Chicken Tortilla Soup

This simple and satisfying chicken tortilla soup is just what you need for your weeknight dinners. Filled with shredded chicken, crispy tortilla strips, beans, and corn, this comforting soup is a crowd favorite!

Sometimes simple is better, and this chicken tortilla soup is no exception. Most chicken tortilla soups are made with a mixture of dried spices, but I’ve added some dried pasilla chiles for a more authentic Mexican flavor.

The dried chiles give the broth an incredible flavor that is so satisfying and will make you want to drink the broth straight from your bowl!

Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients

• Roma tomatoes, dried pasilla peppers, onions, and garlic: These key ingredients make the base of the soup broth and give it an extra and unexpected burst of flavor!
• Chicken: I like to cook my chicken in the broth itself so it can infuse some more flavor into it, but if you want to save some time, you can use shredded rotisserie chicken, my easy shredded chicken recipe, or my air fryer whole chicken recipe.
• Broth: I highly recommend using chicken broth, but you can also use vegetable broth or even water in a pinch.
• Corn and black beans: Corn and black beans give the soup extra flavor and texture in addition to making each serving a little more filling.
• Crispy tortilla strips: I like to cut tortillas into strips and fry them myself, but you can also crush up some regular tortilla chips or buy fried tortilla strips.
• Toppings: I like to top my bowl with queso fresco, cilantro, avocado, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup

Step 1: Make the base of the broth by adding the roasted Roma tomatoes, toasted pasilla peppers, and cooked onions and garlic to a large blender. Blend everything until it’s completely smooth.

Step 2: Heat some oil in a large pot or Dutch oven and then pour in the tomato-chile puree. Cook it for about 5 minutes to really meld all those flavors together.

Step 3: Add in the chicken, broth, and salt. Bring this to a boil and then cover and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through.

Step 4: While the soup is cooking, make the tortilla strips by cutting corn tortillas into small strips and lightly frying in them in oil for a few minutes. Set aside.

Step 5: Remove the cooked chicken and carefully shred it with a fork.

Step 6: Add the shredded chicken back into the pot along with the corn and black beans. Cook everything for an additional 3 minutes.

Step 7: Last but not least, serve the soup in a bowl topped with tortilla strips, fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, queso fresco, and a big squeeze of lime juice.

Recipe Substitutions

• Dried peppers: If you can’t find any pasilla peppers near you, you can use dried ancho chiles since they have about the same heat level or scoville units.
• Tomatoes: If you don’t have fresh tomatoes on hand, you can use 1 ½ cans (about 22 ounces) of fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead.
• Chicken: You can use chicken thighs (bone-in or boneless) for an even better flavor. The chicken would be a little juicier, and the broth would be extra flavorful thanks to the bones.

Storing and Freezing

To store, place the soup in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

To freeze, cool the soup in the fridge. Once chilled, scoop into freezer-safe storage bags or containers and freeze for up to 3 months.

To reheat, let the frozen container thaw completely in the fridge or defrost in the microwave. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until completely warm.

More Mexican Recipes

• Caldo de Pollo
• Chile Verde
• Chicken Pozole Verde
• Pozole Rojo
• Chicken Enchilada Soup
• Taco Soup

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4.72 from 80 votes

Chicken Tortilla Soup

By: Isabel Orozco-Moore

Chicken Tortilla Soup filled with shredded chicken, tortilla strips, beans, and corn. A comforting soup perfect for weeknight dinners!

Prep: 20 minutes minutes

Cook: 50 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

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Ingredients 

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Chicken Tortilla Soup

• ▢ 6 large Roma tomatoes
• ▢ 2 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
• ▢ 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• ▢ ½ large white onion, thinly sliced
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
• ▢ 8 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• ▢ ¾ cup yellow corn kernels
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
• ▢ queso fresco, for topping
• ▢ avocado for topping
• ▢ chopped cilantro for topping
• ▢ lime wedges, for topping

Tortilla Strips

• ▢ ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 6 corn tortillas, sliced into ¼-inch strips

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Instructions 

• Preheat the broiler. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on top. Broil for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the skin is blackened and blistered. Set aside.
• Carefully toast the pasilla peppers over an open flame for a few seconds on each side until very fragrant. Alternatively, toast the peppers in a small skillet over medium-high heat for 10 to 20 seconds, until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the peppers. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
• Add the cooked onion, garlic, toasted peppers, and roasted tomatoes to a large blender. Blend until completely smooth.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the same large pot of Dutch oven. Pour in the blended tomato mixture and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the chicken breast, broth, and salt. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until chicken is tender and cooked through.
• While the soup is cooking, make the tortilla strips by heating ¼ cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add in a handful of the tortilla strips and fry for about 60 to 90 seconds, or until golden brown and crispy. Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels and repeat until all the tortilla strips are fried. Set aside.
• Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and transfer to a plate. Shred with 2 forks.
• Add the shredded chicken back to the pot along with the black beans and corn. Cook for 3 more minutes.
• Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Serve in bowls topped with tortilla strips, queso fresco, avocado, cilantro, and more lime wedges.

Video

Notes

• Dried peppers: If you can’t find any pasilla peppers near you, you can use dried ancho chiles since they have about the same heat level or scoville units.
• Tomatoes: If you don’t have fresh tomatoes on hand, you can use 1 ½ cans (about 22 ounces) of fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead.
• Chicken: You can use chicken thighs (bone-in or boneless) for an even better flavor. The chicken would be a little juicier and the broth would be extra flavorful thanks to the bones. You could also use shredded rotisserie chicken to save you some time!

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6th of recipe | Calories: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Potassium: 678mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 800IU | Vitamin C: 89.1mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 4.7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment and star rating below!

This chicken tortilla soup recipe was originally published in September 2016. It was retested, rephotographed, rewritten, and republished based on reader feedback in February 2023.