Chicken Tortilla Soup
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Not your typical chicken tortilla soup, this creamy, flavor-packed version is a hearty blend of veggies, broth, and corn tortillas. It’s a meal in itself, especially topped with corn, sour cream, avocado, or your favorite seasonal add-ins.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Whenever we visit my parents in Longboat Key, Florida, we have dinner at Tommy Bahama. The food is always good, and we love sitting around a big table under gently spinning wicker fans, listening to a one-man band play endless Jimmy Buffet tunes. While we all have our favorites at Tommy’s, the dish we unanimously love is the chicken tortilla soup. Unlike the typical tomato and broth-based varieties, it’s a hearty, creamy blend of puréed vegetables, broth, and corn tortillas—a combination that, in my opinion, beats the standard version by a mile.
This is my take on Tommy’s tortilla soup. At the restaurant, they garnish it with grilled chicken, charred corn, and a drizzle of crema. Feel free to add these or your own favorite toppings—diced avocado, beans, pico de gallo, and cilantro would all be great additions.
“Delicious recipe! I added chicken & topped with fresh pico and tortilla strips. It was a meal!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Olive Oil and Butter: Used for sautéing the vegetables and also add flavor to the soup.
- Onions, Garlic, Green Bell Pepper: These aromatic vegetables are essential for the soup’s base flavor. They add sweetness, depth, and a slight bite.
- All-purpose Flour: Acts as a thickening agent for the soup, giving it a more substantial texture.
- Chicken Broth: Serves as the liquid base of the soup, providing depth, richness, and body.
- Corn Tortillas: Thicken the soup and add a traditional corn flavor.
- Cumin, Chili Powder, and Cayenne Pepper: These spices add warmth, heat, and a smoky flavor.
- Chicken, Avocado, Corn, Beans, Cilantro, Sour Cream: Optional add-ins to customize your soup.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by heating the oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and green pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and just starting to brown, about 15 minutes. (Turn the heat to medium-low if the mixture is browning too quickly.)
Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Add the chicken broth, cut tortillas, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne.
Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Off the heat, then use a handheld immersion blender to purée the soup until completely smooth.
If you don’t have a hand-held blender, let the soup cool slightly and use a standard blender to purée in batches. Be sure to remove the center knob on the blender top and cover with a dish towel to avoid splatters.
Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Stir in the chicken, if using, then ladle the soup into bowls and serve with optional additions. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Chicken tortilla soup will keep nicely in the fridge for up to 4 days. It may thicken up while refrigerated, so add a bit of water or chicken broth when reheating to thin it out as necessary.
Yes, the soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, thinning it with a bit of broth or water if necessary.
Yes, you can easily make this soup vegetarian by substituting the chicken broth with vegetable broth and omitting the chicken. You can add more vegetables like zucchini or carrots, or black beans to keep the soup hearty and fulfilling.
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Chicken Tortilla Soup
Not your typical chicken tortilla soup, this creamy, flavor-packed version is a hearty blend of veggies, broth, and corn tortillas. It’s a meal in itself, especially topped with corn, sour cream, avocado, or your favorite seasonal add-ins.
Ingredients
For Soup
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped (about 2½ cups)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced into quarters
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken broth (best quality such as Swanson)
- 6 small (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Optional Additions
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, from a store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftovers
- Sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, corn, cilantro, avocado, black beans, lime wedges
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and green pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and just starting to brown, about 15 minutes. (Turn the heat to medium-low if the mixture is browning too quickly.)
- Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, cut tortillas, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat, then use a handheld immersion blender to purée the soup until completely smooth. (Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly and use a blender to purée in batches. Be sure to remove the center knob on the blender top and cover with a dish towel to avoid splatters.) Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Stir in the chicken, if using, then ladle the soup into bowls and serve with optional additions.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be made up to 4 days ahead of time and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. The soup may thicken during storage, so add a bit of water or chicken broth to thin it out while reheating, if necessary.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: 1 bowl (does not include toppings)
- Calories: 328
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Sodium: 579 mg
- Cholesterol: 28 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I have some tortillas that I bought from the refrigerated section. They aren’t cooked yet. Should I cook them first or will they be okay by just adding?
Here’s an website to the tortillas:
http://www.tortillaland.com/tortillas
Hi P, if you’re referring to the tortillas that go into the soup (and not the tortilla chips that are a suggested garnish), then, no, they do not need to be cooked.
This soup was my saviour while i was sick. So good!
I made and served this soup without adding cooked chicken, and everyone commented on how delicious it is. This simple recipe packs a powerful flavor punch!
I served my husband’s friend the last remaining portion of this soup when he dropped by yesterday, and he described it in the same words my son’s girlfriend had used the night before (as she heated up a second bowl): “This tastes just like a liquid chicken enchilada. It’s so good!” ‘Nuff said.
***
We had a group of college students over the other night, and I decided — even though I hadn’t tried every recipe I chose — to trust onceuponachef.com for most of the menu. Here it is, with asterisks in front of Jenn’s recipes, in case anyone would like a fun party menu:
APPETIZERS:
-raw veggies
-corn chips (the Xochitl ones in Jenn’s photos)
-Jack’s salsa (*Roasted Tomato Salsa would probably be great here!)
*Black Bean Dip
*Green Pea Guacamole
ENTREES:
*Chicken Tortilla Soup (inspired by Tommy Bahama’s)
*Best Ground Beef Chili
*Broccoli & Cheese Soup with Homemade Croutons (NOT in line with the rest of the flavor profile! I just had to use up broccoli and made this in case of vegetarians, lol. *Black Bean Soup would have been a much better menu choice.)
TOPPINGS for the first 2 soups: crushed tortilla chips and diced avocados (plus shredded cheddar and beans for the chili)
DESSERTS
-fruit salad
*Nutty Jam Thumbprints (*Coconut-Lime Mexican Wedding Cookies would also be great here!)
*Flourless Chocolate Cake with Meringue Topping (To fit this menu’s flavor profile even better, I think this cake would still work well with a little cayenne pepper.)
DRINKS (non-alcoholic, since we were serving underage kids, but I bet Jenn’s *Mojitos and *Margaritas would be great with this menu)
– mango lemonade; limeade; and lime-coconut seltzer water
Awesome Soup. Prepared this soup according to the recipe and it was really one of the best soups I ever ate. I highly recommend the recipe. Thanks Jenn!
I replaced the chili powder with ancho chili powder and held back a little of the cumin (as I don’t like spicy foods). Was surprised at the corn tortilla step – would have never considered doing that, but nice flavor and texture. Wish the overall color was more appealing, but I really did enjoy the dish.
One more comment . . . I just sprinkled the chicken breasts with Goyas all purpose seasoning and then sautéed until cooked through. I then let it cool and shredded to add to the soup. I would think a rotisserie chicken would be a quick alternative. This recipe will go on my soup rotation.
Hi Jen,
Do you think a vegetarisn version could work? Can I substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth and just skip the chicken or put it as a garnish for the meat eaters?
Thanks?
Jenny
Sure, Jenny, I think that would work!
Found this recipe to be quick, easy and delicious. I made it as written and tasted it–yummy. As it was simmering I discovered some leftover roasted winter vegetables in the back of my refrigerator (sweet potato, butternut squash, carrots, parsnips). I decided to add about a cup of these and used my immersion blender to puree them in. In addition I added another cup of the diced, cooked veggies. The vegetables added another dimension to the soup that I liked a lot. It no longer was a traditional tortilla soup but I loved the balance of the Mexican flavors with the subtle sweetness of the vegetables. Recipe is a keeper.
I think that the calorie count is way too high here (i.e. Miscalculated not a bad recipe!) my guess is by a factor of 2.
Hi Sue, Because I’m not a nutritionist, I use an online tool to calculate the nutritional information for the blog. When I plugged in the ingredients for this recipe, those were the results. I just checked it again and am getting the same numbers. I agree that the calories look quite high; my guess is that much of that comes from the olive oil and the butter, so you can cut back on those a bit if you choose.
Great Recipe taste just like the bowl we had @ Tommy Bahamas . We added Corn ,Black Beans & chopped up jalapeño peppers . NICE
Hello Jenn,
Thank You for the great website and for sharing your wonderful recipes. Your Roasted Beef Stew and Carrots is now my ‘All time Go-To recipe. The last time I made it, I had to eliminate the red wine, so I simply replaced it with the same amount of Beef Broth.
I am looking forward to making more of these soup recipes. It seems that I can make adjustments to lower the sodium content in a lot of them though, by using home made chicken broth instead of the pre-packaged one. I am assuming the broth is the main source of sodium??
Keep up the good work. Everything is always full of flavor!!
Happy Spring,
Sue
Happy Spring to you Sue! While it depends upon the other ingredients in the recipe, the broth often contributes a significant amount of the sodium. Hope that helps!