Chicken tortilla soup is the slow cooker doing exactly what it is best at: turning chicken breasts, canned beans and tomatoes into a smoky, spoon-coating broth while you are somewhere else entirely. Fifteen minutes of opening cans and measuring spices in the morning, and by dinner the chicken shreds with two forks and the kitchen smells like a restaurant you would happily pay to eat in.
The flavor base is deliberately simple — chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and fire-roasted tomatoes — because a slow cooker softens sharp flavors over four hours. What it cannot do is texture, and texture is where this soup is won or lost. Everything crunchy and fresh goes on at the table: crisp tortilla strips, avocado, cheese, a squeeze of lime. That hot-and-cool, soft-and-crunchy contrast is the dish, in the same way toppings carry our Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili.
It is a natural fit for our Slow Cooker and Casseroles collection and for game days and cold Sundays alike, because the cooker keeps it warm for hours and everyone builds their own bowl. Double it for a crowd in a 6-quart cooker without changing a thing.
Shred the chicken in the pot, not on a board
When the cooking time is up, leave the chicken in the cooker and pull it apart right there with two forks. Shredding in the broth does two jobs board shredding cannot: the meat drinks the seasoned liquid back up as it separates, so it stays moist, and every loose strand and drop of juice stays in the soup instead of on your counter. Give the shredded chicken 10 minutes back in the hot broth before serving — that short soak is when it stops tasting like plain chicken sitting in soup and starts tasting like part of it.
Make the tortilla strips while the soup rests
Cut corn tortillas into thin strips, toss them with a little oil and salt, and bake them at 400°F (200°C) for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp and golden at the edges. They take ten minutes, taste fresher than any bagged chip, and they are the topping people remember. In a pinch, a handful of sturdy tortilla chips crushed over the bowl is an honest substitute — just add them at the very last second so they keep their crunch.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (680 g)
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans (425 g), drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (425 g), with their juices
- 1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles (283 g), with their juices
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels (210 g)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 150 g)
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced (about 9 g)
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (960 ml)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder (8 g)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin (5 g)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (3 g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (6 g), plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (1.5 g)
- 1 lime, juiced (about 2 tablespoons / 30 ml), plus wedges to serve
- 6 corn tortillas, cut into strips, plus oil and salt for baking
- 1 avocado, diced, 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack (110 g) and sour cream, to serve
Amounts are for the yield below. US customary measures first, grams in brackets for scale users.
Step-by-step instructions
- Load the slow cooker. Put the onion, garlic, black beans, both cans of tomatoes, corn and chicken broth into a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker and stir in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Lay the chicken breasts on top and press them down so they are mostly covered by the liquid.
- Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the chicken is very tender and reads 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part. Avoid lifting the lid during cooking — each peek costs the cooker its built-up heat.
- Shred the chicken in the broth. Leave the chicken in the pot and shred it with two forks into bite-size strands. Stir it back through the soup and let it sit in the hot broth for 10 minutes to soak up the seasoning.
- Bake the tortilla strips. While the chicken rests, heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Toss the tortilla strips with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt, spread them on a baking sheet in one layer, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until crisp and golden.
- Finish with lime. Stir the lime juice into the soup, taste, and add more salt or lime as needed — the broth should taste bright, not flat. If it tastes dull, it almost always wants acid or salt, in that order.
- Serve with toppings. Ladle the soup into warm bowls and let everyone add their own tortilla strips, avocado, cheese and a spoonful of sour cream. Serve with extra lime wedges at the table.
Nutrition estimate
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 340 kcal |
| Protein | 32 g |
| Carbohydrates | 34 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
| Saturated fat | 2 g |
| Sodium | 720 mg |
| Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
Nutrition figures are estimates calculated from standard ingredient data for the yield stated. Your actual values will vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.
Storage & reheating
The soup keeps for up to 4 days in the refrigerator and freezes beautifully for up to 3 months — the flavor deepens overnight. Store the tortilla strips separately at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days, and add avocado and sour cream only to the bowls you are serving, never to the stored pot. Reheat gently on the stove until steaming; thin with a splash of broth if it has thickened. Nutrition figures are estimates from standard ingredient data and vary with brands and substitutions, and do not include the toppings.
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Beans, corn and tender shredded chicken in a smoky broth — toppings do the rest.
Ingredients
Tick ingredients off as you prep, and tap a step below to mark it done as you cook. Scaling adjusts the listed amounts - seasoning to taste stays your call.
Instructions
- Load the slow cooker. Put the onion, garlic, black beans, both cans of tomatoes, corn and chicken broth into a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker and stir in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Lay the chicken breasts on top and press them down so they are mostly covered by the liquid.
- Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the chicken is very tender and reads 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part. Avoid lifting the lid during cooking — each peek costs the cooker its built-up heat.
- Shred the chicken in the broth. Leave the chicken in the pot and shred it with two forks into bite-size strands. Stir it back through the soup and let it sit in the hot broth for 10 minutes to soak up the seasoning.
- Bake the tortilla strips. While the chicken rests, heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Toss the tortilla strips with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt, spread them on a baking sheet in one layer, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until crisp and golden.
- Finish with lime. Stir the lime juice into the soup, taste, and add more salt or lime as needed — the broth should taste bright, not flat. If it tastes dull, it almost always wants acid or salt, in that order.
- Serve with toppings. Ladle the soup into warm bowls and let everyone add their own tortilla strips, avocado, cheese and a spoonful of sour cream. Serve with extra lime wedges at the table.
Recipe by Shahid Imran · FryDaily. Printing? This card is designed to print cleanly on its own.
