Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken tortilla soup is the perfect recipe when the cold weather hits Texas. Today is one of those cold weather days. It is sleeting and icy cold at 6:30am the week of Christmas. Later in the week, we are supposed to have four nights of cold down in the 20s so we will have our first hard freeze of the season.

Living in Texas, chicken tortilla soup is the number one soup served when it is cold followed by potato soup and taco soup. I cannot wait to make a big pot of this tonight and again later in the week when it is so cold. This soup is more popular in Texas than chicken noodle soup!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This amazing chicken tortilla soup will make a soup lover out of you. Forget canned soup! This homemade deliciousness will make you realize that soup should be something delicious and comforting!This amazing chicken tortilla soup will make a soup lover out of you. Forget canned soup! This homemade deliciousness will make you realize that soup should be something delicious and comforting!

What could be better for dinner on a cold night in Texas than chicken tortilla soup? It makes your home smell amazing and it is so satisfying to your tummy!

For this incredible, possibly life-changing soup, you will need:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, divided (reserve 1/4 of it for garnish)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 lb chicken breasts, (2 medium) (Fast Tip: Use the breasts from a deli chicken)
  • 20 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 32 oz chicken broth 
  • 14 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 14 oz corn, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup cooked long grain rice (Optional)
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 tsp salt, or to taste
  • 1 avocado, peeled and chopped
  • Tortilla strips or broken tortilla chips
  • Colby Jack Cheese, grated

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, part of the cilantro, and jalapeno and saute until they are soft.

Add the chicken breasts (raw)*** along with the broth, crushed tomatoes, black beans, rice, and corn. When it comes to a boil, turn down heat some and simmer for about 25 minutes until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken breasts from pan and shred chicken with a fork. Add meat back in.

***If you are using a deli chicken which is already cooked, shred the chicken breasts and add the shredded meat into the pan. Simmer for about ten minutes instead of 25 since the chicken does not need to be cooked.***

Simmer for another five minutes or so. Add the lime juice and salt.

Put in bowls. Add some avocado, grated cheese, the rest of the cilantro, and tortilla strips to each bowl to serve.

Option: If you would like to make a double batch, use all of the chicken meat on the deli chicken. Just de-bone it all really well. We don't want anyone choking. Double up on all of the other ingredients.

It is good to freeze some extra soup and put it in the freezer for a sudden cold snap or when you can't think of anything else to have for dinner. Just pop it out and heat it up on the stove for a quick and delicious meal.


Serve this soup up plain, with flour tortillas and butter, or make quesadillas with flour tortillas and slices of American cheese for a sort of grilled cheese to accompany the soup. Either way, this soup will be a hit in your home.

If you have it, instead of using store bought chicken broth, use chicken bone broth from the freezer that you have made. This adds amazing flavor as well as all of the benefits that homemade bone broth gives.

They say that when you are sick, chicken noodle soup or chicken broth are both so good for you. Chicken tortilla soup is also good for you. Here in Texas, we like a little heat with our chicken; hence, the jalapenos.

Tortilla Strips

You can buy tortilla strips in the chip aisle of your grocery store if you do not want to use broken tortilla chips on top of your soup or you can make your own tortilla strips.

Heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil in a small frying pan. Cut some corn tortillas into strips with a sharp knife. Fry some of the strips in the hot oil until they are crisp. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels and cook the next batch.

You can even fry your own tortilla chips by cutting the corn tortillas into fourths and frying them in hot oil. Drain on paper towels. David makes his own tortilla chips and they taste very fresh. Great for dips and to go with the chicken tortilla soup. It takes a little effort, but the taste is definitely worth the trouble.


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