’s hot, you can serve. Add toppings and enjoy!
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth, (32 ounce) can replace water if needed
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless (about 1 pound)
- 15 oz can black beans, drained
- 14 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes, (diced or crushed)
- 1 cup corn, (fresh, canned, or frozen)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt , or to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream, or to taste
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese, of choice (I like using cheddar)
Toppings
- Avocado
- Tortilla Strips, click here for homemade recipe
- Shredded Cheese
- Cilantro
- Lime
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the bell pepper, garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro; saute for another minute.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and simmer for 15 minutes or low-medium heat. Remove the chicken from the soup and shred or dice into small bite-size pieces. Return it to the pot and stir to combine.
- Spoon soup into serving bowls and top with tortilla strips, avocado, sour cream, lime, fresh cilantro, or toppings of choice!
- To Cook in the crockpot: Place all ingredients except the heavy cream and cheese, in the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return the chicken to the crockpot along with the heavy cream and cheese and simmer until the cheese is melted.
Video
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This soup is so easy and tastes sooo so good. Will DEFINITELY make it again.
I followed the instructions and mine isn’t thick at all.
I watched the video after to see what i did wrong and the instructions are different than the video as far as adding the heavy cream and cheese at the end vs “add the rest of the ingredients” as stated!
I put some corn tortillas in food processor (or cut to very thin strips) and add to soup while cooking. They break down and make soup heartier and thicker.
A-mazing! We loved it ❤
How can you make the soup thicker? Yeah
You can mix in a cornstarch/flour slurry.
Mine didn’t turn out creamy until I added a bunch of corn starch. Color was different from the picture as well.
SOOOO DAMN GOOD!
I’m wondering why mine soup didn’t turn out the same color as yours . Mine has no color.. It’s like grimy.
you need to rinse your black beans before adding to soup. Also a good modification is adding a 1/3 block of cream cheese.
It could’ve used more spice for me, but it was yummy and very creamy.
I think you forgot to list the black beans in the recipe ingredient list. Just fyi 🙂 I will be making this tonight and will report back!
Thanks for pointing it out, Jen! I’ve added it 🙂
Can anything be substituted for the heavy cream?
You can use half & half, a cornstarch thickener or coconut cream.