30-minute Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe made with shredded chicken, diced tomatoes, black beans, and corn. It’s garnished with homemade tortilla strips, lime, and cilantro for classic Mexican tortilla soup flavors!
This tortilla soup recipe dates back to my earliest blogging days in 2014. It’s a timeless classic that gets happily devoured without fail. I love to turn rotisserie or baked chicken into this soup on busy weeknights. The classic Mexican ingredients make it just. so. dang.
Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
* get full recipe below
- olive oil
- garlic
- onion
- bell pepper
- chicken broth
- canned diced tomatoees
- canned black beans
- corn (fresh, frozen, or canned(
- crushed red pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper
- cooked shredded chicken
- toppings: cilantro, lime, tortilla strips
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
* get full recipe below
- In a soup pot on medium-high heat, saute garlic, onion, and bell peppers.
- Add chicken broth, canned tomatoes, canned beans, frozen corn, and seasonings.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer.
- While soup simmers, bake the tortilla strips. You can always use packaged tortilla chips.
- Add shredded chicken and (optional) cornmeal thickener near the end of cooking cycle. Serve warm with Mexican toppings.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS TORTILLA SOUP RECIPE
- use up leftover rotisserie chicken or IP shredded chicken or baked chicken
- naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
- stove to table in 30 minutes
- makes the perfect leftovers and tastes even better the next day
- easy to meal prep for busy weekday lunch or dinner
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP THICKER?
If you’ve ever searched for chicken tortilla soup, you’ve probably stumbled across Pioneer Woman Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe. When she makes her chicken tortilla soup, she mixes cornmeal with water to form a paste and adds it to the soup while it’s simmering.
I borrowed that technique for my recipe and it was spot on! I like Chicken Tortilla Soup brothy, but I also want that distinct cornmeal flavor and slight thickening effect. If you want yours thicker, just add more of the cornmeal/water paste.
HOW TO MAKE TORTILLA STRIPS
- Preheat oven to 400° and slice corn tortillas into thin strips.
- Toss strips in olive oil, a little chili powder, and salt.
- Place on a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes (toss them around after 5 minutes)
- Cool the strips (and try to not eat them all before serving)
Guys, these strips, they take this Mexican soup to the next level…you’ll crave them for dayyyyys!
Recommended Tools
- chef knife and cutting board
- 3-quart soup pot
- small baking sheet (to bake tortilla strips)
- small mixing bowl (to make cornmeal paste)
- food storage container
Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
INGREDIENTS
Soup Ingredients
For the cornmeal thickener:
For homemade tortilla strips
RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS
For the Chicken Tortilla Soup:
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In a 4 or 5 quart soup pot, heat OLIVE OIL; add GARLIC, ONION, and BELL PEPPER; sauté until tender.
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Add CHICKEN BROTH, TOMATOES (with juice), BLACK BEANS, CORN, RED CHILI FLAKES, CUMIN, SALT, and PEPPER; stir to combine; increase heat to med-high and bring it to a gentle boil for a few minutes.
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Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer (about 15 minutes); add cooked CHICKEN in the last 5 minutes.
For the Pioneer Woman tortilla soup-thickening trick:
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In a small bowl, combine the CORNMEAL and WATER to form a paste. Work the lumps out with a fork; add this paste to the soup; stir to combine.
Bake the homemade tortilla strips (while the soup simmers)
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In a mixing bowl, combine TORTILLA STRIPS, CANOLA OIL, CHILI POWDER, and SALT; work the oil and seasonings into the strips with your hand; scatter on a baking sheet.
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Insert into oven and bake for about 8-12 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
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Remove from oven; remove strips from baking sheet onto a plate or bowl; set aside to cool.
To serve Chicken Tortilla Soup
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Ladle warm soup into bowls, top with cilantro, lime, and baked tortilla strips. Add cheese if desired.