Chicken Tortilla Soup

This might be a bold thing to say, but chicken tortilla soup might just be in the top 5 best soups… ever. I suppose it is all subjective, but if tortilla soup isn’t in your top 5, then you haven’t tried this one.

I’ve been making this recipe for a long time—like just graduated college, cooking for my boyfriend in a small NYC apartment—long time. It has taken me a while, but the base of this soup has been perfected through years of trial and error. It is savory, spicy, and herbaceous, thanks to the handfuls of cilantro (if you aren’t a cilantro lover, I am sorry). With every spoonful, you get a ton of chicken, beans, corn, and peppers, but it’s what goes on top that makes this soup truly special and truly customizable. For myself, I top this warm bowl of soup with tomatoes for coolness, avocado for a creamy consistency, more cilantro because I have a problem, and endless crispy tortilla chips for crunch, texture, and, of course, flavor.

What You’ll Need For Chicken Tortilla Soup

SOUP

• Chicken Thighs – Boneless, skinless. I used to make this tortilla soup with bone-in, skin-on thighs, but towards the end, you need to shred the meat. The process took too long and was too messy. Buy boneless, skinless to make your life easier.
  • Substitution: I go back and forth here because searing the chicken thighs is what imparts a ton of flavor. If you want to make this in a pinch, you can swap the chicken thighs for shredded rotisserie chicken (see FAQs for the instruction changes). I don’t recommend chicken breasts, but they do work. Your cook time will increase, and you run the risk of them drying out.
• Onion – Yellow or Vidalias.
• Green Bell Pepper
• Garlic – Fresh only!
• Cream of Chicken – I can’t tell you why I started adding this, but I like to think it is my secret ingredient, and 100% and completely necessary for this soup.
• Black Beans – Canned, liquid and all.
• Corn – Sweet canned corn, or even frozen corn works for this recipe. If opting for canned, drain the water before adding it to the soup.
• Tomato Paste
• Cilantro – I have made this recipe without cilantro before, and it just isn’t the same. Cilantro adds great brightness to the soup. When calling for cilantro, you cut both the leaves and the stems. Believe it or not, cilantro stems have more flavor than the leaves.
• Chicken Broth – It is so important to use a flavorful chicken broth for this, and all soup recipes. I am personally against most box or can broths, I find that they have very little flavor. My go-to is always “Better than Bouillon”. This and all my other soup recipes follow the instructions on the back of the jar to make the broth however if you are used to this ingredients feel free to use it as you see fit.
• Sazón – My go to sazón is the “con cilantro y achiote”. If you can only find the original sazón that works as well.
• Chili Flakes – Optional but highly recommended.

ADDITIONAL TOPPINGS

Below are just some options, but feel free to add as much, as little, or additional toppings that are not on the list below.

• Tortilla Chips – While most of these toppings can be seen as “optional” this one is not (hence the name of the soup). One upon a time, and still from time to time I would make my own tortilla strips for this soup. The process takes a while and honestly for the purpose of this soup, store bought works better. Tortilla chips hold up longer and saves you time.
• Avocado
• Tomatoes – Any tomatoes work here, but if you want to reduce the work get grape or cherry tomatoes and quarter them.
• Cheese – You have a few options. Cojita cheese is a great addition to this soup however if you are looking for a meltier cheese cheddar or a Mexican blend also works.
• Jalapeños

Tools Needed

• Large Pot – I use my 7qt dutch oven for this recipe. While this could probably fit in a 4.5 qt pot, it would be at the brim, and might flow over when simmering.

How To Make Chicken Tortilla Soup

1. Season and Prep the Chicken – Remove any excess fat from the chicken thighs. In a bowl, combine the chicken thighs with half of the sazón packet, reserving the second half for later. Drizzle a little olive oil and mix to coat the chicken. *No additional salt is added here because sazón already contains salt.

2. Sear the Chicken – In your soup pot over medium heat, drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, place the chicken in and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side. Don’t worry about cooking the chicken through; that will be done later. Remove the chicken and place it in a clean bowl.

3. Assemble the Soup – Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the onion and bell pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften. Throw in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Toss in the beans with their juice, corn, cream of chicken, the remaining sazón, and cilantro. Mix to combine before adding the broth. Vigorously stir, working through any clumps.

4. Simmer – Add the chicken and any juices that pooled at the bottom of the bowl back into the pot. Simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes. Once done, remove the chicken and shred it. This is easier to do if you allow it to cool for a few minutes. Add the shredded chicken back into the pot and serve. Top this chicken tortilla soup with tortilla chips, and additional toppings such as tomatoes, avocado, jalapeños, and cheese.

Recipe Video

Frequently Asked Questions

Storing / Reheating

Store chicken tortilla soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. When ready to reheat add the soup to a saucepan and heat on low until warmed throughout. Fun hack! Save the cylindrical takeout soup containers, these make amazing soup storage containers.