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    🏠Home » Recipes » Soup Recipes

    Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

    Mar 5, 2021 · Modified: Apr 14, 2021 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 6 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.54 from 13 votes

    Super easy chicken tortilla soup is packed with tender chicken, beans, and vegetables, all in a spicy broth. Not only is it delicious, but it is also healthy—both low-fat and low-calories.

    White bowl with tortilla soup topped with strips

    Jump To:
    • ♨️What is Chicken Tortilla Soup?
    • 🐓The Chicken
    • ✔️Tips
    • 📖Soup Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📝Recipe

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Introduction

    This recipe takes advantage of your slow cooker to make an excellent soup with minimal work. Most of the work with this recipe is opening cans. The hardest part is chopping the onion—all with common pantry ingredients.

    Topped with crispy tortilla strips, this is the perfect weeknight dinner recipe. It is a great "dump and go" type crock pot recipe. You can do this with only 10 minutes of active time with these easy step-by-step photo instructions.

    My Rating

    My rating system of a 4 out of 5 so very nice.

    A nice solid higher 4.

    ♨️What is Chicken Tortilla Soup?

    It is a spicy chicken broth with tender chicken, tomatoes, beans, and other veggies like corn, celery, and onion. Usually served with a variety of nacho toppings and some tortilla strips.

    All this makes a healthy, low-fat soup loaded with vegetables and meat that will warm you on a cold day.

    🐓The Chicken

    We like our chicken soup with lots of meat.  Some recipes use as little as ¾ pounds of chicken for this volume of soup. I suggest skinless boneless chicken breasts, which will generally be about 1 ½ pounds. But it could range from 1 to 2 pounds.

    You can trim and cube the chicken before cooking or toss in the whole chicken breast and shred near the end of cooking — your choice.

    You may also use skinless boneless chicken thighs if you want.

    Can I use pre-cooked chicken?

    Sure. And you can cut down the cooking time some. At 3 hours, add your pre-cooked chicken. Cook for an hour to add the great taste, and you are done.

    ✔️Tips

    This is soup, so put in what you want or have, and it will be good.

    Spicing

    The RoTel provides a lot of spicing here. The heat level is about 3/10. RoTel comes in hotter versions if you want more heat, and there is an option for some cayenne pepper.

    If you prefer, switch out the RoTel for a second can of diced tomatoes

    We prefer white corn for this soup — a touch of sweetness and more tender.

    The Toppings

    It is generally topped with toasted tortilla strips along with other nacho toppings like cheese, avocados, jalapenos, and sour cream. Use what you love.

    Storage

    Good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Good sealed well in the freezer for 3-4 months.

    📖Soup Recipes

    The Best Crock Pot Taco Soup

    Healthy Crockpot White Bean Chili Spiced Up

    Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan Soup

    Soup Nazi's Mexican Chicken Chili

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    Crock Pot Recipes, Healthy Recipes, Low Fat Recipes, Mexican Recipes, Soup Recipes
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    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    chicken breasts with soup ingredients

    I suggest skinless boneless chicken breast, but thighs would be fine.

    chopped celery and onion on a black board

    Chop one medium onion and a couple of celery ribs.

    trimmed and cubed chicken on a white board

    Trim and cut two medium skinless boneless chicken breast into bite-size pieces.

    mixing ingredients in the crock pot

    Mix veggies in a crock pot with one 10 oz can RoTel (Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies), one 14 oz can diced tomatoes, 1 cup frozen corn or 1 can corn (drained), one 14.5 oz can black beans rinsed, 2 cloves crushed garlic, two 14 oz cans lower-sodium chicken broth, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder,1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional). Mix this all together in the crock pot. This will not fit in a smaller crock pot, so use a 4 quart or bigger.

    adding cubes of raw chicken to a crock pot

    Add the prepared chicken to the pot. OR you can just toss in whole chicken breasts. If you do the whole breast, then about 1 hour before the endpoint, remove, shred, then replace.

    cooked soup in a ladel

    Cook for 6 hours on low.

    Make your tortilla strips.

    cutting tortillas into stips on a wood board

    While the soup is cooking, make some tortilla strips for topping — Preheat oven to 375°. Thinly slice up a couple of tortillas.

    spraying strips of tortilla with PAM

    Spread the tortilla strips in a baking pan, give a light spray of PAM and bake until golden brown. About 10-15 minutes. This will vary some by your tortillas and the oven, so watch it.

    chicken tortilla soup on a spoon
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    📝Recipe

    White bowl with tortilla soup topped with strips

    Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Super easy chicken tortilla soup is packed with tender chicken, beans, and vegetables all in a spicy broth. Not only is it delicious, but it is also healthy—both low-fat and low-calories.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.54 from 13 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 6 hours
    Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 8 servings

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
    • 1 onion - medium
    • 2 ribs celery
    • 10 oz RoTel - Diced tomatoes with Green Chilies
    • 14 oz diced tomatoes
    • 1 cup frozen corn - or 1 can corn drained. White corn preferred.
    • 14 oz black beans - rinsed
    • 2 cloves garlic - crushed
    • 28 oz lower sodium chicken broth
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • 1 teaspoon chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt - to taste
    • ½ teaspoon pepper - to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper - optional
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    Instructions

    • Chop one medium onion and a couple of celery ribs.
      chopped celery and onion on a black board
    • Trim and cut two medium skinless boneless chicken breast into bite-size pieces.
      trimmed and cubed chicken on a white board
    • Mix veggies in a 4 quart or larger crock pot with one 10 oz can RoTel (Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies), one 14 oz can diced tomatoes, 1 cup frozen corn or 1 can corn (drained), one 14.5 oz can black beans rinsed, 2 cloves crushed garlic, two 14 oz cans lower-sodium chicken broth, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder,1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional). Mix this all together in the crock pot.
    • Add the chicken to the pot. OR you can just toss in whole chicken breasts. If you do the whole breast, then about 1 hour before the endpoint, remove, shred, then replace.
      adding cubes of raw chicken to a crock pot
    • Cook for 6 hours on low.
      cooked soup in a ladel

    To Make Your Own Tortilla Strips

    • While the soup is cooking, make some tortilla strips for topping — Preheat oven to 375°. Thinly slice up a couple of tortillas.
      cutting tortillas into stips on a wood board
    • Spread the tortilla strips in a baking pan, give a light spray of PAM and bake until golden brown. About 10-15 minutes. This will vary some by your tortillas and the oven, so watch it.
      spraying strips of tortilla with PAM
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    Your Own Private Notes

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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. You can use whole chicken breasts if you wish. Remove them from the crock pot and shred them at about 5 hours. Then put the chicken back into the cooker for the final hour.
    2. You may use chicken thighs.
    3. This needs a 4-quart or larger crock pot.  A half recipe will fit in a 3 quart or larger cooker.
    4. You can use pre-cooked chicken. Decrease the cooking time to 4 hours on low and add the pre-cooked chicken for the last hour.
    5. A chopped-up green or red bell pepper would be a nice addition.
    6. If you want a thicker soup, skip a can of broth at the start. You can add some back in near the end.
    7. We prefer frozen white corn for this recipe.
    8. If you don’t want the RoTel, use a can of drained diced tomatoes.
    9. If you want more heat, use hotter Rotel, a bit of cayenne pepper, or a finely minced jalapeno.
    10. A serving is about 1 ½ cups.
    11. It is generally topped with toasted tortilla strips along with other nacho toppings like cheese, avocados, jalapenos, and sour cream. Use what you love.
    12. Good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Good sealed well in the freezer for 3-4 months.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Nutrition Facts
    Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 159 Calories from Fat 18
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 2g3%
    Saturated Fat 1g5%
    Trans Fat 1g
    Cholesterol 18mg6%
    Sodium 376mg16%
    Potassium 648mg19%
    Carbohydrates 23g8%
    Fiber 6g24%
    Sugar 3g3%
    Protein 14g28%
    Vitamin A 261IU5%
    Vitamin C 11mg13%
    Calcium 58mg6%
    Iron 3mg17%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Soup
    Cuisine : Mexican

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

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    Editor's Note: Originally Published January 11, 2014. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

    More Soup Recipes

    • Small Crock Pot Beef Stew
    • Crock Pot Chicken Stew
    • Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup—Stovetop or Crock Pot
    • Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup in a Crock Pot

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    1. Sue Shortley

      March 06, 2021 at 10:45 am

      Dear Dr. Dan,

      How long do you think if cooked on the stove top?

      Love your recipes,
      Sue

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        March 06, 2021 at 11:42 am

        Hi Sue,

        I have no exact answer for you but probably about one hour with a bit of modification.

        You need to get the onion and celery cooked first. A Dutch oven with a bit of oil over medium-high heat. Maybe about 8-10 minutes until tender and clearing. Then add everything and bring it to a simmer and cover.

        The huge variable will be the chicken. If precooked, you can just simmer for 15-20 minutes, and you are done. If raw, the cooking time will vary by size and thickness of the chicken you choose. It will be about 30-40 minutes (a total guess) if you use the chunks I used in this recipe. You can use whole breasts and cook them, pull them out when they reach 165 and shred, just lots of options, just be sure the chicken reaches 165 if you use raw chicken.

        Remember soup tastes better if simmered longer.

        So my somewhat educated guess (based on a similar recipe that never got published and I lost somewhere years ago) is the total time of about an hour.

        If you do it, please comment back here for others.

        Dan

    2. Dave

      October 13, 2019 at 2:47 pm

      Do you add water to this?
      Mine looks more like a thick stew after adding all ingredients. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        October 13, 2019 at 4:12 pm

        Hi Dave,
        Welcome to the blog.
        This is not a really brothy soup. Remember that as it cooks, the chicken and veggies will release some fluid. So if you are nearing the end of cooking and want thinner, add more broth.
        Hope that helps.
        Dan

      • Jan

        March 06, 2021 at 10:32 am

        Hi
        I would to say I like your recipes.
        I have a picky eater. Can I use tomato sauce instead of tomatoes? My daughter will eat anything tomatoy as long as there is no tomato chunks in it.i don't know there is about tomato chunks that she just will not eat.
        Thank you

      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        March 06, 2021 at 10:45 am

        Hi Jan,

        I would say yes, it should be fine, but have never done it. You will also not want the RoTel due to the texture and the spicing.

        I suggest doing your initial cooking as a half recipe using the sauce to replace the diced tomatoes and rotel.

        Dan

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