Ready to try our new and improved chicken tortilla soup? This is the third time we’ve updated this recipe because we’re obsessed with it. We just can’t leave it alone! The first time I had tortilla soup, it was a batch that I made from scratch and I liked it. But after I tried it in Mexico, I fell in love. This soup is all about texture and it’s packed with flavor – perfect for meal prep!
If you’ve never tried it, tortilla soup is basically chili’s more soupy cousin. It’s tomato-based and packed with beans and lots of veggies. We’re using corn, bell pepper, tomatoes and onions in the soup as well. But it’s really all about what you put on top of it. We’ve got cilantro. Green onion. Lime juice. Cheese. Avocado. And of course, tortillas. But what you add is all up to you!
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How To Customize This Soup
- Swap the veggies: you can use jalapeno, red onion, any color bell pepper, zucchini, celery, peas, radishes, cauliflower, greens, and even winter squash!
- Switch up the protein: instead of chicken, you can use ground beef or turkey, or skip it entirely. We have a delicious vegetarian version in the WWL Program.
- Jackfruit would be a great addition to this soup since it resembles shredded chicken!
- Not into pinto beans? Black beans, white beans, or kidney beans work too.
If you’re looking for a more authentic version of this soup, try this one out! This white chicken tortilla soup also looks excellent it’s a creamier version.
Have extra chicken tortilla soup?
We got 3-4 servings of this for each test, but it depends on how much soup you love to load into your bowl. If you have extra soup, you can freeze it in containers or Souper Cubes (we love them) for a few months! Freeze the soup without the toppings.
Related: 5 Essential Freezer Meal Prep Tips
If you’re weirded out by cooking chicken directly in the soup:
Putting raw chicken directly in the soup to cook was weird to me at first too! Don’t worry – boiling the soup for at least 5 minutes after the chicken is done cooking will keep it safe.
Related: Weekly Meal Prep: 12 One-Pot Dinners Under 30 Minutes
How to Store this Chicken Tortilla Soup:
This soup will last up to 5 days in the fridge and 3-6 months in the freezer. Add tortilla chips and avocado right before eating and some extra cheese on top. This soup reheats well on the stove or in the microwave.
Related: 20 Meal Prep Salads That You’ll Actually Enjoy Eating
Other recipes to check out:
- Creamy white bean soup
- One-Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe
- Homemade Tomato Soup With Lentils (Freezer-Friendly)
- Cozy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup (Freezer-Friendly!)
- Thai Coconut Curry Soup With Chicken (One-Pot!)
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (Freezer-Friendly!)
Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 2 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 yellow onion chopped
- 15 oz can of pinto beans rinsed and drained
- 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes do not drain
- 14 oz can of cream style corn sub normal corn, canned or frozen
- 8 oz chicken breast cut the breasts in half if they are very thick
- 2 cup chicken broth any kind works, sub water + 1 tsp salt and more if needed
- 1 yellow bell pepper chopped
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce seeded, plus one teaspoon of liquid from the can, sub 4 oz can of diced green chiles
- 3 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Optional (but highly recommended) garnishes
- 3 green onion optional for garnish
- 3/4 cup shredded cheese optional for garnish
- 1 avocado optional for garnish
- tortilla chips optional for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium flame. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, until fragrant. Add the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce in the last minute of cooking and stir to incorporate.
- To the same pot, add the beans, tomatoes with juices, corn, yellow pepper, spices, and broth. Stir well and add chicken breasts (push them down to submerge). Bring the soup to a boil, cover it, and turn the heat down to simmer. Let the soup cook for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and cut into the middle to check for doneness. If juices run clear, shred with two forks or by hand. Taste the soup and adjust spices as needed. Add the chicken back in and stir.
- Divide into meal prep containers and top with cheese and green onion if using. Add avocado and tortilla chips right before eating if desired.
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