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Why I Love This Soup
A soup should be three things to be worth making. The first is that it needs to be delicious, obviously, so it will satisfy everyone. The second is that it needs to be fairly easy; that is the point of soup being a one-pot meal. Third and last, it works best if the ingredients are pantry staples that can be ready at a moment’s notice.
Enter my healthy chicken tortilla soup. It happens to be healthy, so why not claim it?
This is a soup I make when I don’t have dinner and want something warm, hearty, and healthy. Chicken breasts are often in the refrigerator or freezer with sweet corn. Canned beans and tomatoes are always in the pantry, and in no time, a perfect soup is simmering on the stove.
Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients
- Chicken breasts are cooked in the soup base to keep all of the flavor within the soup. Use boneless and skinless breasts.
- Corn can be thawed, frozen, or canned. I find frozen to have the best flavor. The corn is used in two ways for flavor and texture.
- White beans are used to thicken the soup by blending and stirring them into the soup. No need for flour or other thickeners.
- Crushed or diced tomatoes are a pantry staple and quickly create a hearty base.
- Chipotle powder adds a bit of smoked spice flavor to the soup. A small amount goes a long way.
The full amount of each ingredient can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
Step 1: Prepare the base – Place neutral oil in a large pot over medium heat. Finely dice the onion. Remove the pith and seeds from the jalapeños, then dice them. Mince the garlic. Add all the vegetables to the oil. Add salt and let sauté for 4-6 minutes, until the onion turns transparent. Then, add the chili powder, cumin, and chipotle powder to the oil and stir.
Step 2: Build the soup – Add in the black beans, sweet corn, crushed tomatoes, and chicken stock. Using an immersion blender or food processor, blend the white beans until smooth and add to the pot.
Step 3: Cook the chicken – Add the chicken breasts to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and let cook for 18-24 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. Once the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pot, let it rest to come up to 165°F, then shred. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot and stir everything together.
Step 4: Prepare the tortilla strips – While the chicken cooks, slice the tortillas into long strips. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with neutral oil. Toss in the oil and evenly spread it across the pan. Sprinkle salt and chili powder over top. Place into the preheated 375°F oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Break tortilla strips over the top of individual bowls of soup. If desired, garnish with cilantro, lime, avocado, sour cream, and cheddar cheese.
Recipe Tips
- Remove the seeds and pith from the jalapeños. This helps reduce the spice from the peppers, but also makes the soup smoother. Seeds create unwanted texture in a soup.
- Adding the spices while the oil is hot allows them to bloom. They are oil-soluble, so cooking in hot oil can open them up. This brings out their flavors and creates a larger impact on the dish.
- Cooking the chicken directly in the soup pulls out more flavor than cooking it separately. The soup adds flavor to the meat, and the meat adds flavor to the soup.
- Blending the white beans creates a thicker soup. This creates a nice consistency without needing to use flour or milk/cream in the dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frozen or canned sweet corn will work in this recipe. Fresh sweet corn can work when it is seasonally available. Add the cut-off raw corn directly to the soup.
The chipotle powder can be increased for more smoky spice. To add more roasted flavor without more spice, use fire-roasted canned tomatoes.
Yes, add all the ingredients directly to a slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Shred the chicken and serve. The flavor will not be as forward without sautéing the vegetables first, but it will be delicious.
The leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and will last for 3-4 days.
More Soup Recipes
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Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 onion
- 2 jalapeños seeded and diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp chipotle powder
- 1 15-oz can black beans rinsed and drained
- 2 cups sweet corn
- 1 14-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 15-oz can white beans (cannellini or navy)
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
For the tortilla strips
- 4 large tortillas (flour or corn)
- 2 tsp neutral oil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp chili powder
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, jalapeños, garlic, and salt. Stir and sauté until the onion is soft and translucent, 4-6 minutes.1 tbsp neutral oil, 1 onion, 2 jalapeños, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tsp kosher salt
- Blend the white beans until smooth and set them aside.1 15-oz can white beans (cannellini or navy)
- To the onion mixture, add the chili powder, cumin, and chipotle powder. Stir to warm and add the black beans, sweet corn, crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, blended white beans, and chicken breasts. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce it to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked and reaches 160°F, 18-24 minutes.2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp chipotle powder, 1 15-oz can black beans, 2 cups sweet corn, 1 14-oz can crushed tomatoes, 3 cups chicken stock, 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Remove the chicken and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. It will reach 165°F. Shred the chicken and add it back to the soup to warm.
- Serve the soup with the tortilla strips, fresh lime wedges, shredded cheese, sour cream, and avocado.
For the tortilla strips
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Slice the tortillas into ½-inch pieces and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and toss the strips to coat them. Sprinkle with the salt and chili powder and lay them in an even layer. Toast in the oven until the strips are lightly browned and crisp, 12-15 minutes. Remove the strips and cool for 10 minutes before serving.4 large tortillas (flour or corn), 2 tsp neutral oil, ¼ tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp chili powder
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
Wow! Made this last night and both hubby and I loved it. Only use one jalapeño but it had the right amount of heat for us. Cooking the chicken in the soup is brilliant! And those tortilla chips are AMAZING and took this recipe to the next level. Definitely will be making this regularly. 10/10!
Made this today. It’s going to be one of my “favorites”. I used boneless chicken thighs. This was the only change I made, and taco strips with chili pepper on them are a hit with this soup!
This is the best soup and I love to watch you in the kitchen. You inspire me to get in there and cook. You make it look so easy.
Love your recipes and love to watch you in the kitchen. Such an inspiration to get in there and cook! You make it look so each and interesting.
Easy soup to put together and enjoy. My family absolutely loved this recipe. I will definitely make it again….thanks for all you do!
Hi Kaleb,
Looks easy and delicious to make and Love all your videos and recipes and can’t wait to try this today!
Karen🌞❤️
I can’t wait to make this recipe today. It’s snowing here in Port Clyde Maine and it’s gonna warm our hearts for lunch and her bellies of course
Hi! I made this recipe yesterday and it was so good! Very warming on a cold day. I used my corn I froze last summer and had sliced and froze a jalapeño so I had everything to make it! Best ever soup! We love this recipe!
Absolutely delicious. This recipe came together perfectly. Thank you
Made this soup this morning. Absolutely delicious!! Thank you!! Wouldn’t change a thing.