Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
I swiped this creamy chicken tortilla soup from Tricia Yearwood’s Food Network Show a couple of weeks ago because it looked so good. When I read the reviews online a couple of days later every single person who had tried it after they watched the show gave it a thumbs up and a 5 star rating so I knew it had to be a winner.
The first time I tried it all of my kids were coming home for Christmas and it was the “first night in” – total chaos. This was the perfect answer, it was in the crock pot set on low, ready for guests to grab a bowl. I had some toasted tortilla strips on the counter and a big bowl of salsa. It was the perfect dinner buffet for a busy night with people coming and going at different times.
This creamy chicken tortilla soup is super easy, it’s really just a matter of roasting your chicken breasts and then opening a bunch of cans, lining up your seasonings and other ingredients and then dumping everything in a BIG pot – this makes a lot of soup so use a large dutch oven or stock pot.
You could easily serve 8 people with this recipe and you might even have a little left over for lunch the next day depending on the size of your servings.
Yes, you could use a rotisserie chicken but I can’t imagine that one bird would render enough meat so either stick with 4 large chicken breasts or pick up two birds from the rotisserie stand.
I love this soup, it’s true comfort food in a bowl, and perfect this time of year.
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 3 cans chicken broth
- 1 quart half-and-half (or 4 cups)
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup hot salsa
- 4 large boneless chicken breasts cooked
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 can corn
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1 pkg. fajita seasoning
- 1 pkg. shredded cheese (I used a blend of cheddar and monterey jack)
- 4 corn tortilla's and a little vegetable oil for frying
- Start by roasting the chicken breasts on a heavy baking sheet sprayed with Pam or coated with parchment paper. Season the breasts generously with salt and pepper and coat with olive oil. Roast at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Remove and cool. Cut into bite size pieces.
- Open the canned beans and corn and put them into a colander. Give them a rinse to get rid of the canning juices, then let them drain while you go the next step.
- Melt butter in large dutch oven, saute onion until soft, then add garlic for just a minute until fragrant. Add flour and stir for 1 minute. Add the broth and half-and-half. Stir in the rest of ingredients, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.
- Slice the tortilla chip into 1/2" strips and fry in a non-stick skillet that's been coated with vegetable oil over medium high heat. Watch it carefully, it only takes a few minutes for these to go from yellow and soft to brown and crunchy!
- Serve the soup in deep bowls topped with tortilla strips and shredded cheese!
Brooke
October 1, 2018
What could I use instead of s Dutch oven? Could I use a regular big pot with a tight lid?
Chris
October 13, 2018
Any large pot will be fine but you need to make sure it has a heavy bottom or the soup will scorch as it simmers, this is why a Dutch oven works so well. If you use a lighter pot just stir more frequently!
marisol
January 14, 2016
What kind of salsa?
Chris
January 14, 2016
I don’t buy expensive salsa when I’m using it as an ingredient in a recipe like this soup – just a traditional Pace or Herdes Salsa is all you need and how spicy you go is up to you. I like a bit of a kick to my soup so I usually go with a “medium” salsa but most brands offer everything from mild to medium to hot. And if you’re asking if it calls for red vs. green salsa, it’s red salsa. Not pico de gallo…SALSA. Hope that answers your question!
Tasha
February 19, 2016
Is the cheese used as a topping or in the soup?
Chris
February 19, 2016
The shredded cheese is used on top of the tortilla strips when serving the soup. And I sometimes put a dollop of sour cream and a few slices of avocado on top of the cheese too…delicious!
Megan
December 30, 2015
What size cans of broth???
Chris
December 30, 2015
The regular 14 ounce size can, Megan. A “box” of broth usually contains 48 ounces so you could also just grab a box and you’ll have plenty with a little to spare. 🙂
Amanda C
December 7, 2015
Could I freeze the leftovers?
Chris
December 7, 2015
Yes! I freeze this soup all the time and it is just as good after you thaw and reheat! This recipe makes a lot of soup and I’m usually just cooking for two these days so I can always count on leftovers for lunches and quick dinners when I’m too tired to pull something together. It’s also been my standby when I have kids coming home for the holidays and I need to have dinner ready at different times depending on arrivals, I just transfer to my crockpot and keep it warm on a low setting.
Jess
January 1, 2017
I made this recipe a few weeks ago and LOVED it and I froze the rest, but when I thawed and re-heated it today it just wasn’t the same. All of the liquid was soaked up, and when I tried to add chicken broth, it just wasn’t creamy like it was before. Do you think I should buy some half & half and add that as well? Any guidance is appreciated!
Chris
March 15, 2017
Yes, once it is thawed and reheated I add a little more half and half to the soup until it’s the consistency that I’m going for. If it’s still not thick enough, make a paste with a couple of tablespoons of flour whisked with 1/4 cup broth and slowly stir that in while the soup is on a low simmer..that should do it.