This is the third tortilla soup on my blog. Normally I try not to repeat recipes on here, but this one is SO easy to make, SO quick (for a soup), SO healthy, and best of all? You don’t need already cooked chicken as an ingredient- it cooks directly in the broth. This Quick and Easy One-Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup is easy peasy lemon squeezy.
The whole thing only takes 25-30 minutes to make, and most of it is hands-off time. You can even adapt it for the slow cooker (see notes in recipe below). Best of all- you can freeze the leftovers for a super easy meal that just needs defrosting on a busy night.
The thing that makes this soup extra delicious: a spicy kick from the canned tomatoes with chilis mixed the tangyness of fresh lime juice. I went to the grocery store thinking I would either use a can of Rotel or a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes. I was super excited to find a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes WITH green chilis! Best of both worlds. Not a fan of spicy? Just omit the jalapeno pepper and get regular fire roasted diced tomatoes instead.
And then re-evaluate your life, because spicy food is the best. (juuussssttttt kidding!)
Truth be told, I made this soup for one reason, and one reason alone: an unfortunate bag of tortilla chips in which half of its contents were crushed, leaving nothing but tiny pieces. I felt badly throwing the chips out, even though they were unsuitable for salsa dipping. Topping the soup off with them was perfect! Of course, you can make your own fresh tortilla chips by frying strips of corn tortillas in a skillet… which is DELICIOUS. But if you top this soup off with plain ol’ bagged tortilla chips, it will still be delicious AND your life will be much easier.
For other fixings: sliced avocado, grated cheese (cheddar or Monterey jack), hot sauce, extra cilantro, sour cream (or Greek yogurt)… the possibilities are endless. And even though they are listed as optional in the recipe below… they really aren’t optional. They’re the best part!
This is a super (or, SOUPer! har har har) thing to pack to take to work or school, especially for kids. Put the fixings in a small container or bag, and assemble them on the soup before eating. A thermos like this one will keep the soup warm for up to 5 hours, which is especially helpful if you don’t have access to a microwave.
Recipe below!
Quick and Easy One-Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and diced
- 8 cups chicken stock/broth
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 28 oz. canned fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 28 oz. canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- juice of one lime
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, more cilantro, hot sauce, sliced avocado for serving, optional
Instructions
- Saute the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño pepper in olive oil (2 tablespoons) over medium-high heat in a large pot until softened and starting to brown.
- Add the chicken broth (8 cups); bring to a boil.
- Add the chicken breasts (2) and canned fire roasted tomatoes (28 oz.). Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove chicken and chop or shred into pieces. Return to the pot, and add the black beans (28 oz.), frozen corn (1 cup), cilantro (1/2 cup), and lime juice.
- Simmer for 5 more minutes or until beans and corn are heated through. Season to taste.
- Serve topped with optional fixings.
Notes
- To cook in the slow cooker, omit the oil and add onion, red bell pepper, jalapeño, chicken broth, chicken breasts, and tomatoes to the pot. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6. Remove chicken, shred or chop, and return to the pot. Add the beans, corn, cilantro, and lime, and let cook for 5-10 more minutes.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Aleisha
Can you clarify the amount of tomatoes? Ingredients says 15oz and recipe says 28oz, just not sure which is better. I did the 15 since I didn’t buy more.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Whoops – thanks so much for catching this error! I fixed the recipe card. It should be 28 oz. (so two small cans or one large can) of fire roasted tomatoes. But either will work – if you just have 15 oz, that’s fine too!