Easy 30 Minute Chicken Tortilla Soup
Easy 30 Minute Chicken Tortilla Soup uses mainly pantry ingredients for a hearty and comforting soup that is sure to please the family.
Table of contents
I remember in high school Spanish class needing to watch the movie Tortilla Soup which takes place in Los Angeles which is where I grew up. We had to make the soup as part of our assignment and I remember falling in love with it at first bite.
I happen to love all kinds of soups and stews and have no problem eating them year round. My husband prefers stews since they tend to have less broth and are more hearty. I don’t blame him. So I make my soups on the heartier side with lots of stuff in them.
This Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe is really easy to throw together in half an hour. It uses many items that you can typically find in the pantry or freezer and it’s lovely and warm and comforting.
I’ve heard of several different cities or areas of Mexico where this might have originated but in general it seems to be from the central Mexico area. I know it is so popular because of the ease of making it and that comfort food aspect. Hopefully you will fall in love with it too.
Wanting to introduce your children to more Latin American dishes? Get started with this Latin American resource guide!
Ingredients
Shopping list
- onions
- bell peppers
- garlic
- frozen corn
- chicken
- cilantro
- avocado (optional)
Pantry staples
- olive oil
- chili powder
- oregano
- crushed or diced tomatoes
- chicken broth
- green chilies
- black beans
- tortilla chips
Top Tips
Cut down the cooking time by using rotisserie chicken meat. This is also a really good shortcut if you are cooking with kids and looking to decrease the prep time. It’s an easy job for kids to cut up or shred the cooked chicken.
I like to freeze cut up onions and peppers for recipes like this. It speeds up the prepping process and is a good way to not let odds and ends go to waste when you only needed half an onion or pepper. Slice or dice and freeze them in freezer safe bags.
How to store leftovers
You can freeze this soup in an air tight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before bringing the soup to serving temperature in a pot.
What to serve with this?
This is a hearty meal all on its own but when I serve dishes like this I like to include something for my pickiest eaters like some simple cheese quesadillas.
Otherwise, I like to serve this with some of our favorite drinks like horchata or agua de jamaica.
How to make this in the slow cooker
This is a great recipe to do in the slow cooker using uncooked chicken! Here’s how to do it.
- Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, chili powder, oregano, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, frozen corn, green chilis, black beans and about 1 pound uncooked chicken to a slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Other easy soup recipes
- 5 Ingredient Green Chicken Chili
- Potato Bacon Chowder
- Instant Pot Chinese Pork Soup
- Easy 30 minute Tomato Soup
- Quick Salsa Soup
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions cut into medium dice
- 1 bell pepper any color
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 4 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes fire roasted diced, or Mexican style stewed, or any combination of the two
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 16 oz frozen corn or 1 can
- 2 4 oz cans green chilies chopped
- 2 15.5 oz cans black beans
- 4 cups chicken chopped
- ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- Tortilla chips to serve
- 1 avocado sliced
Instructions
- Heat oil in large soup kettle over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers; sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic cloves, chili powder, and oregano; sauté 1 minute longer.
- Add tomatoes, broth, corn, chilies, beans and chicken; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, to blend flavors, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in cilantro; let stand a couple of minutes. (after cooling, the soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days). Serve warm with tortilla chips.
We added some cheese and sour cream to the top and it was sooooo good! Will definitely be making again!
Our new favorite soup at home, everyone loved it!