Chunky Chicken Tortilla Soup

This Chunky Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe comes together in 30 minutes and packs a ton of flavor and veggies! Make this soup for dinner any night of the week or freeze some for later.

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You guys know by now I love all Mexican-inspired food and tortilla soup is no exception. This Chunky Chicken Tortilla Soup is a game-changer when it comes to quick and easy meals because it comes together in about 30 minutes!

Ingredients Needed to Make Chunky Chicken Tortilla Soup

• olive oil
• onion
• jalapeno pepper
• garlic
• diced or shredded cooked chicken
• chicken broth
• fresh lime juice
• canned diced tomatoes
• black beans
• canned corn 
• ground dried Mexican chilis (see notes)
• chili powder
• cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh cilantro
• tortilla chips or fried tortilla strips (see notes)
• queso fresco or shredded cheese, sour cream, and avocado for serving

How to Make Easy Tortilla Soup

Warm up the olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot over med-high heat. Add the onions and jalapeno and cook for 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking for another minute.

Add the chicken, broth, lime juice, tomatoes, black beans, corn, chili powder, Mexican chili powder, and cumin. Stir everything together and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add salt and pepper to taste (this will depend on the type of canned goods you add and if your chicken had any seasoning) and the cilantro and lower the heat. Allow the soup to cool for a few minutes before serving. Place the tortillas on top and garnish with sour cream, avocado, and cheese if desired. Enjoy!

How to Make Crispy Tortilla Strips

These are the same tortilla stips I use for my Instant Pot Green Chile Chicken. Here’s how to make them:

1. In a cast-iron pan or large skillet, heat the oil over med-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add half of the tortilla strips to the pan and allow to fry on one side. Use your metal tongs to flip and move the strips around for a few minutes.
2. Once the tortillas start to brown, remove them from the oil and place them on a plate with a paper towel to catch the excess oil. Sprinkle with salt and allow to cool before serving.

How to Make Ground Dried Mexican Chili Powder

I use 2-3 different types of dried chiles that come in plastic bags (you can find them in the Mexican food aisle at the grocery store), but you can also just use one type. Take each chile, cut off the stem at the top and empty the seeds out of the middle. Cut up the chile into small pieces and fill a coffee/nut grinder (or use a small food processor). Pulse until you have a fine powder. Use the ground chiles for this recipe and then store any remaining chile powder in a sealed container for several weeks. This is also what I used to sprinkle on top of the sour cream for the final presentation.

More Mexican-Inspired Recipes to Check Out

• Air Fryer Chimichangas
• Instant Pot Green Chile Chicken
• Baked Chile Rellenos
• Mexican Pizza Recipe (Taco Bell Copycat)
• Air Fryer Taquitos

Chunky Chicken Tortilla Soup

An easy and delicious Chunky Chicken Tortilla Soup that is full of a ton of goodies and flavor!

5 from 11 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 178kcal

Author: EmilyFabulous

Equipment

• dutch oven or large pot
• wooden spoon
• ladel

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed
• 1 11 oz can corn (I found fiesta corn with added peppers or you can use regular whole corn)
• 2 tsp ground dried Mexican chilis (see notes)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
• tortilla chips or fried tortilla strips (see notes)

Optional Toppings

• queso fresco or shredded cheese
• sour cream
• sliced avocado

Instructions

• Warm up the olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot over med-high heat. Add the onions and jalapeno and cook for 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking for another minute.
  
• Add the chicken, chicken broth, lime juice, tomatoes, black beans, corn, chili powder, Mexican chili powder, and cumin. Stir everything together and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  
• Add salt and pepper to taste (this will depend on the type of canned goods you add and if your chicken had any seasoning) and the cilantro and lower the heat. Allow the soup to cool for a few minutes before serving. Place the tortillas on top and garnish with sour cream, avocado, and cheese if desired. Enjoy!
  

Notes

• How to make ground dried chiles: Cut off the stem of the chile at the top and empty the seeds out of the middle. Cut up the chile into small pieces and fill the In a coffee/nut grinder (or small food processor). Pulse until you have a fine powder.
• How to make fried tortilla strips: In a cast-iron pan or large skillet, heat the oil over med-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add half of the tortilla strips to the pan and allow to fry on one side. Use your metal tongs to flip and move the strips around for a few minutes. Once the tortillas start to brown, remove them from the oil and place them on a plate with a paper towel to catch the excess oil. Sprinkle with salt and allow to cool before serving.
• Nutrition facts are for soup ONLY, not added toppings or tortilla strips.

Nutrition

Calories: 178kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.3g | Protein: 18.6g | Fat: 7.7g | Saturated Fat: 1.4g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 960mg | Potassium: 499mg | Fiber: 2.5g | Sugar: 3.5g | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg

Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.

Did you Make this Chunky Chicken Tortilla Soup?

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