Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup (Printable)

Hearty Tex-Mex soup with chicken, black beans, corn, and creamy cheddar. Stovetop or slow cooker friendly.

# What You'll Need:

→ Proteins

01 - 2 cups cooked shredded chicken

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 cup frozen or canned corn, drained
05 - 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
06 - 1 can (10 oz) Rotel tomatoes with green chilies

→ Liquids

07 - 4 cups low sodium chicken broth

→ Dairy

08 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
09 - 4 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed

→ Spices and Seasonings

10 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
11 - 1 teaspoon chili powder
12 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
13 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
14 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Garnishes

15 - Tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
16 - Fresh cilantro, chopped
17 - Lime wedges
18 - Extra shredded cheddar cheese
19 - Sliced jalapeños

# How To:

01 - Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
02 - Add corn, black beans, Rotel tomatoes, chicken broth, and shredded chicken to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
03 - Stir in cream cheese cubes until completely melted and incorporated. Add shredded cheddar cheese, stirring constantly until smooth and creamy. Adjust seasoning as needed.
04 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with tortilla strips, cilantro, lime wedges, extra cheese, and jalapeños as desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour on the stovetop, or you can let your Crock Pot do the heavy lifting while you actually live your life.
  • That creamy cheddar finish feels indulgent but tastes nothing like effort—it's the soup equivalent of a cozy sweater.
  • You probably have most of these ingredients already, and the ones you don't are worth keeping around anyway.
02 -
  • Don't skip the step of toasting your spices in that hot oil—I learned this the hard way by dumping everything in at once and ending up with soup that tasted like individual ingredients floating in broth instead of one intentional thing.
  • The cream cheese needs to be softened or it'll clump up, so take it out of the fridge a few minutes before you need it, or cube it while it's cold and it'll melt faster once it hits the hot broth.
03 -
  • Buy pre-cooked rotisserie chicken if you're short on time; it's not cheating, it's just being practical about life.
  • Make the cream cheese cubes while it's still cold and they'll melt faster and more evenly than if you wait until you need them.
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