Chicken Tortilla Soup
Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup is a go-to soup in my household. Fall is soup season! Or at least it is in my house. It is the season of soup, pumpkin spice, football, and hoodies. Chicken tortilla soup is a great hearty yet fresh comfort food. I mean, who doesn’t love chicken, cheese, and avocado?! Lol.

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It is super yummy on a cold night for dinner, and it can be eaten alone, as it is hearty enough. I use the slow cooker for mine, so I fix it and forget about it. I don’t know about you, but the easier it is, the better it is in my book.

Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients

Two chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (cold/room temperature, not frozen) note, you can use frozen chicken, but the veggies will come out a bit more crunchy and not soft. Or one package chicken tenders works as well.

These are my favorite chicken tenders to buy, but you can also do a package of two full size chicken breasts.

Tomato, 1, chopped

Onion, 1/2, chopped

Diced green chilis, 1 can

1 teaspoon garlic salt

3 teaspoons ancho chili powder

1 teaspoon celery salt

½ teaspoon white pepper

2 cans chicken broth

1 can vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

The chicken seasoning is totally optional, but I frequently add a little in, just to enhance the chicken flavor.
Two cans of chicken broth and one can of vegetable broth, plus the green chilies. I have also substituted fresh diced tomatoes for a can of them as well. If you have everything but that, a can works just fine.

Chicken Tortilla Soup Directions

Combine all of these items in the slow cooker and cook on high 3-4 hours. I presume low would be 6-8 hours, although I have never done it on low. The chicken needs to reach 165 degrees internal temperature to be fully cooked. It is then safe to consume. Once the chicken is cooked, let it cool and then shred. Once it is shredded, return it to the slow cooker to heat back up, which will only take a few minutes.

Adding the veggies into the slow cooker! It is the start of something amazing.
Fully cooked chicken that is tender and juicy. Once it is cool, it is ready to be shredded!

Chicken Tortilla Soup Garnish

Avocado, sliced

Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

My favorite cheese. Tillamook cheese is our go-to for this chicken tortilla soup recipe.

Fresh colantro

Tortilla strips

I love the added flavor of these tortilla strips. If you don’t have these, substituting a bag of basic tortilla chips that have been broken up works just fine as well.

Chicken Tortilla Soup Notes

For the garnish, I never use a specific amount. It’s more a preference to taste. My husband likes copious amounts of cheese and only a small amount of avocado. I am the opposite, so whenever I am putting it together I make sure everybody has the amount they like. I also put the garnish into the bowl first, then ladle the soup on top of it. This will combine everything and make the cheese melt in the bowl.

Another great way to use this recipe is to cook the chicken exactly as directed above, and then shred it for chicken tacos. I just omit the vegetable broth for that. Everything else is exactly the same. I love to do this and eat it in a taco salad bowl.

I’m so hungry!

Chicken Tortilla Soup Additions

I cook a box of Mexican rice to put in the bottom of the taco salad shell, add my cheese and then the chicken. The cheese melts between the rice and chicken, making it perfect. You can add refried beans in here at this point if desired as well. Then garnish it with whatever you want. I always make a homemade pico de gallo to go on top, with some sour cream, lettuce, and olives.

This cooking method for chicken tacos is my favorite because the chicken is cooked in the deliciously flavorful broth. It is tender and easy to shred, and it doesn’t dry out. My husband prefers beef tacos, but shredded chicken is my personal favorite.

The great thing about this soup recipe is that it uses everything I already keep in my pantry and fridge. The most I may have to go to the store and pick up is the cheese, and that is it. Which is easy because my husband can pick that up on his way home from work without going out of his way or forcing one of us to make a special trip.

Because it is done in the slow cooker, the result is it can be left alone. The only prep work involves chopping a few veggies and opening a couple of cans from the cabinet. That is it. I enjoy the simplicity of this meal, yet it produces an amazing and hearty dish that my husband and I love. In fact we were talking earlier this afternoon about it being time to make some tortilla soup again.

Chicken Tortilla Soup Discussion

I hope you enjoy this chicken tortilla soup recipe! It is frequently requested in my house. Have you tried this chicken tortilla soup recipe? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Check out my other soup recipes!

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