Chicken Tortilla Soup

We love everything about this easy Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe! It’s richly flavored and loaded with onion, garlic, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, chicken, cilantro and homemade tortilla strips. It’s the best chicken tortilla soup that rivals any restaurant soup out there.

This chicken tortilla soup is a family favorite. It has a great combination of ingredients and it’s seasoned with delicious authentic Mexican flavors (cumin, oregano and fresh cilantro).

Many Mexican Tortilla Soup Recipes call for adding a lot of shredded cheese, which in my opinion ruins the soup, makes a mess of the spoon, and stifles the flavors of the other ingredients.  When we serve this chicken tortilla soup, we add Pepper Jack cheese to individual bowls, but the cheese is cut it into little cubes rather than grated.

Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

This easy Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe is made with lots of fresh wholesome ingredients. 

• Oil. We use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil for the soup and to cook the tortilla strips with.
• Chicken. We use about 1-1/2 pounds cooked chicken breast or thighs (or a combo of both).
• Aromatics.  We use yellow and green onion, and a couple of cloves of garlic. 
• Seasoning. We use a mix of dried oregano, cumin and adobo powder to season this soup with. 
• Canned Tomatoes.  We add canned tomatoes which adds a richness to this soup.
• Fresh Vegetables. Chopped zucchini and yellow squash adds a lot of flavor, color and nutrition to this delicious soup.
• Chicken Broth. Use a low-sodium or sodium-free chicken broth and so you can season with as much or little salt as you like.
• Cilantro. Fresh cilantro adds a lot of flavor to this soup.
• Lime Juice.  After the soup has finished cooking, we stir in fresh lime juice which adds a nice perky flavor.
• Tortillas. You can use either yellow or white corn tortillas for the strips.

Find printable recipe with measurements below.

How to Make The Best Chicken Tortilla Soup 

This recipe for chicken tortilla soup comes together in about 40 minutes (start-to-finish). Even quicker if you use rotisserie chicken!

1. Cook Tortilla Strips. Cut tortillas into strips, then fry them in a skillet with a little oil.
2. Cook Chicken. Add the chicken to a stock pot.  Cover with just enough water to cover the chicken and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool. After it has cooled, cut the chicken and discard the skin and bones. You can also use store-bought rotisserie chicken if you like.
3. Saute aromatics. In a large Dutch, heat oil over medium heat add onion, green onions, cilantro, garlic, oregano, cumin and adobo powder. Sauté for 8-10 minutes or until onions are translucent and tender.
4. Simmer soup. Add tomatoes and chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
5. Chicken and Vegetables. Add the chopped chicken,  zucchini and yellow squash and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until zucchini and yellow squash is just softened.
6. Lime juice. Stir in the lime juice.
7. Add seasoning. Add freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste.
8. Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with cubes of Pepper Jack Cheese, tortilla strips, chopped cilantro, diced avocado and lime wedges.
9. Store Leftovers. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. If properly stored, the leftover soup should last up to 1 week. It’s best to cool and refrigerate leftovers within two hours of cooking to prevent or minimize the possibility of any spoilage. If you want to freeze leftover soup, divide the soup into meal size portions in air-tight containers or freezer bags, leaving just enough room for the soup to expand. Store in the freezer for up to 6 months. To defrost, remove the soup from the freezer and defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Or you can defrost the soup on the stove top by adding the soup and a little water or broth to pot over medium-low heat. If properly stored, the soup should last 3-6 months in the freezer.

How To Fry Homemade Tortilla Strips

These homemade tortilla strips are made with corn tortillas, olive oil and salt and they come together in a pinch.

1. Cut tortillas into strips.  Stack 3-4 tortillas and cut through the stack in half. Then stack the halves and slice into thin strips.
2. Heat olive oil in large pan.  Oil should be about 1/2 inch thick in pan.  You can add more if needed. 
3. Add cut tortilla strips to the oil  in a single layer (about 20 cut strips depending on the size of your pan).  Don’t over-crowd the pan. Cook in batches.
4. Fry in oil until the tortillas start to turn golden and bubble a bit in the oil. Using a pair of  tongs or a stainless steel spatula, turn them over on the other side.  Continue to fry them on opposite side for another 30-60 seconds or until they look golden and crispy.
5. Season immediately with salt.

How to Bake Tortilla Strips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using a pastry brush, brush the tortillas with olive oil on both sides.
3. Cut tortillas into strips.  Stack tortillas and cut through the stack in half. Then stack the halves and slice into thin strips.
4. Line a cookie sheet with foil or lightly brush the cookie sheet with oil.
5. Bake for about 5-7 minutes. Rotate cookie sheet and using tongs turn any pieces that are cooking too quickly.  Cook another 3-5 minutes until chips turn lightly golden brown and crispy.
6. Season with salt.

Chicken Tortilla Soup Toppings

• Cheese. Pepper Jack cheese is a great cheese to garnish this soup with.  It adds another layer of flavor to this already richly-flavored soup.  I highly recommend! 
• Cilantro. Fresh cilantro added to bowls filled with piping hot soup adds so much flavor.
• Avocado. Fresh avocado also adds a lot of flavor, healthy fats and a creamy texture to this soup.
• Lime. Serving this soup with lime wedges so people can add as much fresh lime juice as they like. It adds a perky flavor to this soup.
• Red Onion. Adding a little minced onion to the soup adds a bold flavor.
• Tomatoes. Add finely chopped tomatoes or a spoonful of pico de gallo to this soup for added flavor.

Taco Soup vs Tortilla Soup

Both taco soup and tortilla soup are richly flavored Mexican soups, but there are a few differences between the two. Taco soup often has a thicker consistency, more calories, protein and fiber, and it contains many of the same ingredients that you’d find in a taco meal like ground beef, chicken or turkey, beans and corn kernels. Tortilla soup usually has more broth, fewer calories and its made with shredded chicken, canned tomatoes, fresh cilantro, lime juice, and it’s garnished with avocado and tortilla strips.

More Soup Recipes

• Vegan Tortilla Soup
• Mexican Lentil Soup
• Mexican Chicken Soup
• Taco Soup
• Italian Lentil Soup
• Sausage Lentil Soup
• Mexican Lentil Vegetable Soup
• Red Lentil Soup
• Mexican Lentil Rice Soup

This post has been updated since it was originally published on May 25, 2018.

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Yield: 6 servings

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

We love everything about this easy Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe! It's richly flavored and loaded with onion, garlic, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, chicken, cilantro and homemade tortilla strips. It's the best chicken tortilla soup that rivals any restaurant soup out there.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pounds shredded chicken (you can use rotisserie if you like)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 green onions, finely sliced (white and light green parts only)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoon Adobo powder (optional)
• 1 14½-ounce can low-sodium diced tomatoes (regular or fire roasted)
• 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into half moons
• 1 medium yellow squash, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into half moons
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste

For the Tortilla Strips

• 4 6" corn tortillas (yellow or white corn)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Add the chicken to a stock pot. Cover with just enough water to cover the chicken and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink inside.
2. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool. After it has cooled, cut the chicken and discard the skin and bones.
3. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.
4. Add onion, green onions, cilantro, garlic, oregano, cumin and adobo powder.
5. Sauté for 8-10 minutes or until onions are translucent and tender.
6. Add canned tomatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
7. Add the chopped chicken, zucchini and yellow squash and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until zucchini and yellow squash is just softened.
8. Stir in the lime juice.
9. Add freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste.
10. Serve bowls of soup topped with cubes of Pepper Jack Cheese, tortilla strips, chopped cilantro, diced avocado and lime wedges.

How to Fry Tortilla Strips

1. Line a large plate or cookie sheet with 2-3 layers of paper towels.
2. Cut tortillas into strips.  Stack 3-4 tortillas and cut through the stack in half. Then stack the halves and slice into thin strips.
3. Heat olive oil in large pan.  Oil should be about 1/2 inch thick in pan.  You can add more if needed. 
4. Add one cut tortilla strip to the oil to make sure its bubbly. Then add cut tortilla strips to the oil  in a single layer (about 20 cut strips depending on the size of your pan).  Don’t over-crowd the pan. Cook in batches.
5. Fry in oil until the tortillas start to turn golden and bubble a bit in the oil.
   Using a pair of  tongs or a stainless steel spatula, turn them over on the other side.  Continue to fry them on opposite side for another 30-60 seconds or until they look golden and crispy.
6. Either using tongs or a spatula, transfer them from the pan to the lined cookie sheet.
7. Season immediately with salt.
8. Repeat process until all tortilla strips have been fried.

How to Bake Tortilla Strips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using a pastry brush, brush the tortillas with olive oil on both sides.
3. Cut tortillas into strips.  Stack tortillas and cut through the stack in half. Then stack the halves and slice into thin strips.
4. Line a cookie sheet with foil or lightly brush the cookie sheet with oil.
5. Bake for about 5-7 minutes. Rotate cookie sheet and using tongs turn any pieces that are cooking too quickly.  Cook another 3-5 minutes until chips turn lightly golden brown and crispy.
6. Season with salt.

Notes

Chicken Tortilla Soup Toppings

• Cheese. Pepper Jack cheese is a great cheese to garnish this soup with.  It adds another layer of flavor to this already richly-flavored soup.  Regular Jack, and cheddar also work.
• Cilantro. Fresh cilantro added to bowls filled with piping hot soup adds so much flavor.
• Avocado. Fresh avocado also adds a lot of flavor, healthy fats and a creamy texture to this soup.
• Lime. Serving this soup with lime wedges so people can add as much or little fresh lime juice as they like. It adds a fresh perky flavor to this soup.
• Red Onion. Adding a little minced onion to the soup adds a bold flavor to this soup.
• Tomatoes. Add finely chopped tomatoes or a spoonful of pico de gallo to this soup for added flavor.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 542Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 481mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 5gSugar: 6gProtein: 48g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.