This Chicken Tortilla Soup is the soup of my dreams. It’s almost dump and run for the ideal easy weeknight dinner or fabulous for crowds.   It is loaded with juicy, tender shredded chicken, hearty black beans, sweet corn, fire roasted tomatoes, tangy green chiles, kickin’ poblanos, creamy enchilada sauce and aromatic onions and garlic, seasoned to perfection and all topped with crispy, salty homemade BAKED Tortilla Strips!  This Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe is warm and comforting, hearty, savory, filling, and healthy, requires minimal effort (seriously one of the easiest soups you will ever make) and is destined to become a new family favorite!

Is it possible to have another favorite soup?!  I already am in love with my other Mexican inspired Soups from Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder, Chicken Fajita and Rice Soup , Cheesy Taco Soup, White Chicken Chili and Salsa Verde Chicken Tortilla Soup but this Chicken Tortilla Soup has been on my bucket list for some time and I was just waiting to get it perfect to share with you – enter perfection. I am sooooooo in love with this Chicken Tortilla Soup and can’t wait for you to love it too!

It’s so good you will never need to make a special trip to your favorite Mexican restaurant again to satisfy your Tortilla Soup cravings because you can make your own pot for the same price as one bowl –  in 30 minutes.

This Chicken Tortilla Soup comes together incredibly quickly and the majority of “making” this soup is simply dumping in cans and spices and results in a fresh and flavorful soup with a punch of flavor.   You will also love that this Chicken Tortilla Soup is a meal-in-one made with common pantry staples so you can make this soup any night of the week!

We are going to create our own custom “Taco” seasoning with:

I also add chicken bouillon  to enhance the overall flavor, but this is optional.  If you skip the chicken bouillon, you are definitely going to want to add additional salt to taste. 

This Chicken Tortilla Soup is SO EASY it’s going to blow your mind!  Because easy can be delicious when you use the right techniques and spices!

Cooking chicken this way in which it is covered and gently simmered until cooked through is known as poaching.  I LOVE this fool proof method for cooking chicken as the moist heat gently cooks the chicken and prevents it from overcooking too quickly so you get succulent, tender chicken every time – as long as you don’t overcook your chicken which is pretty hard to do. That being said, I recommend checking your chicken right at 20 minutes or even earlier if you have extra thin chicken breasts.  You will know they are ready when they easily shred with a fork.

This easy Chicken Tortilla Soup can easily be adapted to your slow cooker, much like my Salsa Verde Chicken Tortilla Soup.  The crockpot is fabulous if you are going to be away and can’t babysit the stove.

To make Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup we are going to use all of the same ingredients with the exception of the olive oil.  We will eliminate the olive oil and and instead use cooking spray.

Making your own homemade tortilla strips is so crazy easy and delivers chip quality results -AND you can never guess these tortilla strips are BAKED not fried.  Not only is this healthier but it is way simpler.  We make our tortilla strips while our chicken is simmering so it requires no extra time!

I love my Homemade Tortilla Strips but you could also use your favorite chips such as Lime Tortilla Chips to play with the flavor and because it’s easy to always have chips on hand!

Yes!  Using rotisserie chicken or shredding cooked chicken you already have on hand works great for this Chicken Tortilla Soup.  You will need approximately 3 cups shredded chicken.

Cheese is one of my favorite toppings for Chicken Tortilla Soup.  You can add cheese to the actual soup or hold it and add to individual servings.  Feel free to go crazy and mix it up with Pepper Jack or Monterrey Jack and of course Cheddar is always amazing.

I don’t think you’ll need to thicken this Chicken Tortilla Soup because we use enchilada sauce which is already thick.  If you would still like thicker soup, then you can use either masa masa harina or cornstarch.

You can make Chicken Tortilla Soup creamy 3 different ways:

This Chicken Tortilla Soup has a medium kick to it which I think will be perfect for most people BUT if you are sensitive to spicy food or want to make this ultimate kid friendly then substitute the poblano pepper for a green bell pepper and reduce chili powder from 2 teaspoons to 1.  At this point you can add hot sauce to your individual servings if you like it spicier.

Hot sauce is my preferred Method to spice of Chicken Tortilla Soup.   You can serve your Tortilla Soup with a bottle of hot sauce on the table or with the toppings so everyone can customize their own spice level.

Topping your Chicken Tortilla Soup with your favorite garnishes is half of the fun and the most important part for added texture and flavor.  You can create a toppings bar and let everyone pile on their favorites of:

Chicken Tortilla Soup tastes even better the next day!  It will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container.  You may need to add a little water to the soup when reheating.

Finally a soup that freezes without any hassle!  Soups with dairy or pasta in them can be sketchy when frozen but this Chicken Tortilla Soup freezes and reheats beautifully as long as you keep the tortilla strips separate and don’t add any dairy products to the main soup (just add them to your individual portions).

If you forget to thaw your soup beforehand or are hit with a need-Chicken Tortilla Soup-now craving then you can defrost the soup in the microwave.  Transfer frozen soup into a microwave-safe container, partially cover and microwave for 2-3 increments, until the soup has become slushy, stirring in between so it thaws evenly.

Now get ready for the barrage of compliments for the best Chicken Tortilla Soup!  At home.  In 30 minutes.

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