Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup is one of the best chicken tortilla soup recipes you can make. It’s made with simple ingredients without using taco seasoning, and can all be made right in the slow cooker.
The best part is that most of the ingredients can be found in your pantry, and then the homemade tortilla strips add the perfect crunch to this delicious meal.
Even your pickiest eater will be willing to eat this healthy soup without putting up a fuss, and it is a great way to add some extra protein and fiber to your day.
Recipe Ingredients:
For the soup
- Oil: use olive oil you have on hand
- Vegetable: add diced yellow onion
- Seasonings: you will need to have minced cloves of garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and ground black pepper
- Protein: when making this crock pot chicken tortilla soup, use boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Cans: you will also need cans of black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, diced green chilis, sweet corn (frozen or canned; if canned, drained), and a can mild red enchilada sauce
- Liquid: the base of this recipe will come from chicken stock or chicken broth
- Toppings: top with chopped fresh cilantro
For the crunchy tortilla strips
- Tortillas: you will need to use corn tortillas that have been cut into thin strips
- Oil: you will need a good amount of olive oil to make crispy tortilla strips
- Salt: use either kosher salt or sea salt based on your preference
How To Make Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup:
- Saute. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a small skillet. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Turn off the heat.
- Load the crock pot. Add the sauteed onion and garlic to a crock pot along with the chicken, black beans, tomatoes, green chilis, corn, enchilada sauce, chicken stock, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Slow cook. Put the lid on the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours (or on low for 7 hours).
- Preheat the oven. When the soup is ~30 minutes away from being done, preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Season. Toss the tortillas with olive oil and salt.
- Bake. Spread the seasoned tortilla strips in an even layer over the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes and then toss with a pair of tongs. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until crispy.
- Shred. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred it with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot.
- Season. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste (if needed).
- Serve. Serve the soup hot, topped with cilantro and crunchy tortilla strips.
Variations & Optional Add-ins
- Use crushed-up tortilla chips if you aren’t up to making your own crispy tortilla strips.
- Top the healthy chicken tortilla soup with fresh cilantro or your other favorite toppings.
- Add a little tomato paste to make the soup thicker and bump up the tomato flavor.
- Instead of diced tomatoes a can of rotel would be a great choice in its place.
- Make this creamy by adding some half and half or heavy cream in at the end.
Toppings for this crockpot chicken tortilla soup recipe:
- Fresh corn
- Green chiles
- Sour cream
- Fresh cilantro or parsley
Frequently Asked Questions for Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup:
There are two great options, the first would be to add something more creamy like some cream cheese or shredded cheese.
If you want to keep this a lighter, healthy chicken tortilla soup recipe, another option would be to make a cornstarch slurry. You can do this by adding mixing together one Tablespoon of water and one Tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl. Slowly stir it into the soup and let it thicken up over a few minutes time.
Yes! Simply replace the chicken with another can of beans like chickpeas or even more black beans. You could also replace the chicken stock with vegetable broth and it will still be a hearty, vegetarian slow cooker tortilla soup.
Definitely! One thing I love to use in place of raw chicken is using a rotisserie chicken. The leftover chicken from the rotisserie adds an extra touch of seasoning. It just needs to be shredded and added to the soup.
Freezing & Reheating Instructions:
Freezer: Place any leftover soup into a large freezer bag or container and store it for up to 90 days.
Reheat: Pour the remaining of the slow cooker soup into a large pot and heat it over medium heat for 4-6 minutes.
What to Serve with this easy chicken tortilla soup:
- Easy Parmesan Crescent Rolls Recipe
- Garlic Parmesan Skillet Rolls
- Homemade Lion House Rolls and Honey Butter
- 30 Minute Homemade Rolls
Easy Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 ½ Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 15 ounces black beans, (1 can)
- 15 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes, (1 can)
- 7 ounces diced green chilis, (1 can)
- 1 cup sweet corn, frozen or canned; if canned, drained
- 10 ounces mild red enchilada sauce, (1 can)
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Additional salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh cilantro
For the crunchy tortilla strips
- 7 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Saute. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a small skillet. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Turn off the heat.
- Load the crock pot. Add the sauteed onion and garlic to a crock pot along with the chicken, black beans, tomatoes, green chilis, corn, enchilada sauce, chicken stock, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Slow cook. Put the lid on the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours (or on low for 7 hours).
- Preheat the oven. When the soup is ~30 minutes away from being done, preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Season. Toss the tortillas with olive oil and salt
- Bake. Spread the seasoned tortilla strips in an even layer over the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes and then toss with a pair of tongs. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until crispy.
- Shred. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred it with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot.
- Season. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste (if needed).
- Serve. Serve the soup hot, topped with cilantro and crunchy tortilla strips.
Notes
- Use crushed-up tortilla chips if you aren’t up to making your own crispy tortilla strips.
- Top the healthy chicken tortilla soup with fresh cilantro or your other favorite toppings.
- Add a little tomato paste to make the soup thicker and bump up the tomato flavor.
- Instead of diced tomatoes a can of rotel would be a great choice in its place.
- Make this creamy by adding some half and half or heavy cream in at the end.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Can you use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
Yes, chicken breasts will work great in this