Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup (Printable Version)

Comforting soup packed with chicken, beans, corn, and creamy cheddar. Quick weeknight dinner ready in under an hour.

# What You Need:

→ Proteins

01 - 2 cups cooked shredded chicken

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 cup frozen or canned corn, drained
05 - 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
06 - 1 can (10 oz) Rotel tomatoes with green chilies

→ Liquids

07 - 4 cups low sodium chicken broth

→ Dairy

08 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
09 - 4 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed

→ Spices & Seasonings

10 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
11 - 1 teaspoon chili powder
12 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
13 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
14 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Garnishes

15 - Tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
16 - Fresh cilantro, chopped
17 - Lime wedges
18 - Extra shredded cheddar cheese
19 - Sliced jalapeños

# Step-by-Step Directions:

01 - Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add diced onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
02 - Stir in ground cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add corn, black beans, Rotel tomatoes, chicken broth, and shredded chicken to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
04 - Stir in cream cheese cubes until completely melted and fully incorporated.
05 - Add shredded cheddar cheese, stirring until smooth and creamy. Adjust seasoning as needed.
06 - Ladle soup into bowls and top with tortilla strips, cilantro, lime wedges, extra cheese, or jalapeños as desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours simmering when you've actually invested maybe twenty minutes of actual hands-on time.
  • The creamy-spicy-smoky balance hits differently than most quick weeknight soups, and somehow works for both casual Tuesday dinners and when unexpected guests show up.
  • Whether your slow cooker sits ready or you're working stovetop, this adapts without any fussing or complicated swaps.
02 -
  • If you add the cheeses too fast or on too high heat, they'll clump instead of melting smoothly, which I learned the hard way by ignoring the instructions and turning up the heat like I was in a rush.
  • Rinsing the black beans and draining the corn prevents the soup from becoming a starchy mush, which transforms the texture from watery to properly balanced.
03 -
  • Keep that chicken broth low sodium so you're not fighting against saltiness and can actually taste every component working together.
  • Don't skip the toasting step for the spices because that's the moment they transform from dormant to active flavor agents that make people wonder what you did differently.
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