Can I make chicken tortilla soup in a slow cooker?

Yes. Add everything except the chicken, lime and toppings and cook 6 hours on low, then stir in shredded chicken for the last 15 minutes. You can also cook raw chicken breasts in the pot and shred them straight into the soup.

How do I keep tortilla strips from going soggy?

Bake them separately and add them to each bowl at the table rather than to the pot. Stored in a sealed bag at room temperature they stay crisp for about two days.

Is chicken tortilla soup healthy?

It's one of the better-balanced soups — about 34g of protein and 9g of fiber per bowl from the chicken and black beans, with most of the fat coming from the toppings you control. Skip the cotija and go easy on the avocado to lighten it further.

Can I freeze chicken tortilla soup?

Yes, it freezes very well for up to 3 months. Freeze the soup only — make the tortilla strips and add fresh avocado, lime and cilantro when you serve.

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Chicken tortilla soup

By Ami · September 7, 2026 · ★★★★★ 4.9 from 118 reviews · Jump to Recipe · Print

Chicken tortilla soup is the easy dinner recipe I lean on when the fridge is thin and I still want something that tastes like it took effort — smoky broth, shredded chicken, black beans and corn, finished with lime, avocado and a fistful of crispy tortilla strips. Thirty minutes start to finish, and 34g of protein a bowl.

Chicken tortilla soup in a bowl topped with crispy tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro and lime — easy 30-minute high protein dinner recipe

This is a pantry dinner that tastes like a restaurant one.

It's mostly cans. Fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, corn and broth do the heavy lifting, which means you can make it on a Wednesday you did not plan for. The same pantry logic as white chicken chili.
Rotisserie chicken makes it a 20-minute soup. Shred a store-bought bird and the whole thing is simmering before the oven would have preheated. Leftover chicken from air fryer chicken breast works just as well.
34g of protein and real fiber. Chicken and black beans together get you a genuinely filling bowl with about 9g of fiber — the kind of meal that holds until morning. Check your own numbers on the protein calculator.

Here's what you'll need.

Fire-roasted tomatoes are the one ingredient worth being fussy about — they bring a smokiness that plain diced tomatoes simply don't have. Corn tortillas cut into strips and crisped in the oven beat any bagged chip, and take eight minutes. Fresh lime at the end is not optional; it's what makes the whole bowl taste finished.

Ingredients for chicken tortilla soup in small bowls — shredded chicken, black beans, corn, fire-roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño, chicken broth, cumin, chili powder, lime and corn tortillas

Here's how it all comes together.

Step 1 — Build the smoky base

Soften the diced onion in oil for 4 minutes, then add the garlic, jalapeño, cumin, chili powder and smoked paprika and cook 1 minute more, until the spices smell toasty. Blooming them in the fat like this is worth the extra minute — dumped into liquid they taste dusty.

Diced onion, garlic, jalapeño and toasted cumin and chili powder cooking in a Dutch oven for chicken tortilla soup

Step 2 — Simmer the soup

Pour in the fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, corn and chicken broth, bring it to a simmer and let it go 15 minutes so the flavors settle together. Stir in the shredded chicken for the last 5 minutes just to heat through.

Fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans and corn simmering with broth in a Dutch oven for chicken tortilla soup

Step 3 — Crisp the tortilla strips

While it simmers, cut corn tortillas into thin strips, toss with a little oil and salt, and bake at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes until golden and snappy. Finish the soup with lime juice and pile the strips on at the table so they stay crisp.

Corn tortilla strips baked golden and crisp on a sheet pan for topping chicken tortilla soup

Things I learned while testing this recipe.

Bloom the spices in oil. One minute in hot fat before the liquid goes in is the single biggest difference between a flat tortilla soup and a smoky one.
Don't skip the lime. Two tablespoons at the end wakes everything up. Add it off the heat — boiled lime juice turns bitter.
Toppings go on at the table. Tortilla strips added to the pot go soggy in ninety seconds. Same for avocado, which turns brown and slippery in hot broth.
Rinse the black beans. That starchy can liquid clouds the broth and makes it taste tinny. Thirty seconds under the tap is enough.

Make it ahead, or make it your own.

It's a great freezer soup. Freeze the soup base for up to 3 months in portions. Toppings are fresh anyway, so a frozen bowl reheats to exactly the same dinner.
Slow cooker version. Everything except the chicken and lime goes in for 6 hours on low; stir the shredded chicken in at the end. Or use raw breasts and shred them in the pot like the crockpot chicken gnocchi soup.
Make it hotter or milder. Leave the jalapeño seeds in for real heat, or swap it for a mild poblano. A chipotle in adobo, minced, pushes the smoke way up.

Here's what I'd serve with this.

Avocado, cotija and cilantro — the three toppings that actually matter.
Warm flour tortillas or cornbread for anyone who wants to mop.
Chicken burrito bowls if you're feeding a crowd and want a build-your-own night.
Sheet-pan chicken fajitas in the oven while the soup simmers.
Chocolate cottage cheese mousse for a light, high-protein finish.

Just in case you have leftovers.

Storing: refrigerate the soup (without toppings) in an airtight container for up to 4 days — it genuinely improves on day two as the smoky spices settle in. Freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Store any leftover tortilla strips at room temperature in a sealed bag; they'll stay crisp about two days.

Reheating: warm on the stove over medium until steaming, about 6 minutes, or microwave a bowl for 2 minutes. Add fresh lime, avocado and crisp strips after reheating, never before — the whole point of this soup is the contrast between the hot broth and the cold, crunchy toppings.

More comfort food recipes...

White chicken chili — creamy, cozy and ready in 30 minutes

Chicken burrito bowls — 30-minute meal prep with 40g protein

Taco soup — five cans and a pound of beef

Sheet pan chicken fajitas — one pan, huge flavor, zero fuss

Chicken tortilla soup

★★★★★ 4.9 from 118 reviews — easy chicken tortilla soup with shredded chicken, black beans, corn and fire-roasted tomatoes in a smoky broth, finished with lime and crispy tortilla strips. 30 minutes, 34g protein.

Prep 10 min · Cook 20 min · Total 30 min · Serves 6 · Category: Comfort Food · Cuisine: Mexican-American

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed
1 1/2 cups corn (frozen or canned)
6 cups chicken broth
4 cups shredded cooked chicken (about 1 rotisserie chicken)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
6 corn tortillas, cut into strips
avocado, cilantro, cotija and lime wedges, to serve

Instructions

Bloom. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium. Cook the onion 4 minutes, then add the garlic, jalapeño, cumin, chili powder and smoked paprika and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Simmer. Add the tomatoes, black beans, corn and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook 15 minutes.
Crisp the strips. Meanwhile, toss the tortilla strips with oil and salt and bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes until golden.
Finish. Stir in the shredded chicken and heat 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro, cotija and a lime wedge.

Notes: Fire-roasted tomatoes make a real difference — plain diced tomatoes taste flat here. Bloom the spices in oil before adding liquid. Add lime off the heat. Keep toppings at the table so the strips stay crisp. Slow cooker: 6 hours on low, stirring the chicken in at the end. For more heat, add a minced chipotle in adobo. Freezes 3 months.

Nutrition (per serving, estimated): 385 calories · 34g protein · 38g carbs · 11g fat · 9g fiber

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FAQ

Can I make chicken tortilla soup in a slow cooker?: Yes. Add everything except the chicken, lime and toppings and cook 6 hours on low, then stir in shredded chicken for the last 15 minutes. You can also cook raw chicken breasts in the pot and shred them straight into the soup.
How do I keep tortilla strips from going soggy?: Bake them separately and add them to each bowl at the table rather than to the pot. Stored in a sealed bag at room temperature they stay crisp for about two days.
Is chicken tortilla soup healthy?: It's one of the better-balanced soups — about 34g of protein and 9g of fiber per bowl from the chicken and black beans, with most of the fat coming from the toppings you control. Skip the cotija and go easy on the avocado to lighten it further.
Can I freeze chicken tortilla soup?: Yes, it freezes very well for up to 3 months. Freeze the soup only — make the tortilla strips and add fresh avocado, lime and cilantro when you serve.