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Chicken Tortilla Soup

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My Chicken Tortilla Soup combines shredded chicken, corn, and beans, with a delicious broth that incorporates homemade enchilada sauce and chicken broth. Adjust the spices to your liking, and add all the toppings, including cilantro, avocado, and tortilla chips!

Soup Season at our home looks like constant rotations of flavors and textures. We love a spicy Thai Meatball Soup, a creamy Autumn Squash Soup, or a hearty Beef Vegetable Soup with Cabbage any given night of the week!

Two bowls of chicken tortilla soup on a gray tray.

Chicken Tortilla Soup with Enchilada Sauce

As y’all have probably noticed, I love my soups, and this Chicken Tortilla Soup is the bomb. It’s thick and flavorful, and I’ll explain how you can adjust the spices to get to your optimal spice level. In the past, I’ve gone a bit overboard on everything jalapeño, so I’m revamping some of my recipes so that you can make the recipe your own. I want YOU to love these recipes as I do.

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Tex-Mex Recipes are my favorites, and I have a variety for you to choose from in my Tex-Mex category page. I always keep my pantry stocked with corn, beans, sauces, tortillas, long-grain rice, avocados, garlic, and onions, and then I make sure I pick up the refrigerator items I need each week. Fresh ingredients make all the difference, so cilantro and jalapeños are on my weekly list.

Making your own homemade enchilada sauce is the key to this flavorful soup. I recommend doubling the sauce so you can use it in these delicious Shredded Beef Enchiladas or a meatless dish, my Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole.

A tray with two bowls of chicken tortilla soup with homemade enchilada sauce.

Ingredients Used:

  • Fresh Chicken Breasts – To make this soup nice and thick, I use about two and a half pounds of chicken breasts.
  • Corn and Beans – Two cups of frozen corn and one can of beans is just right.
  • Onion and Garlic – Diced onion and garlic give the soup the best flavor. You can also include more diced jalapeño for additional spice.
  • Homemade Enchilada Sauce – This is the secret ingredient that makes tortilla soup so tasty. You can store-bought cans, but fresh is best!
  • Toppings – Fresh cilantro, avocado, tortilla chips, etc.
The chicken tortilla soup ingredients, labeled.

HOW TO EASILY SHRED CHICKEN: After a lifetime of shredding chicken with two forks, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and try the mixer method. Just simply place the warm chicken breasts in a standing mixer and, using the paddle attachment, mix until the chicken falls apart. It took just a couple of minutes, and I’ll never go back to the fork method!

How to make Chicken Tortilla Soup with Enchilada Sauce:

Step 1
Make the enchilada sauce. Follow my homemade sauce instructions. Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the soup.

Pro-Tip: Make the enchilada sauce the day before and store it in your refrigerator. Then this soup cooks in well under an hour!

Step 2
Cook the onion and garlic. Sauté the onion in olive oil until soft, and then add garlic for about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 3
Add the enchilada sauce and chicken broth. Turn up the heat, and bring it to a slow boil.

Step 4
Cook the chicken. Slice each chicken breast into about thirds, and sprinkle with some kosher salt. Place in pot, turn heat to medium and cook for about 10 minutes, or until done. Remove the chicken to cool slightly.

You’ll want to check the doneness of the chunks of chicken after about 10 minutes. Use a digital thermometer and check each chunk, removing them to a dish as they read about 160 degrees F on a digital thermometer.

Step 5
Shred the chicken. Place chicken in a bowl of a standing mixer. Using a paddle attachment, mix until the chicken is fully shredded.

Step 6
Add the chicken back to the pot, as well as the corn and beans. Continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the soup is piping hot.

Step 7
Check seasonings. Taste the soup, and adjust it with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Step 8
Serve. Serve soup with some avocado slices and tortilla chips. Add a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.

Side view of two bowls of chicken tortilla soup.

What to serve with Chicken Tortilla Soup

Other favorite soup recipes:

Soup Season is the BEST season! Enjoy! 😀

Closeup on a bowl of chicken tortilla soup, with chips and avocado slices.

Make this soup next: Hearty Chicken Chili

Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)

xoxo ~Sue

A closeup on a bowl of chicken tortilla soup with avocado and chips.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

My Chicken Tortilla Soup combines shredded chicken, corn and beans, with a delicious broth that incorporates homemade enchilada sauce and chicken broth. Adjust the spices to your liking, and add all the toppings, including cilantro, avocado, and tortilla chips!
4.91 from 10 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8 2-cup servings
Calories: 399kcal
Author: Sue Ringsdorf

Ingredients

For the soup:

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion – chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic – diced
  • kosher salt and pepper – to taste
  • 5 cups homemade enchilada sauce – homemade recipe on my site (or store-bought)
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2.5 pounds chicken breasts – cut into thirds
  • 14 oz frozen corn
  • 15 oz. black beans – rinsed and drained
  • fresh cilantro, jalapeno, tortilla chips, avocado slices – for serving

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, approximately 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir for another 30 seconds.
  • Pour homemade enchilada sauce and chicken broth into pot, and bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts and reduce heat to simmer. After chicken is done (about 15 minutes), remove and shred. Using a standing mixer makes the shredding super easy!
  • Add the frozen corn and black beans to soup mixture. Add shredded chicken back to saucepan, and simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Stir and check seasonings.
  • Serve with toppings. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Make the homemade enchilada sauce in advance, and store in your refrigerator.
  2. You can also freeze the enchilada sauce.
  3. The soup may also be frozen up to three months.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 399kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 1504mg | Potassium: 992mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1043IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @Suebeehomemaker or tag #suebeehomemaker!

16 Comments

  1. Not sure why we haven’t made this sooner! Picked up a rotisserie chicken and made this soup in 30-45 mins! So delicious, love the cilantro topping!

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      I’m so glad to hear this, Tiffany! Enjoy!

  2. Carol Abbott says:

    I just have to comment. I actually made two recipes of your Chicken Tortilla Soup today, and it tastes wonderful! But what was my AHA moment, was shredding chicken breasts in the standing mixer. WHAT? I couldn’t believe it, but I tried anyway. You have saved me so much time, and wear and tear on my sore joints in my wrist and fingers.
    Thanks so much!

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      Hi Carol! Gosh, I’m so happy you found a pain-free way to shred chicken! It works wonderful for me too. Thanks for your feedback on the soup. One of my favorites!

  3. Jackie Thill says:

    Another great soup SueBee!! You are right about the homemade enchilada sauce. I made this soup earlier in the day and then went to babysit my grand baby. Got home to discover that it was more than half eaten. Glad they left some for me!

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      Thanks Jackie! I’m so glad they left some for you. Maybe hide some in the back of the refrigerator?!

  4. Made the Chicken Tortilla Soup for the family during the football. Not only was the soup a five-star hit with the family but the Vikings came back from a 0-20 half time deficit for the win!
    Love all the soups on the blog Sue!
    BTW, I did make the homemade enchilada sauce which was fantastic itself!

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      The homemade sauce MAKES the soup! I’m so glad you tried it, Dave, and SKOL! 🙂

  5. You have the best soups! So many amazing choices. More please. Repeat.

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      More soups are on the way! 🙂

  6. At my house (in Northern Michigan), soups have become a winter staple. This is absolutely one of our favorites.

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      Ya’ll will be eating soups until May up there in the snow country!! 🙂

  7. This is amazing! So flavorful, hearty and healthy!! Will make often!!

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      We love it too. And I love that it’s healthy! 🙂

  8. Mike Ringsdorf says:

    This soup is no joke! The best I have ever had so I would not do the shortcuts…..You can do it!

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      Thank you! 🙂

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