This Cream of Chicken Tortilla Soup is creamy, cozy, and packed with flavor! Tender chicken, warm spices, tomatoes, and melty cheddar cheese come together in a rich, comforting soup that’s finished with crunchy tortilla chips for the perfect bite.
Update: This post was originally published in early 2022. It was updated in fall 2026 with new images, modified recipe, and updated body content.
My Tortilla Soup Evolution
- Holy moly this is vintage APOP. I didn’t even have measuring cups listened; just macros & grams (ew)! And after I put my modern day APOP spin on it, I texted Sydney saying: this is the easiest recipe and insane flavor – absolutely a fall staple!
- I’ve unlocked my preferred way to make a creamy version of a recipe now. It’s cottage cheese. Specifically blended, then blended with broth to make thinner and in some cases, paired with lite coconut milk for binding and extra creaminess.
Why You’ll Love this Cream of Chicken Tortilla Soup
This Cream of Chicken Tortilla Soup is just like a flavorful taco or a hearty enchilada in a soup form! How amazing is that?!
The soup is fairly simple ingredients. It has a base of fire roasted tomatoes, vegetables like red bell pepper, onion, and jalapeno, and plenty of spices. I added in some chicken for some juicy protein as well as blended cottage cheese for the creamiest broth. I like to use pre-shredded rotisserie chicken, so there’s no need to sear/boil/shred!
Filled with warm flavors and a little kick, this Mexican soup is perfect for a cold winter day when you need a little pep in that step. But if this soup doesn’t sound like your thing, also try this Vegetarian Stuffed Pepper Soup, this Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole (a family favorite!) or this Spicy Butternut Squash Soup, too! Or for similar flavors try this Mexican Chicken Skillet rice bowl.
Recipe Ingredients
- Veggies: We will use onion, bell pepper, corn, jalapeño, cilantro and fire roasted tomatoes. Optionally, add a can of green chiles or sweet corn!
- Spices: Cumin, chili powder, garlic, paprika and cayene bring out the Mexican flavor.
- Chicken: You can use a rotisserie chicken for convenience or prepare the chicken yourself. Check out my Ninja Foodi Grilled Chicken blog post if you’re interested or use leftover chicken breasts or chicken thighs from another recipe.
- Cottage Cheese: An extra boost of protein and makes this soup an extra creamy texture.
- Lite Coconut Milk: More creaminess in the base without being too heavy with the already thick blended cottage cheese. You could alternatively use heavy cream if preferred.
- Bone Broth: I like the flavor it adds and also extra protein. Regular chicken stock also works.
- Corn Tortillas: We’ll douse these in avocado oil to create crispy tortilla strips to top this creamy chicken tortilla soup recipe for a bit of crunch.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make This Recipe
1. Heat a large heavy bottom pot or dutch oven to medium heat on the stovetop and add the avocado oil. Once it glistens, add the diced onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos. Toss in a pinch of salt to help render the vegetables. Allow them to sauté for 5-8 minutes.
2. Add the drained black beans, corn, fire-roasted tomatoes, and seasonings to the pot. Stir and once the flavors are fragrant, pour in the bone broth. Bring to a boil, then turn to low and let simmer.
3. In a large glass measuring cup, blend the cottage cheese until smooth (with an immersion blender, alternatively throw in you regular blender). Slowly pour in the coconut milk and continue to blend. Use a separate measuring cup to remove ~1-2 cups of soup from the pot and slowly blend it into the cottage cheese/coconut milk mixture, until smooth.
4. Remove the soup from the stove top heat and stir in the shredded chicken. Then, pour in the creamy blended broth. By this point the cottage cheese has been blended a few times and shouldn’t curdle, but if there’s still active steam coming off the soup, give it moment to cool before adding if you think it’s too hot. =
5. Make the crispy tortilla strip toppings (optional). Heat a skillet to medium low heat and add oil. Once warm, add the thin tortilla pieces and toast until crispy. Stir constantly to avoid burning. Remove from heat when golden.
6. Assemble the bowls: Laddle the soup into a bowl, top with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and lime wedges, pinch of fresh cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese and crispy tortilla strips. Top it off with a dollop of greek yogurt or sour cream to taste (or…blended cottage cheese if you have extra). Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Store leftovers it in an airtight container (I recommend Glass Tupperware because the tomato will stain plastic tupperware) in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, put the soup back in a sauce pot and then heat over medium-heat or microwave COVERED (to avoid splattering) in 30 second intervals until warm throughout. It’s a great recipe to have prepped and on hand for busy nights.
Absolutely! This hearty soup makes a great freezer meal. I suggest freezing individual portions in ziplock bags or in glass tupperware and defrosting overnight in the refrigerator the night before you’re going to eat one on a busy weeknight.
Any of your favorite toppings that you’d put on tacos, also go well on this soup. Some of the garnishes I suggest are:
– Greek yogurt on top of the soup is a must for me. It makes this soup so so creamy. However, you could use dollop of sour cream or cream cheese for a similar effect.
– For a more tomato-y base, add some red enchilada sauce which will mix in nicely.
– Avocado slices are also welcomed with our Southwest vibes. And chopped cilantro on top is also perfect for some freshness.
– Oh, and don’t forget more cheese because more cheese is always the answer.
You could easily make this into a bean fiesta soup by swapping the chicken for a can of drained black beans, kidney beans or pinto beans and veggie broth instead of chicken broth. The macros will shift to be a bit more carb heavy and less protein, but I can assure you it’ll still be a delicious soup! So many variations of this easy chicken tortilla soup that totally work!
Serving suggestions
Serve this tasty recipe in flat bottom tostada shells! Looking to make it a full meal? Serve this Chicken Fiesta Soup with a side of chips and salsa, some Fiesta Rice, and Mexican Brussel Sprouts for a full table at dinner time that the whole family will absolutely love!
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Cream of Chicken Soup
Equipment
- 5-quart Dutch oven or large soup pot
- Chef's Knife
- Cutting Board
- Can opener
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Laddle
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 medium while onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 orange bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- 1 can black beans, drained, 15oz
- 1 can fire roasted tomatoes (with the juices), 15oz
- 1 cup frozen corn, or 1 15oz canned corn, drained
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 32 oz Chicken Bone Broth
- 1 cup 4% cottage cheese, *2% is also fine. Fat-free has too much water content to act as a thickener here (in my opinion)
- 1 cup lite coconut milk
- 16 oz shredded chicken
- ¼ cup cilantro, diced
- 1 lime, juiced
Crispy Tortilla Strips
- 4 white corn tortillas, cut into fine strips
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
Instructions
- Heat a large heavy bottom pot or dutch oven to medium heat on the stovetop and add the avocado oil. Once it glistens, add the diced onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos. Toss in a pinch of salt to help render the vegetables. Allow them to sauté for 5-8 minutes.
- Add the drained black beans, corn, fire-roasted tomatoes, and seasonings to the pot. Stir and once the flavors are fragrant, pour in the bone broth. Bring to a boil, then turn to low and let simmer.
- In a large glass measuring cup, blend the cottage cheese until smooth (with an immersion blender, alternatively throw in you regular blender). Slowly pour in the coconut milk and continue to blend. Use a separate measuring cup to remove ~1-2 cups of soup from the pot and slowly blend it into the cottage cheese/coconut milk mixture, until smooth.
- Remove the soup from the stove top heat and stir in the shredded chicken. Then, pour in the creamy blended broth. By this point the cottage cheese has been blended a few times and shouldn’t curdle, but if there’s still active steam coming off the soup, give it moment to cool before adding if you think it’s too hot.
- Make the crispy tortilla strip toppings (optional). Heat a skillet to medium low heat and add oil. Once warm, add the thin tortilla pieces and toast until crispy. Stir constantly to avoid burning. Remove from heat when golden.
- Assemble the bowls: Laddle the soup into a bowl, top with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and lime wedges, pinch of fresh cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese and crispy tortilla strips. Top it off with a dollop of greek yogurt or sour cream to taste (or…blended cottage cheese if you have extra). Enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
Love a good chicken tortilla soup and this one is very good! Also added black beans and green chilis and loved it.
scooped mine up with some tortilla chips and it was DANG good
This is extra delicious and we love making it! Lighter than the usual, but nevertheless, still flavorful!