This easy crockpot chicken tortilla soup is so delicious and so easy it literally cooks itself!
This tasty chicken soup is always a crowd pleaser!
I think you'll love it too. Here's why.
This soup is layered with flavors from vegetables and spices and can be piles high with toppings and enjoyed simply on its own. This tortilla soup has a very mild spice to it but can be heated up with additional jalapeño peppers.
This soup is made in the corkcpot so you can throw everything together in the morning, set the timer and have dinner ready for you when you're done with your days' work.
This soup also makes a great take-to-work lunch. We usually make a big batch so there's plenty of leftovers!
During football season, we take this soup to tailgates. On cooler days, it's a great way to warm up before or while we watch the game.
Ingredients You'll Need
Don't let the long list of ingredient intimidate you; it's all stuff you'll likely already have on hand.
- Rotisserie chicken. I love to start with a fresh cooked chicken but you can also use leftover cooked chicken, canned chicken, grilled chicken, or cook your own chicken using your preferred method and just stir it into this soup.
- Chicken broth.
- Onion. This aromatic vegetable brings compliments all the other flavors in the soup and adds depth to the broth.
- Fire roasted diced tomatoes. You can also use plain diced tomatoes however, the fire-roasted tomatoes add a very subtle smokiness to the overall flavor of this soup.
- Corn. You can use whatever you have. Scraped corn off the cob is my favorite because it has such a nice fresh flavor but frozen corn works too. You can even used canned corn. If using canned corn, I recommending draining and rinsing the corn a few times to remove some of the "canned" flavor. You can use white or yellow corn or a mix of both which add pretty color and also more depth of flavor with the two slightly different types of corn.
- Black beans. Black beans add a hearty and creamy texture with a mild flavor. You can substitute other types of beans as desired.
- Green chilies and/or chopped jalapeño. This is where you can have fun spicing things up! Fresh jalapeños tend to be more spicy whereas green chilis will give your soup a very mild heat.
- Taco seasoning. Using taco meat seasoning is an easy way to add all those yummy spices you'd expect from a tortilla soup. You can add more or less taco seasoning to taste.
Optional Toppings
- Cheddar cheese. Try shredded cheddar cheese or a blend of Mexican or Taco cheeses.
- Sour cream. A dollop of sour creamy stirred in will add a creamy and slightly tart flavor to your sour a wonderful was to tone down the spices in this soup and add some richness.
- Tortilla strips. You can crush up tortilla chips and sprinkle those on or use full sized chips to scoop bites of soup. You choose! Or leave them off to lower your carbs.
- Fresh avocado. Here's another way to add creaminess to this soup in a healthy way!
Time-saving Tips
Pick up a cooked rotisserie chicken to cut down the cook time. This soup cooks in just 1 hour in the crockpot if you start with a warm, fresh rotisserie chicken.
For easy clean up, try using crockpot liners. Just remove the liner, toss it and wipe down any areas that might have been splashed. No dishes!
★ FAQs ★
How can I adjust the level of spiciness?
You can add extra heat by adding fresh sliced jalapẽos on top if you like spice
The green chilis add a small amount of spice so if a mild amount of spice is what you're after, you should be good with just those. If the soup is too spicy for you with the green chilis, you can reduce the amount or leave them out all together.
How can I add more flavor to this Chicken Tortilla soup?
Want a big boost of flavor? Try mixing in a Bear Creek Tortilla Soup starter.
The Bear Creek mixes are really yummy but can be expensive. So another way to add more flavor is to add more chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder to taste OR more taco seasoning to taste.
Can this soup be made on the stovetop?
Yes! You can follow the same directions as you would for the slow cooker cooking in a large pot on the stove. Bring to a boil then reduce to a summer. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until onions are cooked to your liking. I like my onions pretty soft but some people like them a bit crunchy. You choose!
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This crockpot chicken tortilla soup recipe was featured on Inspire Me Monday and South Your Mouth!
Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken, picked
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 small onion chopped
- 8 oz fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 8 oz black beans
- 4 oz green chilies or 1 chopped jalapeño
- 1 oz packet taco seasoning (2 tbsp)
- ½ cup cheddar cheese as topping
- ½ cup sour cream as topping
- tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips as topping
- 1 avocado chopped
Instructions
- Remove rotisserie chicken from bones and chop or shred then add to crockpot. Add a few of the large chicken bones to add flavor to your broth (we'll remove them later).
- Add chicken broth chopped onion, tomatoes, corn, beans, green chilies (or jalapeños), and taco seasoning to crockpot. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 hour with your slow cooker set to high or 2 hours set to low.*
- Serve hot topped with sour cream, cheese, fresh avocado and tortilla strips or chips.
Thanks for this recipe! What size of taco seasoning should we use?
Hi Lora, I use a 1oz packet which is equal to 2 tbsp of taco seasoning. You can use more or less to taste.
Delicious! My family enjoyed it!
Can I use frozen rotisserie chicken ?
Yes, you can. As long as it’s already cooked, there’s no need to thaw it. Go ahead and add it to the crockpot frozen. you may just need to add a few additional minutes of cook time.
Do you have to put the chicken bones in the recipe even though you're going to remove them? Does it make much difference?
Hi Shelley, you don't have to include the chicken bones, but there are some flavor as well as health benefits to cooking the bones in with the broth. The marrow will be extracted from bones when boiled and infuse into the soup. You can learn more about the health benefit of bone marrow here. The bones will also add a richness and a touch of sweetness to the soup which really just helps the other flavors stand out more. Thanks for asking!
Do I drain the beans corn tomatoes?
Hi Brenda, I use frozen or fresh corn but if you are using canned then yes, drain the corn. The beans and tomatoes do not need to be drained. Thanks for asking!
Greetings. Can you make with duch oven pot?
Yes, you sure can cook this on the stove top in a dutch oven. Follow the same directions as you would using a crockpot, just set the stovetop heat to medium and cook for 1 hour. Stir every so often to ensure the soup evenly cooks. Thanks for asking!
@Angela G., Thank you for responding. I plan to make today and will send you a picture. It looks delicious. Hope mine turns the same if not better. 😊
You're welcome! Hope it turns out awesome for you!!
My daughter made this and it was so good!! We'll definitely make it again. We didn't use cooked chicken and used boneless chicken breasts (her preference), some red kidney beans instead of the black beans (her pref), she added two bay leaves...we of course had to increase the cooking time. Thanks for a great recipe.
Hi Gale, So glad you and your daughter enjoyed it!
Cooking time listed is 1 hr. In the recipe. Yet on cooking time above says 2 hrs. Which is correct? The rest looks fantastic and I'm planning to make it this week 🙂
Hi Onya, It's 2 hours on low or 1 hour on high. I also recommend pre-heating your slow cooker while you prepare the ingredients. Starting with a warm, fresh rotisserie chicken will also help ensure cook time only takes an hour. Thanks for asking! I hope you enjoy!