Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup is brimming with chicken, beans, & corn and topped with crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, and grated cheddar, making it a warm, hearty, effortless crock pot meal that's perfect for a chilly day!
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we'll send it to your inbox. Plus get our best recipes every week!
I've got another crock pot wonder for y'all today! This Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup was pulled from my most-frequently-made-for-the-longest-span-of-time recipe file. In other words, it's an oldie but a goodie and well worth the hype of being one of our all-time family favorites.
A Soup By Any Other Name...
There are a thousand variations of taco-seasoned soup out there, and they go by a variety of names, from Taco Soup to Enchilada Soup to Tortilla Soup.
I went with the latter title for mine, even though I do not purport this to be authentic Mexican tortilla soup. But I do feel that the crushed tortilla chip garnish is crucial to this soup's appeal. So there you have it. 😉
Ingredients
If you're a regular Five Heart Home reader and this soup seems strangely familiar to you, that's probably because it has a lot of ingredients in common with my Slow Cooker Chicken & Black Bean Tacos, such as chicken, beans, and corn. Both recipes are effortless and delicious, but in completely different ways.
As with that taco recipe, this soup is flavored with my zesty Homemade Taco Seasoning.
However, I do sometimes substitute other beans -- such as pintos -- depending on what I have in my pantry.
Garnishes
As for the suggested garnishes, all of them elevate this soup from good to GREAT!
- Stirring in a dollop of sour cream gives the broth a creamy decadence.
- The tortilla chips add texture and crunch.
- And the avocado lends cool contrast.
- As for the grated cheddar? Well, what soup couldn't be improved upon by cheese?!
How to Make It
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup is ridiculously straightforward to throw together, y'all.
- Just toss everything in the crock pot.
- Shortly before serving, shred the chicken and add it back to the pot.
- Don't forget the tasty toppings!
And dinner is done!
This recipe the perfect easy, hearty meal to enjoy all fall and winter long, and it's particularly a winner if you have a crowd to feed. (Football watching party, anyone?)
So whip it up and serve it to rave reviews! Nobody every has to know how effortless it was to make. 😉
More Warm & Hearty Soups
- Easy White Bean, Kale, & Sausage Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken & White Bean Chili
- Slow Cooker Corn & Potato Chowder with Ham
- Slow Cooker German Lentil Soup with Sausage
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning, OR 1 package store-bought taco seasoning
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed & drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed & drained
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 5 cups water OR chicken broth/stock
FOR GARNISH:
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Sour cream
- Grated cheddar
- Sliced avocado
Instructions
- Lay chicken breasts in the bottom of a large (6-quart) slow cooker. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. Add minced garlic, diced tomatoes and juices, beans, green chiles, and frozen corn. Pour water/broth over top and give everything a stir.
- Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove chicken breasts, shred, and return to soup. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cook for 30 minutes to an hour or until heated through.
- Crush a handful of tortilla chips into the bottom of a bowl. Ladle soup over chips and top with a dollop of sour cream, a generous mound of grated cheddar, and a few slices of avocado.
Hi there!
Is it possible to use chicken thighs or drumsticks in this recipe? It looks amazing so I hope the answer is yes.
Cheers,
Cat
Yes, Cat! You can use any chicken pieces you like. 🙂
Hello! This recipe looks great! Quick question about the amount of chicken you'd suggest... I buy whole chicken breasts from a local butcher and they are usually much bigger than the breasts from the grocery store (plus I usually end up with some rib meat, etc.). Do you have a rough idea of how many pounds I should use for this recipe? I figured I'd rather ask than use too much or too little. Thanks a bunch!
Hi Allison! There's definitely some wiggle room in this recipe, depending on how much chicken you prefer in your soup. But I'm estimating that I typically use 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of boneless chicken breasts in this soup. Hope that helps (and I apologize for my delayed reply...I've been sick and then all of my kids were sick and I'm finally catching up on comments)!
Hi Samantha! No worries on the delay... thank you for replying! I made this last week. I used about 1.5 pounds of meat and that was enough for us. I erred on the side of caution and used 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning and five cups of water (for ease). We ended up with a soup that could have been a bit more flavorful, so I plan to add more seasoning next time, and possibly use chicken broth instead of water. Overall, this is a great recipe that we can easily tweak to our taste! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Good morning from the Pacific Northwest. My quick questions are (1) do you think the soup turns out better using frozen chicken breasts vs fresh and (2) how long can you freeze soup? This one is next on my list. Thanks for your time.
Hi JoAnn! This soup should turn out great using fresh or frozen chicken breasts. Just be aware that the chicken will probably be cooked through and tender a bit sooner using fresh chicken breasts. I will tell you that I always use frozen chicken breasts when I make this, mainly because they're convenient and I always have them on hand! But whatever you prefer should work just fine. Hope you enjoy this one, and have a happy Friday!
Yep, that's right. I've frozen leftover soup before from the crock pot in individual bags for lunches but I've never done a whole recipe. Part of me is just freaking out because I hope I'm doing all this right. Some people for some recipes include freezer directions and there pretty much the same thing and then some do funky things like tell me to add 1 cup water prior to freezing and then don't add the other 2 cups water until you cook it and then some recipes don't say. I'm kind of just going with it. Hopefully it all works out!
I think it should work just fine, Holly. If you feel like the soup needs more liquid after it defrosts, you can always add a bit more broth at that point...but it should reheat in the crock pot as-is without a problem. 🙂 You are smart to be thinking ahead and prepping dinners before the renovations begin!
I made this yesterday and split it between 2 gallon freezer bags for when we're up to our necks in home renovations. I did add the chicken broth. When I reheat it in my slow cooker should I add water? I've seen some recipes where it says to not add the water before freezing but to add it to the slow cooker with the frozen soup but I've also seen vice versa... does it make a difference lol? Thanks ahead of time 🙂
Hmmmm, Holly...so I just want to be sure I understand. You made this soup in the slow cooker, divided it between two bags to freeze, and then you will reheat it by putting the frozen lumps back in the slow cooker? Or will you thaw them at all first? I've never taken that approach, but I'm sure it will work just fine! I would think that if you made this recipe as directed and used the full amount of ingredients, additional water shouldn't be necessary when you reheat it. Liquid doesn't evaporate in the slow cooker, and the beans are already cooked so it's not like they'll be absorbing any of the liquid. But you can always add more water or broth at the end if you think the soup needs more liquid. Does that help at all? If I'm misunderstanding your question, please let me know and I'll try to do a better job of answering it. 🙂 Have a great week and good luck with your home renovations!
Looks delicious! I can't wait to try this recipe on a chilly day where soup is the perfect meal! Thanks for sharing! PINNED!
Thank you, Michelle! This is definitely one of my favorite things to eat on a cold day. 🙂 I appreciate your comment and the pin...have a wonderful week!
This looks delicious! I've been pinning great slow cooker recipes and I'm adding this to that list. Have a great weekend.
I appreciate that, Bri! I will have to check out your slow cooker Pinterest board...I'm always looking for new crock pot recipes to try. 🙂 Have a great week!
I could use my slow cooker practically every night and never get bored - this soup looks amazing!
Thanks, Heather...and me too! I would consider my slow cooker to be my most valuable kitchen appliance by far...it saves me so much time. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fabulous week! 🙂
I love soup, and I love the wholesomeness of this one!
Thanks so much, Julie! This soup is hearty and pretty healthy...let's just say that I make it a lot once the weather cools down each year. 😉 Hope you enjoy it if you have a chance to try it!
This looks great! The only soup my husband really likes is actually chicken tortilla, but we buy it in cans. Homemade is always better than store bought, though. I've got to make this for him so he can experience the difference! Visiting from Create it Thursdays. =)
Thanks so much for stopping by, Natasha! If your hubby likes canned chicken tortilla soup, I think he will go crazy over this homemade version. And honestly, it doesn't take that much longer to throw the ingredients in the crock pot than it does to heat up canned soup. 😉 Hope it's a hit!
Pinned 🙂 This looks delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you, Janet! It's very popular at our house...I hope you love it, too! 🙂 Have a great weekend!