Amazing 35-Minute Chicken Tortilla Soup

Oh, you know those nights, right? The ones where you’re staring into the fridge at 6 PM and you just need something warm, cozy, and wildly flavorful without spending an hour on the stove? That’s when my Simple Chicken Tortilla Soup comes out! This recipe is sheer magic because it relies almost entirely on stuff I already have lurking in the pantry—canned tomatoes, a jar of enchilada sauce, and cumin. Seriously, it’s my weeknight hero when I have zero energy left.

Forget those complicated versions you see online. This one is straightforward, comes together in about 35 minutes tops, and tastes like you did way more work than you actually did. It’s hearty, packed with savory Mexican spices, and the perfect vehicle for loading up on crunchy toppings. Trust me, once you try this easy chicken soup, it’ll become your go-to comfort meal!

Why You Will Love This Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

I know time is short, so that’s why this recipe is on constant rotation at my house. It’s the perfect little weeknight savior. You honestly won’t believe how much flavor we pack in here!

• It’s lightning fast! Total time is just 35 minutes.
• You just use one pot on the stovetop—cleanup is a breeze.
• The flavor is deep and satisfying thanks to cumin and chili powder.
• It’s totally versatile; serve it thick or a little brothy!

See? Easy, fast, and delicious. That’s all we ever really want in a good Mexican soup, right?

Ingredients for the Best Chicken Tortilla Soup

Okay, gathering supplies is half the battle, but I promise this is simple. We’re using ingredients that already have fantastic flavor built-in. Don’t skimp on that enchilada sauce—it does some heavy lifting here! I always keep a package of rotisserie chicken nearby just for this recipe; it saves sanity, honestly.

For the Chicken Tortilla Soup Base

• 1 tablespoon olive oil—just enough to get things sizzling.
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped.
• 2 cloves garlic, minced up nice and small.
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, and yes, you want them undrained! That liquid is flavor gold.
• 1 (10 ounce) can mild enchilada sauce—this makes the stock taste incredible.
• 4 cups chicken broth.
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin.
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder.
• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast (rotisserie chicken is a great time-saver here, you guys!).
• Salt and pepper to taste—start small and adjust later!

For the Crispy Tortilla Strips and Toppings

These toppings are non-negotiable for crunch and freshness, so grab them all!

• Corn tortillas, cut into strips—these need to be fried or baked until crisp.
• Shredded Monterey Jack cheese for topping—it melts so beautifully.
• Avocado, diced—because every good bowl of soup needs creamy green chunks!

Step-by-Step Instructions for Perfect Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is where the magic happens, and honestly, it comes together so fast you’ll think you missed something! We’re moving quickly on the stove, but patience is key while we let those flavors mingle. If you’re using store-bought chicken, this process is even faster—just make sure it’s already shredded and ready to go! If you want to make your own chicken shredded perfectly ahead of time, check out my guide on easy shredded chicken recipe seasoned.

Sauté Aromatics and Build the Chicken Tortilla Soup Flavor

We start by heating that tablespoon of olive oil in a nice big pot over medium heat. Toss in your chopped onion first. You want to cook those down until they’re soft and translucent, which usually takes about five minutes. Don’t rush this part; soft onions make the whole soup taste better!

Next, stir in your minced garlic and cook for just one minute more until it smells amazing—be careful not to burn it, or it’ll taste bitter. Now, dump in your diced tomatoes (juice and all!), the enchilada sauce, the chicken broth, the cumin, and the chili powder. Give it a great stir, and bring the whole thing up to a boil.

Simmering and Finishing the Chicken Tortilla Soup

Once it’s bubbling happily, turn that heat down low so it’s just simmering gently. Let it hang out like that for a solid 15 minutes. This simmering time is critical because it lets the cumin and chili really marry with the tomato goodness. When that’s done, stir in your shredded chicken. Whether you used leftover pieces or a brilliant rotisserie shortcut, just heat it through for another five minutes.

Now for the taste test! Add salt and pepper until it tastes exactly how you want it to taste. It should be perfect now, but always check!

Preparing Tortilla Strips and Serving the Chicken Tortilla Soup

While the soup is simmering away, you need the crunch! You can fry your corn tortilla strips, but I often bake mine for a slightly healthier version—it’s super easy. You just lay them on a sheet and bake them at 375 degrees for about 10 to 12 minutes, flipping them halfway so they get evenly crisp. Seriously, crispy strips are crucial for texture!

When you’re ready to eat, ladle that gorgeous soup into bowls. Top generously with your crisp tortilla strips, a pile of Monterey Jack cheese, and those fresh diced avocados we talked about. Enjoy right away!

Tips for Making the Ultimate Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe is already super simple, but if you want to take it from ‘great’ to ‘I need to serve this at my next dinner party’ level, I have a few little tricks up my sleeve. Cooking is all about tweaking things until they sing, right? And trust me, these small changes really make the chicken tortilla soup stand out.

If you want more kick than the mild enchilada sauce gives you, don’t just grab the hot sauce bottle when you serve it. Instead, try swapping that mild sauce for a medium or hot version. Or, if you happen to have chipotle powder, throw in just half a teaspoon when you add the cumin and chili powder. That smoky heat is amazing against the chicken and tomato base. It adds such a complex flavor.

Also, let’s talk about the chicken. While rotisserie chicken is a lifesaver, sometimes you have leftover roasted chicken—maybe from a Sunday dinner. If you have darker meat leftovers, go ahead and use those too! Dark meat stays moister and shreds beautifully, adding a richer flavor to the stock than just plain white breast meat. If you happen to be doing a big batch of chicken breast for meal prep, I bookmarked this great spot for keeping it perfectly juicy: healthy dinner recipes for weight loss. Keeping your protein moist is always the goal!

Another thing I love doing? If I have some vegetable scraps—like carrot ends or celery leaves—I toss those into the broth while it simmers for those 15 minutes. Just pull them out before you add the chicken. It just adds another layer of depth without needing any extra actual effort. You’re basically cheating your way to a gourmet broth!

Variations on Classic Chicken Tortilla Soup

Even though this simple chicken tortilla soup recipe is fantastic as is—seriously, it’s almost perfect—I love playing around with additions when I have an extra minute or a random can staring at me from the cupboard. You don’t need a whole new recipe to change things up; a few additions can totally shift the vibe of this Mexican soup!

My favorite thing to add if I’m making this for dinner instead of lunch is beans. A can of black beans or pinto beans brings extra heartiness, and they are so easy. Just rinse them well, and toss them in right when you add the shredded chicken to heat through. They bulk up the servings nicely, too!

If you want to add more veggies, bell peppers are fantastic here. I slice up half a red bell pepper kind of thin and toss it in right when the onions start to soften up. It sweetens the base nicely as it cooks down. Frozen corn is another win—just toss in about a cup toward the end of the simmering time. It adds a burst of sweetness that complements the savory spices.

Like I mentioned earlier, don’t feel locked into only using shredded chicken breast. If you happen to have dark meat leftovers, use those! Thigh meat adds a richness to the broth that white meat sometimes lacks. Honestly, whatever chicken you have on hand works perfectly well for this easy chicken soup. It’s all about getting that flavorful broth and crunchy topping combination!

Storage and Reheating Instructions for Chicken Tortilla Soup

Okay, so one of the best parts about making a big pot of this easy chicken soup is having leftovers! Seriously, this simple chicken tortilla soup tastes even better the next day once those cumin and chili notes have really settled in overnight. You’re going to want to save some for lunch tomorrow!

When it comes to storing the main soup base—the broth, the chicken, the tomatoes—just pop it into an airtight container. It keeps beautifully in the refrigerator for about three or four days. That easy flavor just reheats so well!

Now, if you’re thinking about freezing it, yes, you absolutely can! This Mexican soup base freezes like a dream. I usually portion it out into small freezer-safe containers or even heavy-duty zip-top bags (lay them flat!). It’s good in the deep freeze for up to three months. Just remember, when you freeze soup with cooked chicken in it, sometimes the texture of the chicken changes slightly when thawed, but it’s still totally safe and delicious!

Reheating Tips for Yesterday’s Soup

When you’re ready to dive back in, the stovetop is definitely my preferred method. Transfer the soup to a saucepan over medium heat. Give it a stir every minute or so. You don’t want to boil it hard, just bring it up to a nice, gentle simmer until it’s piping hot all the way through. If you’re reheating from frozen, let it thaw overnight in the fridge first, then heat slowly on the stove.

Here’s a super important tip, and I cannot stress this enough: Keep those tortilla strips separate! If you put your crispy tortilla strips or your avocado in the soup before you store or reheat it, you’re going to end up with sad, soggy things. Store your tortillas in a dry paper bag on the counter, and keep your cheese and avocado handy. You only add those toppings right before you take that first glorious spoonful. Trust me on this one—crispy beats soggy every single time!

Frequently Asked Questions About Chicken Tortilla Soup

I get so many great questions about this easy chicken soup recipe! People always want to know how to boost the flavor or make small swaps depending on what they have. I’ve pulled together the most common things I hear so you can customize your perfect bowl of Mexican soup!

Can I use dried spices instead of fresh for this Chicken Tortilla Soup?

Oh yes, absolutely! In fact, this recipe already calls for dried spices—ground cumin and chili powder. That’s one of the reasons this recipe is so fast! Fresh herbs are great, but for the spice base of this soup, the dried stuff we use here really marries well with the canned tomatoes and enchilada sauce during that 15-minute simmer. If you were using fresh spices, you’d need a completely different method, but dried works perfectly here.

How can I make this Mexican soup spicier?

That’s my kind of question! If you like your soup with a real kick, you have a few easy routes. Since the recipe uses mild enchilada sauce, swapping that out for a medium or hot sauce is the easiest fix—it changes the whole flavor profile immediately. Alternatively, when you’re adding your cumin and chili powder, throw in about 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or even some smoked paprika for color and heat. If you want intense, smoky heat, use a tiny bit of chipotle powder; it gives a fantastic depth that works so well with chicken.

Can I skip the canned enchilada sauce and make this vegetarian?

Well, you can skip the sauce if you need to—but I wouldn’t recommend it for flavor! The enchilada sauce is truly essential for the color and the savory, slightly earthy flavor we are aiming for in this recipe. If you skip the chicken and the enchilada sauce, you’re basically making a spiced tomato vegetable broth, which is fine, but it won’t taste like this specific, classic Chicken Tortilla Soup. If you want vegetarian, you’d need to swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth and then add things like corn, black beans, and maybe some sautéed zucchini, and layer in spices like smoked paprika and oregano to mimic that savory depth!

What’s the secret to getting the tortilla strips really crunchy?

This is what separates a good soup from a great one! The main thing is keeping them dry until the second you serve them—seriously, don’t let them touch the broth until they hit your bowl. If you’re frying them, make sure your oil is hot enough so they puff up quickly rather than soaking up grease. If you bake them, which I often do, make sure you’re baking them on a rack set over a baking sheet. This lets air circulate all around the strips so they dry out and get crunchy all over, not just on the bottom. It really makes a difference in this easy chicken soup!

Nutritional Estimates for Chicken Tortilla Soup

Now, I know some of you are tracking macros or watching how much sodium sneaks into dinner, so I wanted to give you a rough idea of what’s in a bowl of this soup. Remember, these numbers are based on using the exact amounts listed in the ingredient list, and they assume you use a moderate amount of cheese and avocado for topping, not a mountain!

This recipe for chicken tortilla soup really is a winner because it packs in that high protein from the chicken, which keeps you satisfied for hours. It’s a great option if you’re watching fat intake too, especially since most of the fat comes from healthy sources like that avocado we top it with. If you’re looking for more ideas on healthy eating that still taste amazing, I came across some great ideas over at healthy dinner recipes for weight loss.

Just keep in mind that the final numbers will swing based on what kind of broth you use and how heavy-handed you are with the cheese! If you use low-sodium broth, you can cut the sodium way down, for example.

Here’s the breakdown for one generous bowl, not counting extra big handfuls of cheese, of course:

• Serving Size: 1 bowl
• Calories: Around 350 per serving
• Protein: A whopping 35 grams!
• Fat: About 12 grams total
• Carbohydrates: Roughly 25 grams
• Fiber: 4 grams
• Sodium: About 650 mg

See? A really good balance for a comforting, home-cooked Mexican soup!

Share Your Experience Making This Chicken Tortilla Soup

I really, truly hope this simple chicken tortilla soup brings you as much warmth and satisfaction as it brings my family on a hectic Tuesday night. It’s one of those recipes that feels like a hug in a bowl, and I love knowing you’re enjoying those quick, rich Mexican flavors too!

If you whipped this up—maybe you used rotisserie chicken for maximum ease, or perhaps you tried tossing in those black beans we talked about—I absolutely need to hear about it! Did you find the perfect amount of heat? Tell me what toppings you couldn’t live without!

Please head down below and leave a star rating for this chicken tortilla soup recipe. Five stars if you think it’s a weeknight miracle, but whatever you feel is honest!

And if you snap a picture of your finished bowl—maybe drizzled perfectly with lime juice or piled high with avocado—please share it on social media and tag me! It makes my day to see my recipes living in your kitchens. If you have any questions at all, or need to send a note about a modification you tried, feel free to reach out through my contact page. Happy cooking, friends!

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