Chicken Tortilla Soup
Warm up with a bowl of this chicken tortilla soup. Light, healthy, and loaded with flavor, this easy soup recipe will keep your entire family feeling full and satisfied. Garnish your soup with fresh cilantro, avocado, jalapeno, and shredded cheese for the ultimate weeknight meal. No matter how you dress it, this simple soup recipe is a weeknight win!
ABOUT SMART CHICKEN
For this recipe, I used Smart Chicken’s chicken breasts. If you’re new here, Smart Chicken is the reason I started eating chicken again after 9 years without. Their products are superior in every way.
In fact, Smart Chicken’s chickens are fed a high-quality diet, humanely handled, and never given antibiotics, hormones, or animal by-products. Smart Chicken is USDA Process Verified as pure air chilled, without added water and are hand-trimmed for your convenience. The result is the best-tasting, highest-quality fresh chicken on the market!
Click here to find a store near you that carries this delicious chicken products. This post is sponsored by Smart Chicken. I was compensated for my time, but all opinions are my own.
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
Boil the Chicken
Bring a pot of water and chicken broth to a boil. A 50/50 mixture of the liquid works fine. Add the chicken breasts to the boiling water and let the chicken cook through. This will take about 15-20 minutes. Drain off the liquid and let the chicken cool. Once cool to touch shred the chicken using two forks or your hands and set it aside.
Make the Soup
Add avocado oil to a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté until the onion is translucent. Next, add tomato paste and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Then, add the spices (cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, and a few turns of cracked black pepper) and stir well. Add the diced tomatoes with the juice, drained corn and drained kidney or black beans. Next, deglaze the pan with chicken broth and bring everything to a boil. Add the shredded chicken and stir well.
Then, add the whipped cream cheese. Use a whisk to incorporate the cream cheese. It will need a few minutes to soften before it blends into the broth. The whisk is a great way to make sure it’s well combined. Taste to make sure it is seasoned to your liking.
Add the soup to a serving bowl. Top with crushed tortilla chips, sliced jalapeno, sliced avocado, and a few turns of cracked black pepper. Option to add a squeeze of lime juice and some shredded cheese.
Storage
Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave. Add garnishes as desired. Looking for more healthy soup recipes? Try my Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
Chicken Tortilla Soup
- 1 lb. chicken breasts, boiled in water / chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced small
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced, about 3-4 cloves
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- cracked black pepper, to taste
- 15 ounce diced tomatoes, canned, with juice
- 15 ounce corn kernels, canned, drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce dark kidney beans, canned, drained and rinsed
- 4-4.5 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup whipped cream cheese
Optional Garnishes
- tortilla chips
- jalapeno
- lime wedges
- sour cream
- cheddar cheese
- cilantro
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven
- 1 pot
- 1 colander
Instructions
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
Boil the Chicken
- Bring a pot of water and chicken broth to a boil. A 50/50 mixture of the liquid works fine. Add the chicken breasts to the boiling water and let the chicken cook through. This will take about 15-20 minutes. Drain off the liquid and let the chicken cool. Once cool to touch shred the chicken using two forks or your hands and set it aside.
Make the Soup
- Add avocado oil to a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté until the onion is translucent. Next, add tomato paste and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Then, add the spices (cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, and a few turns of cracked black pepper) and stir well. Add the diced tomatoes with the juice, drained corn and drained kidney or black beans. Next, deglaze the pan with chicken broth and bring everything to a boil. Add the shredded chicken and stir well.
- Then, add the whipped cream cheese. Use a whisk to incorporate the cream cheese. It will need a few minutes to soften before it blends into the broth. The whisk is a great way to make sure it’s well combined. Taste to make sure it is seasoned to your liking.
- Add the soup to a serving bowl. Top with crushed tortilla chips, sliced jalapeno, sliced avocado, and a few turns of cracked black pepper. Option to add a squeeze of lime juice and some shredded cheese.
