This Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe rivals any restaurant tortilla soup out there!  I love everything about this Mexican tortilla soup recipe! It’s loaded with fresh vegetables and seasoned perfectly with authentic Mexican flavors. 

pot of chicken tortilla soup

This healthy chicken tortilla soup is cluttered with chopped chicken and fresh vegetables, and it’s seasoned with delicious authentic Mexican flavors (cumin, oregano and fresh cilantro) that will have you hooked at first bite!

bowls of chicken and vegetables in broth

This easy tortilla soup is one of those soups that turns up in my kitchen time and time again.  Soup is one of those foods that many people only really appreciate on chilly days.  But, I’m not one of those people.  I can eat soup no matter what the temperature is, and this healthy tortilla soup is one of my favorites to make!

Mexican Tortilla Soup Recipe

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

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 4 – 5  green onions, finely sliced (white and light green parts only)
  • 1-1/4 cups finely chopped cilantro
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoon Adobo powder
  • 1 14½-ounce can low-sodium diced tomatoes (regular or fire roasted)
  • 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1-1/2 pounds shredded chicken (you can use store-bought rotisserie for convenience)
  • 1 medium zucchini, sliced and cut in half
  • 1 medium yellow squash, sliced and cut in half
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup 

This easy tortilla soup recipe comes together in about 40 minutes (start-to-finish)

  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, heat oil over medium heat.
  4. Add onion, green onions, cilantro, garlic, oregano and cumin.
  5. Sauté for 8-10 minutes or until onions are translucent and tender.
  6. Add 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.

bowl of soup with avocado

bowls of mexican tortilla soup

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.  Most of the time, we serve this soup without any cheese, but if we do add any – we’ll cut it into little cubes and add to the individual bowls as a garnish.  My family loves the tortilla soup served at El Torito Grille restaurant.  This recipe is my riff on their soup.

bowl of tortilla soup

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! But nine times out of ten, I don’t add any cheese to this Easy Tortilla Soup at all.  Instead I garnish the heck out of it with lots of avocado, freshly baked tortilla strips (seasoned with chili powder) and a heap of fresh cilantro.

Looking for More Mexican Soup Recipes to Make?

Still want more ideas? Check out all my healthy soup recipes.

bowl of tortilla soup
Yield: 6 servings

Tortilla Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

This Chicken Tortilla Soup rivals any restaurant tortilla soup out there!  It's loaded with onions, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash and fresh cilantro and seasoned with oregano and cumin.

 

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 4 - 5  green onions, finely sliced (white and light green parts only)
  • 1-1/4 cups finely chopped cilantro
  • 2-3 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
  • 1-1/2 pounds shredded chicken
  • 1 medium zucchini, sliced and cut in half
  • 1 medium yellow squash, sliced and cut in half
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 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, heat oil over medium heat.
  4. Add onion, green onions, cilantro, garlic, oregano and cumin.
  5. Sauté for 8-10 minutes or until onions are translucent and tender.
  6. Add 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.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 417Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 643mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 47g

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.