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This creamy chicken tortilla soup is sure to warm you up on a chilly night. A simple one-pot recipe, this soup is flavorful, filling, and ready in around 40 minutes!
Soup is one of my go-to “fast foods” year-round, but especially in the fall and winter!
It’s quick and easy, can easily be made in the morning and reheated for dinner, and it’s always a winner with my family.
I have so many soups that I love to make that it’s often hard to choose! Dutch oven pizza soup, Polish sauerkraut soup, or Mexican corn soup are a few favorites.
With that kind of variety, we could honestly eat soup every night of the week and never get sick of it!
I had chicken tortilla soup at a restaurant recently, and I had forgotten how delicious it is!
Of course, I quickly got to work making my own recipe. I’m really happy with how it turned out, and I certainly don’t need to order it at a restaurant anymore!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One-pot meal: Make this soup in your trusty Dutch oven and skip the extra dishes! With a hearty soup and all of the fun toppings, you don’t need to serve it with sides (unless, of course, you want to!).
- Easy to make: Chicken tortilla soup is ready to serve in about 40 minutes; it’s perfect for those nights when you need dinner on the table quickly.
- Customizable: There are so many ways to tweak this recipe to use what you have and cater to your personal tastes. Soup is always a great meal to make when you are due for a grocery trip!
Ingredients
- Shredded chicken: I used shredded cooked chicken breasts in this soup. A rotisserie chicken or even leftover turkey works perfectly too!
- Black beans: I like two cans of black beans, but you can swap one can for pinto or navy beans. They both work well, and it’s a nice way to use up what’s already in your pantry.
- Cream cheese: We’ll melt it into the soup broth to give it a delicious creaminess without making the soup too rich!
- Corn: I use frozen corn; feel free to use canned or even fresh if you have it.
- Chicken broth: You can use broth from a carton or make your own homemade chicken broth!
Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the full list of ingredients with measurements!
How to Make Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Step 1. Heat the avocado oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño and cook, stirring now and then, for 4 to 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook about 1 minute, just until fragrant.
Step 2. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring as you go, until it’s smooth.
Step 3. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the black beans, shredded chicken, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne. Turn up the heat and bring it to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 3. Take off the lid and drop in the cream cheese. Stir until it’s completely melted and the soup turns nice and creamy. Add the frozen corn and cook, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes, then taste for seasonings.
Step 5. Ladle into bowls and pile on your favorite toppings like cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced avocado, a squeeze of fresh lime, and a big handful of crunchy tortilla chips. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Mix your spices first: I stir all the seasonings together in a little bowl before I start cooking. That way everything goes in at once in step 3, and nothing gets forgotten while the pot’s going.
- Soften the cream cheese: I cut my cream cheese into small pieces and let it sit out while I chop the veggies. Cold cream cheese takes a lot longer to melt, and it can leave little white clumps floating in your soup.
- Thin it or thicken it: The flour and cream cheese give this soup a nice creamy body. If you like it thinner, stir in a little more broth at the end, and if you want it thicker, let it simmer uncovered for a few extra minutes.
- Serve the lime on the side: I put lime wedges out with the rest of the toppings instead of squeezing the juice into the pot. Everyone gets to add as much as they like, and that fresh squeeze right over the bowl really wakes up all the flavors!
- Adjust the heat: With the jalapeño seeded, this soup has a nice gentle warmth that most everyone can handle. If you like it spicier, leave a few seeds in or add a little extra cayenne, and if you don’t like any heat at all, you can leave the cayenne out completely!
Storage and Freezing
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Warm it back up over low heat and don’t let it boil. You can also add a splash of broth if it thickened up too much overnight.
I don’t recommend freezing leftovers once the cream cheese has been added, because the dairy tends to turn grainy when it thaws. If you want to prep a batch for the freezer, allow it to cool after the simmer in step 3 and freeze for up to 6 months. Then add the cream cheese and corn when you warm it back up!
Best Toppings for Tortilla Soup
Part of the fun and flavor of tortilla soup is the assortment of delicious toppings you can pile into your bowl! I like to serve plenty of toppings on the side, so each person can make up their bowl as they like it.
You can let your imagination run wild with soup toppings, but here is what I recommend:
- Cilantro
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheese
- Sliced avocado
- Tortilla chips
- Lime wedges
If you kept your soup mild, you can also offer hot sauce or chopped jalapeños for anyone who wants it spicier!
Recipe FAQs
This recipe is the perfect way to use up leftover chicken! Just shred it and add it in according to the directions. You saved yourself a step and prevented food waste!
You can thicken the soup with a gluten-free flour or a tiny bit of cornstarch slurry instead of all purpose flour! You can also skip the thickener altogether and simmer the soup a little longer. It will be on the thinner side, but still delicious!
You can serve tortilla soup with warm corn or flour tortillas (I like homemade fresh milled tortillas), Mexican rice, chips and pico de gallo, or some fresh cast iron cornbread.
Related Recipes
- Ground Pork Chili
- Sausage Tortellini Soup
- Dutch Oven Lasagna Soup
- Quick and Easy Colorado Green Chili
- Savory Oxtail Pho
If you tried this Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and diced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 14 ounces canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes undrained
- 2 14-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups fully cooked chicken breasts shredded
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened and cut into small pieces
- 1 cup frozen corn
Toppings
- Fresh cilantro
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheese
- Sliced avocado
- Tortilla chips
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and jalapeño and cook, stirring now and then, for 4 to 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook about 1 minute, just until fragrant.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring as you go, until it’s smooth.
- Add the tomatoes with their juice, the black beans, shredded chicken, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne. Turn up the heat and bring it to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Take off the lid and drop in the cream cheese. Stir until it’s completely melted and the soup turns nice and creamy. Add the frozen corn and cook, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes, then taste for seasonings.
- Ladle into bowls and pile on your favorite toppings like cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced avocado, a squeeze of fresh lime and a big handful of crunchy tortilla chips. Enjoy!
Notes
- Chicken: I used shredded cooked chicken breasts in this soup. A rotisserie chicken or even leftover turkey works perfectly too; just shred about 2 cups and add it in step 3!
- Oil: I do use avocado oil in this recipe, but if you don’t have it, canola, vegetable or olive oil all work great.
- Beans: I like two cans of black beans, but you can swap one can for pinto or navy beans. They both work well and it’s a nice way to use up what’s already in your pantry.
- Cream cheese: I use a block of cream cheese, and regular or the ⅓ less fat kind both melt in nicely. Skip the whipped tub, though, since it doesn’t melt into the soup the same way.
- Heat: With the jalapeño seeded, this soup has a nice gentle warmth that most everyone can handle. If you like it spicier, leave a few seeds in or add a little extra cayenne, and if you don’t like any heat at all, you can leave the cayenne out completely!
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Warm it back up over low heat and don’t let it boil, and add a splash of broth if it thickened up overnight.
- Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing it once the cream cheese is in, because the dairy can turn grainy when it thaws. If you want a batch for the freezer, freeze it right after the simmer in step 3, then stir in the cream cheese and corn when you warm it back up!
