Super simple and delicious, this crock pot chicken tortilla soup is the perfect healthy, hearty soup. Make it for an easy weeknight dinner with what you already have in the house.
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Introduction and My Rating
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.
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
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 that is 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 3/4 pounds of chicken for this volume of soup. I suggest 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, which will generally be about 1 1/2 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 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.
🖊️Pro Tips
This is soup, so put in what you want or have, and it will be good.
The Spicing: The RoTel provides a lot of the spicing here. The heat level is about 3/10. If you want more heat, RoTel comes in hotter versions, and there is an option for some cayenne pepper.
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
Or Maybe this Classic Soup: Soup Nazi's Mexican Chicken Chili
🖼️Photo Instructions
I choose skinless boneless chicken breast, but thighs would be fine.
Chop one medium onion and a couple of celery stalks.
Trim and cut two medium skinless boneless chicken breast into bite-size pieces.
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, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional). Mix this all together in the crock pot. This will not fit in a smaller crock pot, so use a 6 quart.
Add 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.
Cook for 6 hours on low.
Make your tortilla strips.
While the soup is cooking, make some tortilla strips for topping — Preheat oven to 375°. Thinly slice up a couple of tortillas.
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.
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📖 Recipe
Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts - medium
- 1 onion - medium
- 2 stalks 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
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper - to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper - optional
Instructions
- Chop one medium onion and a couple of celery stalks.
- Trim and cut two medium skinless boneless chicken breast into bite-size pieces.
- Mix veggies in a 6 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, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 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.
- Cook for 6 hours on low.
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.
- 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.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- You can use whole chicken breasts if you wish. Remove them from the crock pot and shred at about 5 hours. Then put the chicken back into the cooker for the final hour.
- You may use chicken thighs.
- 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.
- A chopped up green or red bell pepper would be a nice addition.
- If you want a thicker soup, skip a can of broth at the start. You can add some back in near the end.
- We prefer frozen white corn for this recipe.
- If you don’t want the RoTel, use a can of drained diced tomatoes. You will need to add some other spicing. You will need to spice to your taste. My suggestion: A can of mild chilies and some additional chili powder.
- If you want more heat, use hotter Rotel, a bit of cayenne pepper, or a finely minced jalapeno.
- It is generally topped with toasted tortilla strips along with other nacho toppings like cheese, avocados, jalapenos, and sour cream. Use what you love.
- Good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Good sealed well in the freezer for 3-4 months.
Nutrition
Editor's Note: Originally Published January 11, 2014. Updated with expanded discussion, clarified instructions, and re-edited photos.
Dave
Do you add water to this?
Mine looks more like a thick stew after adding all ingredients. Thanks.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
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