Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

4.73 from 44 votes
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Chicken tortilla soup has never been easier or more delicious! Throw everything in your crockpot and make our favorite slow cooker chicken tortilla soup.

Chicken tortilla soup in a bowl.
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The BEST Chicken Tortilla Soup

This 5-star slow cooker chicken tortilla soup has been a Fit Foodie fave for years, and so we decided to give her a little photo refresh — ain’t she preeeetty!? This is such a great soup for SO many reasons. You’ll absolutely love it ๐Ÿ˜€

Why you’ll love it!

It’s a set it and forget it, one-pot meal!

Serve a crowd, or freeze leftovers for later.

So many vegetables in every serving.

Ingredients for chicken tortilla soup in a slow cooker.

Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients

This chicken tortilla soup comes topped with crispy spicy tortilla strips. And don’t skip the toppings, obviously ๐Ÿ˜€ Here’s what you need:

spicy tortilla strips

Optional Toppings 

  • Fresh cilantro 
  • Chopped avocado 
  • Sour cream 
  • Shredded cheese 
  • Sliced jalapeños
Chicken breasts submerged in soup.
soup in storage container.

Tutorial

How to Freeze Soup & Chili

Learn how to freeze soup and chili with this easy How to Freeze Soup tutorial. We’ll share all of our tips and tricks to perfect freezer soup.

How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup

Canned Ingredients & Spices in Slow Cooker

Add the crushed tomatoes, black beans, pinto beans sweet corn, green chiles, bell peppers, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, salt, hot sauce, and broth to the slow cooker and stir to combine. 

Submerge Chicken Breasts

Submerge the chicken breasts in the tomato broth and cover the slow cooker. Cook the soup for 3-3.5 hours on high or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165ºF. 

Prepare Tortilla Strips

Preheat oven to 400ºF and line baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with non-stick cooking spray. 

Thinly slice the tortillas into 2-3 inch long strips that are about 1/4 inch thick. Drizzle on oil and toss, and then season the strips with the garlic powder chili powder, paprika, cumin, and salt.

Bake the tortilla strips at 400ºF for 5 minutes. Toss and then put back in for 5-10 more minutes until golden brown.

Shred Chicken Breasts

Remove the chicken breast from the slow cooker and set aside 2 cups of the broth in a bowl to cool. Then shred the chicken and transfer the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker. 

Whisk In Greek Yogurt

Add the Greek yogurt to the broth that has cooled off and whisk until smooth and there are no lumps. Pour the creamy broth into the slow cooker and stir. 

Garnish & Enjoy!

Pour the lime juice into the slow cooker, stir and serve with fresh cilantro and the tortilla strips.

Chicken tortilla soup in a crockpot.

Top Tips

Make it spicier: our recipe only calls for 2 tablespoons of hot sauce, but if you like things hot hot hot, feel free to up the hot sauce to 3 tablespoons (or more!).

Make it creamier: the 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt that this recipe calls for will give you a slightly creamy consistency. Feel free to increase this to 1/2 cup or use sour cream for an even creamier soup.

Choose your cut of chicken: if for whatever reason you don’t want to use chicken breasts, boneless thighs will also work. Just be mindful it may change the cook time. Make sure to cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 165ºF.

Chicken tortilla soup in a slow cooker.

FAQs

What is chicken tortilla soup made of?

Traditional chicken tortilla soup contains chicken, tomatoes, broth and is topped with fried tortilla strips. Our variation also contains corn and beans.

How do I thicken chicken tortilla soup?

We thicken our chicken tortilla soup by adding Greek yogurt, which also gives it a creamy consistency. You can also use sour cream.

Storage

Store leftover chicken tortilla soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezer Instructions

  1. Let your soup cool completely.
  2. Then, transfer it into an airtight container or gallon-size plastic bag.
  3. Remove as much air as possible and seal.
  4. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Chicken tortilla soup in a bowl.
4.73 from 44 votes

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken tortilla soup has never been easier! Throw everything in your crockpot and you've got dinner ready before you know it. 
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 3 hours 30 minutes
Total: 4 hours
Servings: 8
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Ingredients 

  • 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
  • 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups sweet corn, canned or frozen
  • 4.5 oz. green chiles
  • 2 bell peppers, diced, any color
  • 1 small yellow onion, minced
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons hot sauce, any kind
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt*
  • 1/4 cup lime juice, ~1 lime

Spicy Tortilla Strips

Optional Toppings

  • Fresh cilantro
  • Chopped avocado
  • Sour cream
  • Shredded cheese
  • Sliced jalapeños

Instructions 

  • Add the crushed tomatoes, black beans, pinto beans sweet corn, green chiles, bell peppers, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, salt, hot sauce, and broth to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
    A crock pot full of ingredients for crock pot tacos.
  • Submerge the chicken breasts in the tomato broth and cover the slow cooker. Cook the soup for 3-3.5 hours on high or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165ºF.
    A crock pot filled with chicken and vegetables.
  • While the soup is cooking, prepare the tortilla strips.Preheat oven to 400ºF and line baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Thinly slice the tortillas into 2-3 inch long strips that are about 1/4 inch thick. Drizzle on oil and toss. Season the strips with the garlic powder chili powder, paprika, cumin, and salt. Toss again and spread them evenly over the baking sheet.
  • Bake the tortilla strips at 400ºF for 5 minutes. Toss and then put back in for 5-10 more minutes until golden brown. Remove them from the oven and set aside.
  • Remove the chicken breast from the slow cooker and set aside 2 cups of the broth in a bowl to cool.
  • Shred the chicken and transfer the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker.
    Shredded chicken in a bowl next to a napkin.
  • Add the Greek yogurt to the 2 cups of broth that has cooled off and whisk the Greek yogurt into the broth until smooth and there are no lumps. Pour the creamy broth into the slow cooker and stir.
    A bowl of mexican chicken soup with a wooden spoon.
  • Pour the lime juice into the slow cooker, stir and serve with fresh cilantro and the tortilla strips.
    A bowl of mexican chicken soup with avocado and tortilla chips.

Tips & Notes

  • If you want this soup to be spicy, use a spicy hot sauce and as much as you’d like.
  • Feel free to add more Greek yogurt for a creamier soup. You can also use sour cream.
  • This recipe was updated on January 10, 2023. Get the original recipe HERE.

Watch It

Nutrition

Calories: 430 kcal, Carbohydrates: 49 g, Protein: 38 g, Fat: 11 g, Fiber: 13 g, Sugar: 10 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About Emily Richter

Emily is Fit Foodie Finds' editor-in-chief. She has a master's degree in strategic communication and a passion for food. She is an incredible at-home cook, making her writing an important part of the content creation process.

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Robin Hamilton @Wellness Wires
October 1, 2018 4:40 am
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
I love healthy food like chicken tortilla soup. It would be a perfect breakfast!

Janelle
Janelle
September 25, 2018 6:51 am
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
This is AMAZING! I have never made chicken tortilla soup myself before, and after searching lots of recipes I figured this looked the cleanest & easiest. My husband came home & saw the kale in the crock pot and immediately got nervous. One spoonful in and he said “add this to our weekly rotation PLEASE!”. Soooo good – the flavors are amazing, I was so surprised how much we both loved it! So filling, and the homemade tortilla chips were the BEST addition! Thank you for sharing!!!

Lee Funke
September 30, 2018 11:35 am
Reply to  Janelle

Love it! Soooo glad you guys both loved this recipe!

Marisela
Marisela
September 21, 2018 12:44 am
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
My daughter loves chicken tortilla soup and Iโ€™d love to make this soup with kale. However, 128 oz crushed tomatoes, 115 oz corn, 115 oz black beans wonโ€™t fit in my lg crock pot! Could u pls advise the size of these cans and if they’re not to be drained or if they are to be drained. Thank you!

Lee Funke
September 23, 2018 2:46 pm
Reply to  Marisela

Hello! That is one 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes…not 128! Same with the corn…one 15 oz can. Do not drain the tomatoes, but rinse and drain the can of corn.

Bella Hardy @ Healthnerdy
June 21, 2018 4:52 am
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
Legit speechless, this crock pot chicken tortilla soup recipe looks unreal! Definitely I will make it on the weekend for my family.

Shannon
Shannon
January 6, 2018 9:16 pm

I’m from Canada and am looking at a can of black beans in my pantry. It is 540 mL and 19 fluid ounces. Am I reading the recipe correctly? 115 ounces of black beans would mean putting 6 of these in which is a lot and I don’t know how this would all fit in my crockpot. Can you please clarify? Also, are the beans/corn strained? Thank you!

Jill Roberts @ WellnessGeeky
December 21, 2017 6:54 pm

I am obsessed with soups! I’m also gonna pin this post on my Pinterest board my followers will love it. Wonderful crock pot chicken tortilla soup kale recipe, Lee. Have a great weekend.

Kendrea
Kendrea
November 29, 2017 7:34 pm

I made this tonite and it came out sooooo good! I’m a terrible cook but following you on Instagram has got me inspired!

You girls are awesome!

Lee Funke
November 29, 2017 7:35 pm
Reply to  Kendrea

Aww this is the best!! So glad you loved it ๐Ÿ™‚

Genae
Genae
March 5, 2017 9:07 pm

Can you use frozen kale?

RACHEL
RACHEL
November 29, 2016 2:38 pm

Does this soup freeze well?

Lee Funke
November 29, 2016 8:38 pm
Reply to  RACHEL

Yes it does! Just place in a tupperware and freeze <3

Lexi
October 17, 2016 9:33 am

I cannot wait to make a batch of this!!!!