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Easy 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup
4.6 from 4,191 votes

Easy 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup

This Chicken Tortilla Soup features a blend of shredded chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes, and aromatic spices in a flavorful broth. Homemade baked tortilla strips top the soup, adding crisp texture. The soup balances savory, smoky, and slightly spicy notes with fresh lime juice and optional toppings like avocado, cheese, and sour cream for richness and contrast.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 5
Calories: 485 kcal
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Tortilla Strips
  • 10 corn tortillas cut into 1/4-inch wide strips, small
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
Soup
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup sweet onion peeled and diced small (about 1 medium onion, Vidalia or yellow onion
  • 1 jalapeno pepper about 4 to 5 inches long, diced very small (the seeds are where the heat is concentrated; included or discard them based on preference, large
  • 4 garlic peeled and finely minced, cloves
  • 32 ounces chicken broth low-sodium, 4 cups
  • diced tomatoes I used petite diced, no-salt-added, two 14.5-ounce cans with juice
  • black beans drained and rinsed, canned
  • 2 cups chicken use store bought rotisserie chicken to save time; or roast or cook your own chicken or use other leftover chicken you have on hand, shredded, cooked
  • 1 ½ cups corn (I used frozen straight from the freezer, or use canned corn that's drained, or fresh may be substituted)
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice plus more to taste if desired
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (regular paprika may be substituted)
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional and to taste
  • ⅓ cup cilantro finely minced, or to taste, fresh leaves
  • avocado optional for serving, diced, for serving
  • cheese optional for serving, shredded
  • sour cream optional for serving

Instructions

Make the Tortilla Strips:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with a Silpat or foil to save cleanup time.
  2. Loosely scatter the tortilla strips, evenly drizzle with olive oil, evenly sprinkle with kosher salt, toss with hands to coat evenly, and bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until crisp and lightly golden brown; set aside.
  3. While strips bake, begin making the soup.
Make the Soup:
  1. To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat over medium-high heat to warm.
  2. Add the onion, jalapeno, and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir intermittently.
  3. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir intermittently.
  4. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes and juice, black beans, chicken, corn, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt, pepper, smoked paprika, optional cayenne pepper, and bring to a boil.
  5. Allow mixture to boil gently for about 5 to 7 minutes. If at any point the overall liquid level looks low or you prefer your soup to have more broth, add 1 to 2 cups of water; you’ll adjust the salt and seasoning levels at the end.
  6. Add the cilantro and boil 1 minute.
  7. Taste soup and add salt to taste. This will vary based on how salty the chicken broth, tomatoes, black beans, and rotisserie chicken are, and personal preference. Make any necessary seasoning adjustments (i.e. more salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, etc.).
  8. Ladle soup into bowls, top with tortilla strips to taste, optionally garnish with avocado, cheese and/or sour cream; serve immediately.

Notes

  • Soup can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days or frozen for 3-4 months.
  • Reheat soup in the microwave for 30-60 seconds as needed.
  • Extra homemade tortilla strips keep well at room temperature in an airtight container up to 5 days.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 485kcal (24%) Carbohydrates 55g (18%) Protein 28g (56%) Fat 19g (29%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g (24%) Monounsaturated Fat 11g (55%) Cholesterol 42mg (14%) Sodium 1873mg (78%) Potassium 878mg (19%) Fiber 12g (48%) Sugar 5g (10%) Vitamin A 979IU (20%) Vitamin C 13mg (14%) Calcium 117mg (12%) Iron 5mg (28%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 5 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 485

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 485kcal 24%
Carbohydrates 55g 18%
Protein 28g 56%
Fat 19g 29%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g 24%
Monounsaturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 42mg 14%
Sodium 1873mg 78%
Potassium 878mg 19%
Fiber 12g 48%
Sugar 5g 10%
Vitamin A 979IU 20%
Vitamin C 13mg 14%
Calcium 117mg 12%
Iron 5mg 28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.