If you’re looking for comfort food, especially as the temperatures start to drop, then you’ll want to add this Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup to your meal plan. It’s packed with shredded chicken, Mexicorn, black beans, plus other sauces and seasonings for a chicken soup that is absolutely delicious.
Want to have a Mexican-themed week of meals? Add my Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup to your plans. It’s one the whole family will enjoy!
Why this recipe works
Having a tasty, well-rounded meal for dinner tonight doesn’t have to be stressful or call for being in the kitchen longer than you want to be. With this chicken tortilla soup recipe, you can dump the ingredients and go. The only thing you’ll need to do prior to serving is shredding the chicken.
This is sure to become one of your favorite soup recipes!
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless skinless chicken breasts are cooked to tender perfection and easy to shred.
- Liquid Ingredients: Cream of chicken soup, red enchilada sauce, and chicken broth combine to make a nice and flavorful soupy base.
- Soup Fillers: Black beans, Mexicorn, jalapeno and yellow onion not only provide thickness to the soup but also an added Mexican flavor to the easy tortilla soup.
- Seasonings: Salt, garlic powder, cumin, and onion powder are the best flavors when making chicken tortilla soup.
- Corn Tortillas: Cut and broiled to create easy peasy tortilla strips.
- For Serving: Avocado and shredded cheddar cheese are for serving (along with other suggestions below).
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker and season with dry seasonings.
Step Two – Add in diced onion.
Step Three – Then pour in cream of chicken soup, onion, jalapeno black beans, and Mexicorn.
Step Four – Pour in the chicken broth and enchilada sauce. Stir.
Step Five – Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours. When the cooking time is up, shred the chicken with two forks right in the slow cooker.
Step Six – Stir in the chopped fresh cilantro and squeeze in the lime juice. Turn the slow cooker to the warm setting while making the tortilla strips.
Step Seven – Cut the corn tortilla into small strips.
Step Eight– Place them in a small bowl and drizzle with cooking oil.
Step Nine – Pour them onto a sheet pan and spread out. Sprinkle with salt.
Step Ten – Broil for about 3 minutes, keeping an eye on them as they can burn fast.
How to serve
- Traditionally, this slow cooker tortilla soup is served with shredded cheese, diced avocado, and homemade tortilla strips.
- You can also serve it with some of your other favorite toppings like sliced black olives, green onions, and sour cream.
- This crock pot chicken tortilla soup also pairs perfectly with a bed of white rice.
- If you don’t want to make homemade tortilla strips, you can also serve the soup with tortilla chips crumbled on top.
Recipe FAQs and Variations
Yes! Rotisserie chicken will work just fine and cut out some of the cooking time!
You can always add a can or two of diced tomatoes, especially the ones with green chiles. You can add extra beans such as pinto beans.
Sure! You can use regular canned corn or frozen corn or even cut corn fresh off the cob.
Place any remaining soup into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. It will hold for up to 5 days.
It sure does! When stored properly (in a freezer-safe container or bag), it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Boneless skinless chicken thighs will work for this recipe as well.
Sure! This will also give the crockpot chicken tortilla soup a more Mexican flavor, though it will add quite a bit of sodium.
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Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients:
- 1.5 – 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 10.50 oz. cream of chicken soup
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 15 oz. black beans drained
- 1 jalapeno seeds removed and minced
- 7 oz. Mexicorn drained (can use any canned corn)
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 14.5 oz. chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups red enchilada sauce (from 28-oz. can, stir well before measuring)
Wait to add to the soup
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1 lime
Tortilla Strips
- 8 yellow corn tortillas
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Other topping suggestions
- shredded cheese
- avocado
Instructions:
- Add the chicken breasts, cream of chicken soup, onion, jalapeno, black beans, Mexicorn, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder to the slow cooker.
- Add the chicken broth and enchilada sauce. Stir.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- When the cooking time is up, shred the chicken with two forks right in the slow cooker. Do this by pushing the chicken up to the edge and shredding it with the forks.
- Cut the lime in half and squeeze both halves into the soup. Stir in the chopped cilantro. Let that sit on the warm setting while you make the tortilla strips.
For the tortilla strips
- Preheat the oven to broil (500 degrees).
- Place the tortillas onto a cutting board. Cut them in half, then cut them into small strips. In a small bowl add the cut tortillas, drizzle over the 3 tablespoons of cooking oil. Place on a sheet pan. Spread out and sprinkle with the salt.
- Place the tortilla strips under the broiler for about 3 minutes, stir them and then continue to cook until they are golden brown. Don't walk away from the oven for they can burn fast.
- Serve the soup topped with cheese, avocado and the homemade tortilla strips.
Recipe Notes:
- Short on time? You can use store bought tortilla chips instead and crumble those on top of each serving of soup.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs will work for this recipe as well.
- Place any remaining soup into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. It will hold for up to 5 days.
- You can always add a can or two of diced tomatoes, especially the ones with green chiles. You can add extra beans such as pinto beans.
- Want to use a rotisserie chicken? You can cut the cooking time down to 3 hours on HIGH or 5 hour on LOW.
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Hi! Do you have a recipe for homemade red enchilada sauce?
If i add a little oregano, how much do i add and when?
I don’t have an enchilada sauce recipe. I would add the oregano at the beginning. A teaspoon is probably just the right amount.
I made this yesterday, followed almost except I am not a fan of beans, so I left them out and added more rotel and a can of creamed corn… its really good…. topped with sour cream, Mexican blend cheese and tortilla chips from a bag… I think the lime was definitely the key.
How do i adjust the recipe if I have 20-25 people coming over?
This serves 8, so I would suggest making 3 batches or even better, make 2-3 different soups instead. If I have to make so much of one thing I wonder if it would be better if I made some choices for guests instead.
Does the cream of chicken soup separate? Right now mine is kind of chunky
No, it doesn’t separate, probably need to stay more.
Should onion be cut?
Yes! I added that.
Do you have a substitute for the cream of chicken soup, I can’t have dairy and this sounds delicious?
You can leave it out.
Does the jalapeño go in during the cook time or just as a topper when serving?
Yes! It goes in the soup during the cooking time. I added that instruction.
I made this tonight, it was soooo delicious! Used chicken thighs instead of breasts and also added dried oregano and some black pepper. I also used a 4.5 quart crock pot and it worked just fine!
Agree! I doubled it and used an 8 quart crock pot and it was perfect!