Easy 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup
This quick and easy Chicken Tortilla Soup is packed with flavor, featuring tender chicken, fresh tomatoes, corn, black beans, and crunchy tortilla strips. It's a perfect weeknight meal that comes together in just 30 minutes and is sure to impress!
Prep
: 10
Total
: 25 minutes
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 10 small corn tortillas cut into 0.25-inch wide strips, for making crispy strips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for tortilla strips
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt for tortilla strips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for soup base
- 1 cup sweet Vidalia or yellow onion peeled and diced small (about 1 medium onion)
- 1 large jalapeño pepper seeds removed for less heat, or left in for more
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and finely minced
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cans diced tomatoes 14.5 ounces each, petite diced, no-salt-added recommended
- 1 can black beans 15 ounces, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken rotisserie chicken works great
- 1.5 cups corn frozen, canned (drained), or fresh
- 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
- 0.25 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional and to taste
- 0.33 cup fresh cilantro leaves finely minced, or to taste
For Serving (Optional)
- 1 avocado diced, for serving
- 0.5 cup shredded cheese like cheddar or a Mexican blend, for serving
- 0.5 cup sour cream for serving
Instructions
Make the Tortilla Strips
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil to save cleanup time.
- Loosely scatter the tortilla strips, evenly drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, evenly sprinkle with 1 teaspoon 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.
- While strips bake, begin making the soup.
Make the Soup
- To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat over medium-high heat to warm.
- Add the diced onion and jalapeño, and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir intermittently.
- Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir intermittently.
- Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes and juice, black beans, shredded chicken, corn, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and optional cayenne pepper, and bring to a boil.
- 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.
- Add the minced cilantro and boil for 1 minute.
- Taste soup and add salt to taste. This will vary based on how salty the chicken broth, tomatoes, black beans, and chicken are, and personal preference. Make any necessary seasoning adjustments (i.e. more salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, etc.).
- Ladle soup into bowls, top with the homemade crispy tortilla strips, and optionally garnish with diced avocado, shredded cheese, and/or sour cream; serve immediately.
Notes
This soup is incredibly versatile! Feel free to adjust the spice level by adding more or less jalapeño and cayenne. It also freezes beautifully for future meals. For a vegetarian version, swap chicken for extra beans and vegetable broth.