Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
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This creamy, flavor-packed chicken tortilla soup recipe is infused with Mexican spices and topped with crunchy tortilla chips, sour cream and shredded cheese – it’s the ultimate comfort soup!
There must be a million and one recipes out there for Chicken Tortilla Soup. Some are creamy, some are brothy. Many of the creamy ones use Velveeta cheese and/or canned condensed soups. This recipe uses neither. Made from scratch and positively packed with flavor, you’re going to love it!
I created this Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup by way of request (“Make a Request!“) from Linda Manning who wanted a flavorful version that she could make at home. Quality broth, the right quantity and balance of spices and the inclusion of masa harina all contribute to an exceptional flavor. The masa harina doubles as both a thickening agent as well as imparting a fabulous “corn” flavor.
We’re in the dead of Winter here in WA and few things are received with more enthusiasm than a bowl of hot “comfort” soup. And when you combine something that’s creamy, packed with flavor, and topped with crunchy tortilla chips, sour cream and shredded cheese, you’re sure to have a winner!
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Let’s get started!
This first step is optional but highly recommended. Since you have to cook the chicken to shred it anyway, why not make your own chicken stock while you’re at it? It’s super simple and you can’t beat the flavor. Whether you make your own or buy it, using quality chicken broth is key.
Use a large bone-in, skin-on chicken breast (you’ll need those components for the most flavorful broth), about 1-1 1/2 pounds, or the equivalent of dark meat bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces. Add 3 cups of water (this will condense down to about 2 cups after it’s done), a large stick of celery and a large carrot, cut into thirds. Add a medium yellow onion, quartered. Add a clove or two of garlic, cut in half, a bay leaf, and a few whole black peppercorns. (Salt will be added later to the soup.) I just let this simmer on low all day in my slow cooker, about 6 hours. Alternatively, bring it to a boil in a stock pot, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for an hour. Discard the vegetables, bay leaf and peppercorns. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken and shred the meat. Set the meat aside and reserve the broth.
Saute the onions in the butter until tender, about 7 minutes, then add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add the flour and the masa harina and stir until incorporated with the onion mixture, cook for 1 minute.
Add the chicken stock gradually, whisking constantly to prevent clumps, then add the evaporated milk. Simmer until slightly thickened. Add the shredded chicken and stir to combine.
Add the corn, beans, and salsa. Add all the spices.
Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and the fresh cilantro and stir until the cheese is dissolved and the soup is heated through, another minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Note: Leftovers will be thicker when reheated. Add some extra chicken broth or milk accordingly.
Serve hot topped with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, some fresh chopped cilantro, and crumbled tortilla chips.
Enjoy!
For more delicious soups from around the world be sure to try my:
- Hungarian Goulash
- Harira
- Zurek
- Solyanka
- Wonton Soup
- New England Clam Chowder
- Japanese Vermicelli Soup
- Caldo Verde
- Masoor Dal
- Scotch Broth
- Matzo Ball Soup
- Creamy Tomato Soup
- French Lentil Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Avgolemono
- Cullen Skink
- Hungarian Mushroom Soup
- Pozole Rojo
- German Potato Soup
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Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- Shredded chicken from 1 large chicken breast (1-1 1/2 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onions ,chopped
- 1 clove garlic ,minced
- 2 tablespoons masa harina
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups good quality chicken broth (see pictured instructions in blog post for making homemade chicken broth out of the chicken breast – since you’re cooking the chicken anyway, make some excellent broth out of it!)
- 1 12 oz can evaporated milk
- 1 1/4 cup salsa
- 1 15 oz can whole kernel corn
- 1 15 oz can black beans (drained and rinsed to prevent soup discoloration)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
- or Best Homemade Chili Powder (recommended)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro ,chopped
- sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, cilantro and tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and saute the onion until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
- Add the masa harina and flour and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the broth, whisking constantly to prevent clumping. Add the evaporated milk and simmer until slightly thickened.
- Add the shredded chicken, salsa, corn, beans, and all the spices. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro, stir to combine and warm through for another minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot topped with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped fresh cilantro and crumbled tortilla chips.
- Note: Leftovers will be thicker when reheated. Add some extra chicken broth or milk accordingly.
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet October 8, 2013
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Made this tonight for a new mom…and my family…made a double batch. It was a hit!
Fantastic! I’m thrilled that you chose this soup to make for the new mother – congratulations to her and thank YOU for making it and for your feedback! Best, Kimberly
Tried this last week. DELICIOUS!!
Thanks so much for making it and for your feedback!
Making this soup now. So easy, it’s been just 45 minutes so far, and I am just about done with it! It was first introduced to me when I was on maternity leave — a steaming pot of this makes a great gift for someone who just gave birth and has no energy to cook!
I agree, any home-cooked meal makes a wonderful gift indeed to a new, tired mother! I’m so happy to hear you’re making this. It sounds like you must be making the chicken broth from scratch and that’s definitely the tastiest way to go!
Hi Kimberly, I made this soup last night and absolutely loved it! Used chicken thigh w/skin and bone simply because it’s more affordable (organic meat is expensive you know)…simmered for a few hours to make broth, which was plenty. Substituted Masa Harina with regular flour as you suggested. Trader Joe’s vegetable tortilla chips with flax seed (my attempt to get son eat something nutritious just in case he refuses the soup) worked out great. Your recipes are very reliable, which I love. Thanks as always!
Hi Ayako! Awesome!! Really, it makes me so happy to hear that and thanks so much for the compliment! :)
My daughter introduced me to your recipes and I haven’t looked back starting with the Quinoa cake. I made this soup over the weekend and used a store bought “gluten free-hormone free” rotisserie chicken from COSTCO. It worked great and meant I had extra chicken to put into the soup. The soup was easy to make and tasted simply divine. I was hoping for leftovers but never had the chance. Thanks for another great recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that, Joan! And I want to give your daughter a big hug for introducing you to my site! The quinoa cake was a great place to start and the tortilla soup a great recipe to follow. So excited to have you and your daughter on board and look forward to more of your feedback as you have the chance to try more recipes!
Mmm a creamy chicken tortilla soup is one of my faves! I’m always grossed out by the addition of Cream of Chicken soup or Velveeta though, so I need to give this recipe a try. It’s definitely soup weather here in Minnesota, too!
Hi Taylor! Condensed soups don’t gross me out – I think they taste great, actually! I prefer not to use them much simply because of their high sodium content and their often too long ingredient list, if you know what I mean. Velveeta cheese on the other hand…yeah, that one does gross me out a bit ;) Minnesota, cold oh yes! Some of my husband’s family, the Killebrew clan, lives there. We there a year and a half ago at Target Field for his grandpa’s memorial. Didn’t get to see much of the State, but I’ve heard it’s beautiful. I’m looking forward to seeing more of it in the future.
This soup is amazing, I saw it on pinterest today and immediately bought ingredients to make it. My family loves it too. I couldn’t find just a chicken breast with the bone-in and skin, so I used a variety pack that had the breasts, legs, and thighs (added an extra cup of water to cover everything). the chicken turned out so tender and delicious. The last time I tried to make a broth I used skinless chicken breasts–bad idea. This was so flavorful. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Aileen! Wow are you quick!! I’m flattered that this caught your attention and that you’ve already made it. It’s so true, there’s NOTHING like homemade chicken broth and it makes a huge difference in the outcome of any soup. And yes, you can absolutely use any pieces of chicken. Thank you so much for making this soup and for your feedback!
This sounds wonderful. It’s not quite cool enough in far west TX for winter foods. It’s been getting pretty cool at night, but still mid 80s during the day. Our ‘severe clear’ (no clouds anywhere) weather here in the desert makes for big daily temperature fluctuations. I think severe clear is an alien concept in WA…
Susan, I can’t even imagine 80 degree weather in October!! I guess it’s probably the same in Arizona where my husband’s from. Severe clear – yes, definitely a rare occurrence here in WA. But the Summers here are absolutely gorgeous and it makes putting up with the rain the rest of the year worth it. And the fact is, it really doesn’t rain as much as the stereotype suggests, but it’s quite alright with me if most people think that it does – it keeps paradise from being completely overrun :) Well, I imagine in a few weeks you’ll be enjoying “soup weather” too. It can’t stay hot down there forever! Or can it??
Well, Kimberly, we do have 12-months of golf weather here. But given that it’s the desert and at an elevation of about 4,000 feet, we do get cool daytime weather and occasionally get snow, or a really hard freeze like we did a couple of years ago. I think that probably November through March we wear long sleeves and pants. It’s not like living in the tropics. We will get to soup weather eventually. In the second week of September this year, we actually had Washington weather, multiple days of clouds and rain. And now we’ve got lots and lots of mosquitoes… especially out at Hueco Tanks, a local state park that is an oasis, where we still have several lakes where none usually exist. Actually one of the things I really love about living here is that we have plenty of sunshine in the winter. I’m pretty sure AZ is the same way as it is here. I’ve got a friend who lives in Phoenix, and what she’s said indicated that it is probably usually hotter than it is here, and it starts earlier and lasts longer.
I’m looking forward to being able to make this soup.