This Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup is a the perfect “soup weather” meal! It’s hearty, full of Southwest flavors and it’s easy to make. If you’re looking for a creamy, delicious soup, this recipe has you covered! If you’re looking for a slow cooker version, scroll to the bottom of this post for the instructions on how to make this in the slow cooker!
How to make Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup:
The first step is to sauté your onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil. This only takes a few minutes but it builds so much flavor in the base of your soup.
Next, is adding your seasonings, tomato paste, and flour. The addition of the flour is what helps give the soup a little extra creaminess. You’ll notice that when you add the flour, everything in the pot will turn into a paste…just keep going. You’re doing it right!
After you’ve made the veggie paste (that doesn’t sound too appetizing does it…lol), you can add in almost all of the other ingredients. Saving the cheese and the cream for the end. You can’t see it in the photo but the chicken is down in there too!
Bring everything to a simmer and let it cook for about 25 minutes. You don’t want to have it on a full rolling boil or the chicken will cook too quickly and get tough. You just want slow bubbles. Then, once the chicken is cooked, you can remove it, shred it and add it back in the soup.
Once your chicken is back in the soup, it’s time to make this creamy chicken tortilla soup…well, creamy!
How to make chicken tortilla soup creamy:
To make this soup creamy, all you need is shredded cheese and heavy cream. This is what gives the soup a rich a creamy texture and also adds a nice sharpness from the cheese! I used sharp cheddar but you can also experiment with different types of cheeses like pepper-jack or a Mexican blend.
Topping ideas for tortilla soup:
- Tortilla strips
- Avocado
- Shredded cheese
- Limes
- Cilantro
- Chopped onions
- Sour cream
- Jalapeños
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Can you make Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Slow cooker?
Yes! Just follow the steps below (using the same measurements in the recipe card) for the slow cooker version:
- Mix together the flour with 1/4 cup of cold water and add it to the slow cooker.
- Add in the remaining ingredients (except for the cream and shredded cheese)
- Cook on low for 6 hours then remove the chicken, shred it, then add back to the soup.
- Add in the cream and shredded cheese and stir until melted then serve.
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion (diced)
- 4 large cloves of garlic (minced)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 10 ounce can of Rotel - diced tomatoes and chilis (I use mild but use what you prefer)
- 15.5 ounce can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 15.25 ounce can of corn (drained and rinsed)
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat and add in the olive oil and diced onions.1 small yellow onion, 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Once the onions are soft, add in the garlic and cook for just about 2 more minutes.4 large cloves of garlic
- Add in the tomato paste, taco seasoning, salt, and four and stir together. It will make a paste. If all of the flour will not absorb, you can add a little bit more olive oil. Cook for just 1 minute.3 tablespoons tomato paste, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons taco seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Stir in the chicken broth, the Rotel, the corn, and black beans and the chicken breasts.4 cups chicken broth, 10 ounce can of Rotel - diced tomatoes and chilis, 15.5 ounce can of black beans, 15.25 ounce can of corn, 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Bring everything to a slow bubbling simmer (on low and covered) for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked throughout.
- Once the chicken has cooked, you can remove it, shred it, then add it back to the soup along with the cream and the shredded cheese.1 cup heavy cream, 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- Allow everything to melt together for about 5 minutes on medium heat while stirring then serve.
- Topping ideas: Tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream...anything your heart desires!
Notes
Slow cooker instructions:
- Mix together the flour with 1/4 cup of cold water and add it to the slow cooker.
- Add in the remaining ingredients (except for the cream and shredded cheese)
- Cook on low for 6 hours then remove the chicken, shred it, then add back to the soup.
- Add in the cream and shredded cheese and stir until melted then serve.
6 Comments
Susan Reinhart
September 13, 2023 at 12:31 pmCan you add rotisserie chicken? How much would you think.
Coco and Ash
September 13, 2023 at 12:34 pmAbsolutely! Cooking the chicken in the broth does add flavor but if you want to use a rotisserie, you can totally do that! I use 3 breasts I this recipe so I would use both breasts plus some of the dark meat. 🙂 You can also shorten the cooking time to just about 10 minutes so you don’t dry out the chicken since it’s already cooked.
Mexican Grilled Chicken - Coco and Ash
December 15, 2023 at 2:01 pm[…] Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup […]
Amy Walker
January 9, 2024 at 7:24 pmReally Enjoyed this recipe! I don’t like shredded chicken so I just cut it up into small pieces after it was cooked. Really enjoyed the flavors!!
Kim
January 20, 2025 at 11:44 amThe best chicken tortilla soup EVER! Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe!!
Coco and Ash
January 30, 2025 at 10:21 amThank you Kim! 🙂