Chicken Tortilla Soup (Crock Pot)

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A hearty, easy Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe! This soup has a healthy mix of corn, beans, and a flavorful broth that is topped off with crunchy tortillas and melty cheese. Directions for instant pot and stove top included as well.

Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup topped with avocado, cilantro, cheese and sour cream with tortilla chips. Ingredients strewn around in the background and forefront.

Table of Contents

Sometimes a recipe comes along that you just can’t keep to yourself! Like this Chicken Tortilla Soup. It’s filled with hearty ingredients like black beans, corn, tomatoes, and a flavorful broth that just soaks into everything.

This weekend in Virginia was a total surprise gift because it was our first wave of cool fall weather! I know it’s very short lived, it got me craving all things comforting and fall. Plaid Scarves, colored leaves, and hearty soups.

Football practice has been taking over our schedules, so I need no fuss recipes that are freezer friendly. Hearty soups are one of my favorite weeknight meals. They are easy to make, feed a crowd, and transport well for lunches. Soup is a classic, and we make lots around here like Cabbage Beef, Sausage and Kale, and Fantastic Broccoli with Real Cheese soup.

Ingredients and Notes

What I love most about this taco style soup is how forgiving it is when it comes to ingredient measurements. After all, the point of recipes like these is to be easily thrown together.

Chicken Tortilla Soup ingredients with text labels.

Canned Whole Tomatoes – I personally find these to have the most flavor, but you can use diced, canned tomatoes as well.

Black Beans – For the crock pot, you can use either canned or fresh black beans without any changes to the recipe. I generally use canned, however.

Chicken Broth – Low Sodium, fat free, or regular are all fine. Taste test before adding any additional salt.

Corn – I prefer frozen corn over canned corn because the flavor is just much better. No need to thaw, toss it in the slow cooker frozen.

Topping Ideas – My favorites are sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, avocado slices, lime wedges, fresh cilantro, and addictively crispy tortilla chips, of course!

Whole30 – For Whole 30, you would need to use a Whole30 compliant chicken broth or make your own. Again, the corn and beans would need to be left out, but you can find great additions in carrots, potatoes, zucchini, or green beans. My friend recommends this Whole30 compliant Chicken broth (or make your own). Top with guacamole, cilantro, avocado slices, lime slices, or compliant chips.

Low Carb or Keto – For Keto, you can easily leave the corn and beans out of this crock pot chicken tortilla soup. I would swap them for zucchini or red pepper to keep the heartiness. You can also experiment with adding black soybeans. Unfortunately, you would need to leave off the tortilla strips, but you could substitute in some Keto Crisps if you want that crunch. These might be available at a larger health grocery store.

Step by Step Recipe Guide

In the recipe card, I have included directions for crock pot and stove top.

Overhead of soup ingredients put into a slow cooker before cooking.

For the crock pot, I keep this as simple as can be! It is truly a dump and cook meal.

In a large slow cooker, combine chicken and all the remaining ingredients. Break apart the tomatoes slightly. I usually crush them a bit before adding.
Cover and cook on low until chicken is cooked and falling apart, approximately 5 to 6 hours.
Remove chicken and shred with a fork or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add back into pot to warm up fully. Break apart any remaining large tomato chunks.
Serve soup in bowls and garnish as you like with tortilla chips, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, or cheddar cheese.

Instant Pot Directions

If you would rather make this soup in an instant pot, the instructions are pretty easy too!

Add the chicken to the bottom and all of the other ingredients on top. Stir well, close lid, and turn the Instant pot to pressure cook on high. If using frozen chicken breasts, pressure cook 25 minutes. If using fresh chicken breasts, pressure cook for 18 minutes
Let let the pressure release naturally.
Take the chicken breasts out and either dice or shred with a fork or a stand mixer. I generally prefer the stand mixer method using the paddle.
Return the shredded chicken to the soup.
Garnish and enjoy!

Tortilla soup with toppings of avocado and sour cream. Spoons, a second bowl, a bowl of cilantro and tortilla chips in background.

Recipe Tips

You can make this authentic soup recipe with other meat, like ground turkey or beef. I’ve also made this with leftover rotisserie chicken, which I added after shredding just to warm up.
Make this tortilla soup spicy with a dash of cayenne pepper, or use the hot version of diced tomatoes with green chilies. You can also add diced jalapeno peppers with the onion.
Vegetarian option is made by leaving out the meat and using vegetable broth. If you want to add more protein the soup, add another can of black beans, or cubed extra firm tofu.
If you need to thicken the soup, the easiest way is just to pour out a bit of the broth.

Serving and Storage Directions

Serve: Its ready to serve as soon as the chicken is put back in. You can leave it out for a few hours on the counter to cool before storing. I often serve with a variety of toppings on the side so everyone can pick their own. And don’t forget the tortilla strips!

Store: Leftovers are amazing! Store They are good in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Reheat: You can reheat either a single serving or the whole pot.

Stove Top: In a saucepan or soup pot over medium heat, warm the leftover soup. Depending on how much you have, it can take 3-15 minutes.
MICROWAVE: You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave by transferring to a microwave safe bowl and microwaving for 60 seconds. I usually stir and check it for cold spots. Continue to microwave at 30 second intervals until heated through.

Freeze: This is a perfect freezer meal! I portion it up after cooking and cooling the soup. Leave off the tortilla strips and toppings. It works great in a ziplock bag if you lay flat to stack them. In an airtight container, this recipe should last 4-6 months.

More Great Soup Recipes

FAQs

What toppings can I use for Chicken Tortilla soup?

I usually set out toppings for everyone to enjoy their favorite and top how they like, such as:
Avocado slices
Sour cream
Shredded cheddar
Chopped fresh cilantro
Guacamole
Lime slices
Tortilla chips or strips (love the rainbow kind especially!)

Is Chicken Tortilla Soup Unhealthy?

Sometimes soups can be pretty heavy, but this chicken tortilla soup is on the lighter side but still hearty and filling. However, the flavor is bursting to give this soup an amazing taste! And the toppings complete it to your personal tastes so effortlessly.

Close up of crock pot tortilla soup with black beans, tomato, cilantro, shredded cheese, avocado and tortilla chip.

Cookbook cover of Chicken and Rice casserole. The cookbook is titled Weeknight Supper Solutions

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