This healthy crock pot chicken tortilla soup is loaded with vegetables and flavor! It's easily customizable to be vegan, to use leftover chicken, or to make on the stove. (gluten-free, dairy-free)
I've been making a version this tortilla soup for over 10 years, and it never fails to warm me up on cold nights! My mom and I came up with it back when I was in high school, and it was so delicious that it's been my base recipe ever since. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Why You'll Love This Crock Pot Tortilla Soup
Is there anything better than a hearty bowl of tortilla soup? I think not. What makes this one the best? It's:
- Delicious! Made with tons of spice and lots of chunky veggies, it's full of flavor.
- Healthy - Again, tons of veggies, shredded chicken, and simple, real ingredients, this soup is as nourishing as it is tasty.
- Easy - Dump everything in the crock pot, then shred the chicken when you're ready to eat. What could be easier?
- Customizable - This recipe can easily be modified to fit your needs and tastes! You can make it on the stovetop, with leftover chicken, make it vegan, add rice, add spice, whatever you fancy!
How To Make Veggie-Loaded Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chop all your veggies and place them in the slow cooker.
- Nestle in the chicken breasts, add the spices and broth.
- Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.
- Remove the chicken and shred it, then stir it back into the soup.
- Serve with all the toppings!
How To Make Tortilla Soup On the Stovetop
- Boil the chicken in chicken broth until cooked through. Remove the chicken and shred it, reserving the broth for the soup.
- Chop all the fresh veggies and add to a pot with 1 tablespoon of oil and cook until soft.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients, including the reserved broth, stir and simmer with the lid on for about 20 minutes.
- Serve with all the toppings!
How To Make Fried Tortilla Strips For Topping Tortilla Soup
Crunchy pan-fried tortilla strips are delicious on top of tortilla soup! They're super simple to make:
- Cut corn tortillas into ¼ inch strips.
- Heat a touch of oil in a skillet on the stove (I like cast-iron) and fry tortilla strips until golden, about 3-6 minutes.
- Place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain and sprinkle with salt.
More Delicious Toppings For Tortilla Soup
The more toppings the better! A few of my favorite options:
- Diced avocado
- Cilantro
- Colby jack or cotija cheese
- Sliced jalapeño
- Sliced radish
- A squeeze of lime
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
Easy Ways To Customize Your Tortilla Soup
The options are endless with this soup, so don't be afraid to use what you have on hand or leave out what you don't like. A few ways to customize:
- Use shredded leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. Just add it in for the last 30 minutes of cooking to warm it through.
- Add rice if you'd like. Add about ½ cup dry rice in the beginning, or 1 cup cooked rice near the end to warm it through.
- Omit the beans (or any other ingredient you don't like).
- For a vegan version, omit the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- If you like more spice, add a diced serrano, or double the jalapeño.
Can Tortilla Soup Be Frozen?
Yes! This tortilla soup holds up great in the freezer. Portion soup into freezer safe containers or soup cubes and freeze. If you're using soup cubes, transfer the frozen soup to a freezer safe container. Store up to 6 months in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat in a pot on the stove!
More Healthy Soup Recipes You'll Love
If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating in the comments!
PrintHealthy Veggie-Loaded Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
This healthy crock pot chicken tortilla soup is loaded with vegetables and flavor! It's easily customizable to be vegan, to use leftover chicken, or to make on the stove. (gluten-free, dairy-free)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6.5 hours
- Yield: about 8 servings 1x
- Category: soup
- Method: crockpot
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 2 (6 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 zucchini, sliced and cut into half-circles
- 1 small bell pepper, diced
- 1 can corn, drained and rinsed
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, including juice
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 3 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground paprika (smoked paprika if you have it)
- 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
- 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
- Juice from 1 lime
For the tortilla strips:
- 4 corn tortillas
- 2 tbsp oil
Instructions
For the Crock Pot:
- Add all ingredients to your slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.
- Remove chicken breasts and shred using two forks. Add back to slow cooker and stir back into the soup. Let cook until chicken is warmed back up.
- Pour soup into bowls and top with desired toppings.
For the Stovetop:
- Add chicken breasts to a large heavy-bottomed pot with chicken stock. Cover and cook on medium-low heat until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove from pot and shred, reserving cooking liquid.
- Wipe out pot and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add garlic, onion, jalapeno, carrots, celery, zucchini and bell pepper and cook over low heat until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients to the pot with shredded chicken and reserved cooking liquid. Stir and simmer 15-20 minutes, covered.
- Scoop into bowls and top as desired.
For the Tortilla Strips:
- Cut corn tortillas into ¼" wide strips.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add tortilla strips and fry, stirring occasionally, until crispy and golden, 3-6 minutes.
- Place tortilla strips on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with fine sea salt.
- Serve with tortilla soup.
Notes
- Store leftover soup in the refrigerator up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 6 months.
Customizations options:
- Use shredded leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. Just add it in for the last 30 minutes of cooking to warm it through.
- Add rice if you'd like. Add about ½ cup dry rice in the beginning, or 1 cup cooked rice near the end to warm it through.
- Omit the beans (or any other ingredient you don't like).
- For a vegan version, omit the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- If you like more spice, add a diced serrano, or double the jalapeño.
Keywords: healthy crockpot tortilla soup, healthy chicken tortilla soup, easy slow cooker chicken tortilla soup
This post was originally published February 2018 and has been updated.
Hannah says
Thank you! My husband and I love this recipe. Despite having so many delicious Mexican food restaurants where we live, this chicken soup is still my favorite!