Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Here’s an easy and flavorful Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe. It’s a hearty, Mexican-inspired dish with chicken, beans, corn, and crispy tortilla chips. It’s perfect for a cozy meal and those crazy weeknights.

How To Make Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

Olive oil or butter

Onion, diced

Medium green pepper

Garlic, minced

Jalapeño, seeded and diced (optional, for heat)

Ground cumin

Coriander powder

Smoked paprika

Ancho chile powder

1 (14.5 oz) can diced/crushed tomatoes

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup of fresh, dehydrated or frozen corn

8 cups chicken broth

2 cups cooked shredded/chopped chicken (rotisserie works great)

1 lime, juiced

Salt and pepper to taste

Tortilla chips

Optional toppings: avocado, cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, lime wedges

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Directions:

1.  Sauté: Heat olive oil in a slow cooker on the “sauté” setting. If you don’t have this setting on your slow cooker, you can either cook the onion, garlic, green pepper and jalapeño (if using) in a saucepan on the stove or just turn the slow cooker on high. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

2.  Add Spices: Stir in cumin, coriander, ancho chile powder and smoked paprika. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

3.  Build Soup: Add diced tomatoes, black beans, corn, and chicken broth.

4.  Add Chicken: Stir in chicken and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn the slow cooker on low and allow to cook for 8 hours.

5.  (OPTIONAL) Make Tortilla Strips: In a skillet, heat 1/4 inch of olive oil over medium-high heat. Cut tortillas (4-6) into strips. Fry them in batches until golden and crispy, about 1-2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

6.  Serve: Ladle soup into bowls, top with crispy tortilla strips and desired toppings like avocado, cilantro, cheese, or sour cream.

Make Your Own Chicken Broth Here

Is Chicken Tortilla Soup Healthy?

Yes, this soup is loaded with nutrients.

Chicken tortilla soup can be nutritious, depending on its ingredients and preparation. A typical serving (about 1 cup) often includes:

1. Protein: Chicken provides lean protein (15-20g per serving), supporting muscle health.
2. Vegetables: Tomatoes, onions, peppers, and sometimes corn or beans add vitamins (like C and A), minerals (like potassium), and fiber.
3. Calories: Around 150-300 calories per cup, depending on toppings like cheese, avocado, or tortilla strips.
4. Nutrient Dense: This soup contains vitamins, minerals, and proteins, including collagen and essential amino acids, which can support bone health and overall well-being.

Tips

• For a shortcut, use store-bought tortilla chips instead of frying your own strips.

• To kick up the heat, add more jalapeño or a pinch of cayenne.

• For a thicker soup, blend a portion (using an emulsion blender) of the soup before adding the chicken.

Is This Chicken Tortilla Soup Spicy?

It’s very flavorful but not spicy at all. The combination of the spices makes this soup so tasty. Even your kids will love this soup!

What are Ancho Chile Peppers?

Ancho chile peppers are dried poblano peppers, commonly used in Mexican and Southwestern cuisine. They have a deep, smoky flavor with mild to medium heat (1,000–1,500 Scoville units). Dark reddish-brown and wrinkled, they’re about 4–6 inches long and 3 inches wide. Anchos are often ground into powder or rehydrated for sauces, moles, salsas, and stews, adding rich, slightly sweet notes with hints of raisin, coffee, or chocolate. They’re a staple in dishes like chile rellenos or adobo. Soak them in hot water for 15–30 minutes to soften before use.

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Stove Top Cooking Variation

The stove top variation is just as simple. If you are using a rotisserie chicken, it will go even quicker.

1. Roast a whole chicken or buy a rotisserie one at the store. You can also use 4-6 chicken breasts. Cook them in butter or ghee on medium heat. I don’t usually season them because of all the spices that are in this soup. Flip them over ever 5 minutes until they are cooked throughly (at least 165 °). Either shred or chop the chicken when it’s done.
2. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, green pepper and jalapeño (if using). Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in cumin, coriander, ancho chile and smoked paprika. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Add diced/crushed tomatoes, black beans, corn, and chicken broth. Bring to a light boil (on medium heat) and cook for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Stir in shredded chicken and lime juice. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve in bowls and top with your favorite fixin’s.

Are Dehydrated Soup Mixes Good To Use?

Yes, I love this Tortilla Soup Mix. It has all the ingredients that I used in my recipe except it’s dehydrated. The brand from Frontier Soups uses all non-gmo products and made from the freshest ingredients. You might be able to find them locally at your store or I buy them online. They have all kinds of different soups to choose from. Keeping these packets on hand, will make those crazy week-night meals seem more simpler.

All you do is drop the entire packet in the pot of broth and spices. Follow the directions above. So easy. Set it and forget it.

Tools Used in This Recipe

Crockpot/Slow Cooker – (no pfas, lead, cadmium, non-toxic)

Tortilla Soup Mix

Ancho Chile Powder

Ladle

Tortilla Chips

Resources

https://www.nutritionadvance.com/chicken-meat-nutrition-benefits/

Matar A, Abdelnaem N, Camilleri M. Bone Broth Benefits: How Its Nutrients Fortify Gut Barrier in Health and Disease. Dig Dis Sci. 2025 Jun;70(6):1951-1961. doi: 10.1007/s10620-025-08997-x. Epub 2025 Apr 3. PMID: 40180691.

https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/corn

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Here’s an easy and flavorful Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe. It’s a hearty, Mexican-inspired dish with chicken, beans, corn, and crispy tortilla chips.

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Servings: 8 bowls

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 medium onion (diced)
• 1 medium green pepper (diced)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 jalapeno (diced and seeds removed, optional)
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp ancho chile powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 1 can diced/crushed tomatoes
• 2 cans Black Beans (drained)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
• 8 cups chicken bone broth
• 2 cups shredded/chopped cooked chicken
• 1 lime (squeezed)
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Method

 

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeño (if using). Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Add diced tomatoes, black beans, corn, and chicken broth. Bring to a light boil (medium heat) and cook for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in shredded chicken and lime juice. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Ladle soup into bowls, top with crispy tortilla strips and desired toppings like avocado, cilantro, cheese, or sour cream.

TO MAKE THE TORTILLA STRIPS

1. (OPTIONAL) Make Tortilla Strips: In a skillet, heat 1/4 inch of olive oil over medium-high heat. Cut 4-6 corn tortillas into strips. Fry tortilla strips in batches until golden and crispy, about 1-2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

Notes

•  For a shortcut, use store-bought tortilla chips instead of frying your own strips.

•  Adjust spice levels by adding more jalapeño or a pinch of cayenne.

•  For a thicker soup, blend a portion of the soup before adding the chicken.

I hope you enjoy this flavorful and filling Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup. Tag me over on Instagram if you make it. I’d love to see yours!

Wendy Lea Walker, NTP

Nutritional Therapy Practitioner

I’m Wendy. A wife, empty-nester mama, homemaker, homebaker, gardener and small-time farmer. I love sharing wisdom and mistakes I’ve learned along the way. Anyone can garden or homestead, no matter where you live. It’s a mindset. You just have to start somewhere. I believe food is medicine. Feed the body real whole foods and healing will begin.