This healthy chicken tortilla soup comes together in the slow cooker for an ultra-easy and flavor-packed family-friendly meal literally everyone will love. It’s amazing for meal prep and freezer-friendly too! Definitely a recipe you’ll want to add to your regular menu rotation! {Gluten-free & Dairy-free}
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The perfect hearty soup
We’re in slow cooker season right now, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Who doesn’t want to just dump everything in a crockpot and go live your life? And we love this healthy chicken tortilla soup for those busy days! It’s one of those high fiber, high protein soups that will keep you satisfied for hours!
With its rich, tomato-y broth, hearty beans, corn, and tender pieces of chicken, it will taste like you ordered takeout. The leftovers taste even better the next day, so don’t be afraid to make extra!
Top it up with some tortilla chips and cilantro for a complete meal-in-a-bowl!
For more healthy chicken soup recipes, check out this Healthy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup and Salsa Verde White Chicken Chili!
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: To keep it high protein, I like to use boneless skinless chicken breasts. Feel free to use thighs or even leftover rotisserie chicken!
- Black beans (or your favorite type): I like to use no salted-added canned black beans or reduced sodium if that’s what you can find.
- Spices: For a milder soup, use just cumin and oregano. For a spicier soup, add some chili powder, paprika, onion powder and cayenne or red pepper flakes.
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes: For that extra smokiness. I sometimes use Rotel tomatoes with green chiles, too.
- Canned tomato sauce: Use whatever type of tomato sauce you have. Sometimes I even use marinara sauce!
- Low-sodium chicken broth
- Chipotle in adobo sauce: Crucial for that smoky flavor and heat. A little goes a long way, so be careful not to overdo it (unless you want to overdo it).
Featured Comment
“Amazing soup recipe! We ate it for THREE dinners in a row because we all loved it so much and wanted more, even my 9yr old and 13yr old. Ate it with some shredded cheddar, sour cream, and crunched up tortilla chips. Will def make it again!! Delicious!!” – Becka
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
You’ll need to start on the stovetop just to get the veggies ready (unless your slow cooker has a saute function. We love this slow cooker because it does all the things, so no need to dirty multiple pots and pans)!
- Heat a non-skillet over medium with a little oil and add the onion, red pepper and garlic, stirring until soft, about 3 minutes.
- Add everything to the slow cooker (if you didn’t cook it directly in the slow cooker). Then, pour in the broth and add the tomato sauce, chipotles in adobe sauce, black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, corn, cumin, and oregano. Give the mixture a good stir.
- Add the chicken breasts, and make sure that they’re fully covered in the liquid so they soak up all that flavor.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Remove the chicken breasts and shred with two forks. Add it back to the slow cooker and you’re ready to serve!
Leave it on warm until you’re ready to serve and garnish with some fresh cilantro, lime juice, and tortilla strips. Trust me – homemade tortilla strips are so much better and are worth a tiny bit of hassle.
How to Make Homemade Tortilla Strips
Grab some using whole-grain tortillas or corn tortillas and bake them to keep them lower in calories than traditional fried tortilla strips.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut corn or whole-grain tortillas into thin strips that are about half an inch wide and two to three inches long. Spread out the strips evenly across on a baking sheet. Brush with the tortilla strips with olive oil. Sprinkle with a dash of salt and other desired seasonings (i.e. garlic powder, dried parsley flakes, paprika, etc.)
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy. Place on top or use them to scoop up the soup.
Scroll to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Tips for the Best Chicken Tortilla Soup
- To make on the stove: Cook the onions, pepper and garlic in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot, including the chicken breasts. Bring mixture a boil and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken breasts from the pot and shred using two forks. Add the shredded chicken back to the saucepan and give it a stir. Serve immediately or save for later!
- Season to taste: If you want the soup to be more spicy, add some more chipotle peppers, a dash of red pepper flakes or jalapeno peppers. Also, depending on the type of broth and tomato sauce you use, you may need to add additional salt and pepper.
Storage & Reheating Guidelines
Storing leftovers: Leftover chicken tortilla soup can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
To freeze: This is one of my favorite recipes to prepare and freeze for later. We make this recipe on repeat every few weeks for the sole purpose of freezing the leftovers. Gotta love those freezer meals! It makes a fairly large batch, so it’s perfect for meal prepping.
To freeze, allow the soup to fully cool. Pack the soup in freezer-friendly airtight containers and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat the soup: Leave the frozen chicken tortilla soup in the fridge overnight. Dump the soup mixture into a large sauce pan over medium low heat and reheat to desired temperature.
My favorite (faster) method: If you need to defrost it really quickly, you can defrost it in the microwave for several minutes. Either heat it through in the microwave or transfer the soup over to a saucepan to heat it up.
Optional Toppings
By now, you probably know that I love toppings on soup. The more, the merrier. Definitely don’t want to skimp on these!
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Lime juice
- Diced avocado
- Diced green onion
- Homemade baked tortilla strips
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Shredded cheese
- Salsa
- Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Jalapeno peppers
- Guacamole without tomatoes
What to Serve with Chicken Tortilla Soup
The beauty of a dish like this is that it can be a complete meal on its own. Or, you can pair it with some rice or quinoa to absorb the broth.
We often like to serve it with some sort of refreshing salad on the side, like this cilantro lime slaw or tossed green salad for some extra vegetables.
Recipe Variations
- Add extra veggies: Try using celery, carrots, or zucchini to add an extra boost of nutrients.
- Make it vegetarian: Skip the chicken breasts and just add the beans and use veggie broth.
- Not a fan of beans? Prepare the soup without beans and just add the chicken. In this case, you may wish to add some additional veggies.
More Healthy Chicken Recipes
- Creamy Chicken Potato Soup
- Authentic Mexican Chicken Fajitas
- Salsa Chicken with Cream Cheese
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
- Healthy Chicken Enchilada Recipe
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Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups no salt-added chicken broth
- 1 14.5 ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 14.5 ounce cans no salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups frozen corn kernels
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 2-3 teaspoons chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Optional Toppings:
- Cilantro
- Avocado
- Chopped green onion
- Homemade tortilla strips
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Cheese
Instructions
- In a medium non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Or if you have a saute function on your slow cooker, place the oil directly in the slow cooker.
- Add the onion, red pepper and garlic, stirring until soft, about 3 minutes. Add to the slow cooker (if you didn’t cook it directly in the slow cooker).
- Next, add the broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, black beans, corn, cumin, and oregano, and chipotles in adobe sauce. Stir the mixture until combined.
- Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker, making sure that they’re fully covered in the liquid.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
- Remove the chicken breast and shred it with two forks. Return to the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately or keep slow cooker on the warm setting until ready to serve. Top with desired toppings.
Notes
- Customize it: For a totally customizable option, set up a toppings bar so that the family and/or guests can adapt the soup according to their personal taste preferences! Some great topping ideas include shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro, limes, jalapeno peppers, tortilla chips, sour cream or Greek yogurt.
- Save time: For a super convenient option, use shredded rotisserie chicken, canned beans and canned or frozen corn to cut down on cooking time.
- Season according to personal tastes: If you want it more spicy, add some more chipotle peppers or some red pepper flakes or jalapeno peppers. Also, depending on the type of broth and tomato sauce you use, you may need to add additional salt and pepper.
- This chicken tortilla soup will last in the fridge for up to four days.
- To freeze, allow the soup to fully cool. Pack the soup in freezer-friendly air-tight containers and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in October 2021 and was updated November 2022 to include more helpful tips and photos. The text, formatting and some photos were updated again in January 2026.
HI! This recipe was UHMAZING!! Im just curious as to the serving size. is it a cup or 2 cups? I run an online weight loss program and we are trying to track the calories . Thanks!
Yay!! So happy you enjoyed the recipe! I haven’t measured out a serving exactly, but it would be around 1.5 cups. Hope that helps! All the best with your program :)