This easy Mexican chicken tortilla soup recipe is a hearty 45–50-minute dinner made with cooked shredded chicken, tomatoes, black beans, corn, green chiles, fragrant spices, and crisp homemade tortilla strips. The soup serves 4–6 people and is ideal for a quick weeknight meal because the chicken is stirred in near the end instead of being cooked from scratch.
Every spoonful is savory, smoky, lightly spicy, and bright with fresh lime. Fire-roasted tomatoes and Mexican oregano give the broth a wonderfully rich flavor, while avocado, queso fresco, cilantro, and crunchy tortilla strips add contrasting textures to the finished bowl.
Jump to RecipeWhy You’ll Love This Recipe
This chicken tortilla soup brings together everything that makes a satisfying dinner: a flavorful broth, tender chicken, filling beans, sweet corn, and plenty of colorful toppings. It tastes like a soup that has simmered all day, yet the active preparation is simple enough for a busy evening.
The recipe is also flexible without losing its character. Use fire-roasted tomatoes for a smoky note, regular diced tomatoes for a gentler flavor, or leave out the jalapeño if you prefer very mild soup.
Because the recipe begins with cooked shredded chicken, it is a practical way to use leftovers or a store-bought rotisserie chicken. For another chicken dinner with a completely different flavor profile, try this easy skillet chicken dinner with its tangy balsamic sauce.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The foundation of this soup is made from everyday ingredients that create a deeply savory bowl. Onion, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, chili powder, and oregano form the aromatic base, while tomatoes and green chiles provide acidity, color, and gentle heat.
- Aromatics: One diced yellow onion, three minced garlic cloves, and one seeded jalapeño create the first layer of flavor.
- Spices: Cumin, chili powder, and preferably Mexican oregano add warmth and a distinctly Mexican-style aroma.
- Broth and vegetables: Six cups of low-sodium chicken broth, diced tomatoes, green chiles, black beans, and corn make the soup hearty without making it heavy.
- Chicken: Two cups of cooked shredded chicken, or about 10–12 ounces, are added near the end to protect their tender texture.
- Finishing ingredients: Lime juice, tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro, cheese, crema, radishes, and sliced jalapeño allow everyone to customize a bowl.
Low-sodium broth is especially useful here because canned tomatoes, beans, green chiles, and cooked chicken can all contain different amounts of salt. Starting with less salt and tasting at the end gives you better control over the final seasoning.
If you enjoy this classic combination, you can also compare it with our other chicken tortilla soup for another comforting variation.
How to Make It Step-by-Step
Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes soft and translucent but not deeply browned.
Step 2: Add the finely chopped jalapeño and minced garlic to the softened onion. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the garlic smells fragrant; if you want less heat, make sure the jalapeño has been seeded or omit it.
Step 3: Stir in the ground cumin, chili powder, and dried oregano. Let the spices cook for 30 seconds, which helps their oils open up and gives the broth more flavor than adding the seasonings after the liquid.
Step 4: Pour in the diced tomatoes and green chiles, then add the chicken broth, drained black beans, corn, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir from the bottom of the pot to combine the softened aromatics with the broth and vegetables.
Step 5: Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once bubbling, reduce the heat and simmer the soup uncovered for 20–25 minutes, allowing the tomatoes, broth, beans, corn, and spices to become a unified, savory base.
Step 6: Stir the cooked shredded chicken into the soup during the final 5 minutes. It only needs to heat through, and adding it late prevents the pieces from becoming dry or stringy during the longer simmer.
Step 7: Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the juice of one lime, about 2 tablespoons. Taste carefully and add more salt if needed, remembering that the toppings may also bring salt to each serving.
Step 8: While the soup simmers, prepare the tortilla strips. Toss six small corn tortillas, cut into thin strips, with 1–2 tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil and a pinch of salt, then bake at 400°F for 8–12 minutes, stirring once, until crisp; alternatively, fry them in shallow oil and drain on paper towels.
Step 9: Ladle the hot soup into bowls and add the tortilla strips right before serving. Finish with diced avocado, chopped cilantro, crumbled queso fresco or shredded Monterey Jack, sour cream or Mexican crema, lime wedges, sliced jalapeño, and radishes.
Pro Tips for the Best Tortilla Soup
The most important flavor step happens before the broth is added. Sautéing the onion, garlic, jalapeño, and spices gives the soup a more rounded taste than simply placing every ingredient in the pot at the same time.
Fire-roasted tomatoes are a wonderful choice when you want a subtle smoky quality. Mexican oregano is also worth seeking out because its flavor is brighter and more citrusy than many Mediterranean oregano varieties, although standard dried oregano will still work.
Keep the tortilla strips separate until serving. If they sit in the pot too long, they soften and lose the crisp texture that makes this soup so appealing.
- For mild soup, seed the jalapeño completely or leave it out.
- For extra heat, add sliced jalapeño as a topping rather than increasing the amount in the broth.
- For the freshest flavor, squeeze in the lime only after removing the pot from the heat.
- For a colorful presentation, use green cilantro, creamy avocado, white cheese, and pink radishes together.
When you want another comforting chicken soup for dinner, our Instant Pot chicken spinach soup is a creamy option with a different style.
Topping Ideas and Serving Suggestions
Toppings are more than decoration here because they bring cool, creamy, crunchy, salty, and fresh elements to the same spoonful. Start with tortilla strips and avocado, then add cheese and cilantro before finishing with a squeeze of lime.
Queso fresco offers a delicate, crumbly finish, while Monterey Jack melts gently into the hot broth. Sour cream or Mexican crema softens the spice, and radishes add a crisp bite that balances the richness of the avocado and cheese.
Serve the soup as a complete dinner with extra lime wedges at the table. It also pairs nicely with a simple green salad or a small plate of easy baked chicken tacos when you are feeding a larger group.
Storage and Reheating
Cool leftover soup promptly and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator. The soup keeps well for several days, but tortilla strips should always be stored separately at room temperature in an airtight container so they remain crisp.
Reheat the soup gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until hot throughout. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave, stopping to stir so the chicken and vegetables warm evenly.
Add fresh lime juice and new toppings after reheating rather than before storage. Fresh avocado, cilantro, crema, and crisp tortilla strips will make leftovers taste much closer to a newly prepared bowl.
For another cozy soup idea with bold flavor, see this Buffalo chicken noodle soup when you are craving something spicy and hearty.
Common Questions
Can I use rotisserie chicken? Yes. Remove the skin and bones, shred about 10–12 ounces of meat, and add it during the final 5 minutes as directed.
Can I make the soup less spicy? Seed the jalapeño carefully or omit it, and choose regular diced tomatoes instead of fire-roasted tomatoes if you prefer a milder overall flavor. The canned green chiles still provide flavor without making the soup overwhelmingly hot.
Why add lime at the end? Lime juice tastes brightest when it is stirred in after cooking. Prolonged boiling can dull its fresh, lively flavor.
Can I prepare the tortilla strips another way? Yes. Bake them at 400°F for 8–12 minutes, stirring once, or fry them in shallow oil until golden and drain them on paper towels. Briefly toasting them before serving gives the soup its signature crisp finish.
Easy Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 4–5 minutes, until softened.
- Add the seeded jalapeño and minced garlic, then cook for about 1 minute, stirring often so the garlic becomes fragrant without browning.
- Stir in the cumin, chili powder, and oregano. Cook for 30 seconds to bloom the spices and release their aroma.
- Add the diced tomatoes, green chiles, chicken broth, black beans, corn, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes. This gives the broth time to absorb the flavor of the sautéed vegetables and spices.
- Stir in the cooked shredded chicken during the final 5 minutes of cooking. Heat it just until warmed through so the chicken remains tender.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
- For the tortilla strips, toss the cut corn tortillas with 1–2 tablespoons of oil and a pinch of salt. Bake at 400°F for 8–12 minutes, stirring once, until crisp, or fry them in shallow oil until golden and drain on paper towels.
- Ladle the hot soup into bowls and top with tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro, queso fresco or Monterey Jack, sour cream or crema, lime wedges, jalapeño, and radishes.
Notes
Final Thoughts
This easy Mexican chicken tortilla soup recipe is the kind of dinner that feels both comforting and lively. The seasoned tomato broth is full of beans, corn, green chiles, and tender chicken, while lime and fresh toppings keep every bowl bright instead of heavy.
With only 15 minutes of preparation and a total cooking time of 30–35 minutes, it is a reliable choice for weeknights, casual entertaining, or using leftover chicken. Let the tortilla strips stay crisp, taste the broth before serving, and offer plenty of toppings so everyone can make the bowl their own.
Make a pot tonight, set out the avocado, cilantro, cheese, crema, radishes, and lime, and enjoy a warm dinner with color, texture, and plenty of homemade flavor.
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