Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
ShareThe perfect chicken tortilla soup recipe. An easy and flavorful chicken soup made in the slow cooker, topped off with shredded cheese and seasoned tortilla strips.
Fall is an exciting time. For starters it’s my favorite season, not just for the juicy fresh locally grown apples and all of the amazing seasonal recipes but also for all of the changes. The leaves start to turn and the weather gets cooler. It means bundling up in cozy clothes, snuggling under a blanket and sipping on a hot drink.
Have you ever noticed all of the delightful smells that come with Fall? There’s a fresh crispness to the air. And let’s not forget it’s nearly fire season… the good and cozy kind.
But Fall brings many other kinds of changes. It kicks off the busy season. Class is back in session, for many…after school sports and activities are in full swing. Vacations and days of lounging around are but a memory now. And to make matters worse, the days are getting shorter. Less time and less light to get everything done.
To make life easier, it’s time to pull out the slow cooker. I happily use mine year round, but it’s especially handy and well loved in the busier and cooler months. From stews to chowders and soups, even to slow cooked meet, slow cookers are super handy to have. Toss your ingredients in before you head off to work, running errands or just hanging out at home. Hours later you’ll have a delicious meal with minimal effort. It’s an incredibly easy way to make a large batch of food to enjoy for dinner, a weeks worth of meals or to stock up your freezer!
I’ve been wanting to make a tortilla soup since last year, I just never got around to making it. I truly wish I hadn’t waited so long. It was incredible. Full of flavor, just the right ratio of liquid to solids and the perfect hint of spice. I honestly wanted to use homemade tortilla strips and I tried to make some but didn’t love the results so store bought strips won out. I love the handiness of this prepackaged item as you can snack on them and have them ready for whenever you heat up a bowl of this soup. No slaving over the stove to crisp up fresh tortilla strips, just open the bag and grab a bunch!
If you’re looking for other slow cooker ideas, be sure to check out this slow cooker roundup from last year and a few new recipes, like slow cooker mini meatball minestrone soup and slow cooker lobster chowder!
Homemade seasoned tortilla strips are a perfect addition to this recipe!
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 15 oz sweet whole corn kernels drained
- 15 oz diced tomatoes drained
- 5 C chicken stock
- 3/4 C yellow onion chopped
- 3/4 C green bell pepper chopped
- 1 serrano pepper minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt divided
- 1 tsp ground pepper divided
- Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- Seasoned tortilla strips
Instructions
- To your slow cooker add first 9 ingredients plus 1 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp ground pepper. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Prior to serving, remove chicken breasts. Transfer chicken to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for easy shredding. Alternately you may shred chicken by hand. Season chicken with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Return shredded seasoned chicken to slow cooker bowl. Stir gently.
- If serving immediately, divide among bowls. Top off with a generous helping of shredded cheese and seasoned tortilla strips. Soup may be stored in the fridge for up to several days. If freezing, label containers well with soup name and date.
Notes
Items used in this recipe:
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Another soup I’ll be adding to my slow cooker arsenal! Thanks. :)
The soup looks amazing and your photos are beyond gorgeous!!
Perfect! I love tortilla soup!
I love tortilla soup and its perfect for start of the fall season.
Oh this looks wonderful! I just had some chicken tortilla soup from Chili’s because I thought I was craving it, but it just wasn’t as good as I remember it being. Cooking all this healthy homemade food has made me a total food snob and it’s hard to eat at chain restaurants now. Do you find that as well?
It completely is! I have a hard time justifying going out to eat anyway but when I know I can make it all at home it’s even harder.
Yum! I’m about to try slow cooking recipe and this is perfect! I love how you make this recipe so simple to follow, can’t wait to try it.
You know I love my slow-cooker + this looks absolutely wonderful!
I love Tortilla soup. I use mild jalapeno canned tomatoes in mine with a packet of fajita seasoning mix, and serve with Hint of Lime tortilla chips and a MOUNTAIN of sour cream. I just might have to try it your way!
I’ve been wanting to given tortilla soup a try ever since the restaurant I used to get it from closed down. This looks so easy I’d be a fool not to give it a try :)
I love your little soup crocks! They’re on my list of props I still want to add to my collection. Love the soup too, so perfect for fall!
I love tortilla soup, and any chance I have to use my slow cooker! Can’t wait to try this!
Tortilla soup is a favorite of mine, this looks perfect!
Looks tasty!
YUM – I made this (or some variation of this) so much in the fall/winter! It is probably the only “repeat dinner” that my fiance even gets close to getting tired of: but I love it (so easy and delicious)!!!
Yep, totally making this! A double batch. Then freezing some for after #2 is born. Yum, love tortilla soup!
I am a sucker for slow cooker recipes and this sounds amazing!
I want to take a swim in that bowl!
I’m always on the lookout for tasty slow cooker recipes and have been on the lookout for the perfect Chicken Tortilla Soup for a while now. This looks like it just might be it!
I love crockpot cooking! I am trying this tonight! Thanks for the hint on shredding chicken breast. It worked!
Amazing!
I made this tonight. It was a hit! Thanks for the recipe!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it. :)
Do you think you could use frozen chicken and cook for longer?
I haven’t personally ever used frozen items to create a slow cooker recipe outside of making chicken stock. However, I did poke around and found that a lot of people do seem to do it but it isn’t recommended. So I guess it’s really up to you!
About the frozen chicken – I have used frozen in a couple other slow cooker recipes and just cook it for 1-2 hours longer. I haven’t noticed any difference in quality or taste doing it that way.
I plan on making this recipe today!
What size slow cooker is this recipe designed for? I have a “mini” slow cooker (4 quarts)should I downsize the ingredients a bit?
This was made in a 6quart slow cooker. I’d suggest downsizing at least slightly to be sure it all fits.
YUM! This was so good! Thanks for the recipe! I will admit that I used 3/4 cups of diced green chiles instead of green pepper. That and I think I’ll add a little cilantro and sliced avocado at serving time next go around. I’m sure I’ll be making it again soon!
Oh! And I don’t know if my crockpot runs hot or what but I checked the chicken and it was completely done after 3 hours on high.
Thank you – I’m making this tonight!!
I am making this tomorrow =)
Just want to make sure- you put the chicken breast in raw? Or do you pre-cook it?
Thanks!
Yes, they are put in raw and taken out to shred at the end of the cooking cycle.
This recipe looks great!
So delicious! Thank you
It looks delightful! I was wondering, though, if chicken broth is the same as chicken stock?
They’re similar. The difference is that broth is made using only meat and/or vegetables for the flavor, whereas stock uses bones, meat, vegetables and herbs resulting in a more full bodied flavor.
Saw this recipe on Pinterest. Making this this morning…also added kidney beans to the mix. It’s looking good!
this soup was so good! thank you for the recipe. i made it this week. i used rotisserie chicken because i had it on hand and also added a can of blackbeans (drained and rinsed) to make it more hearty. i linked your blog at the link below. thanks again!!!
http://www.thelettereblog.com/2012/10/20/crockpot-tortilla-soup/
Thanks so much for sharing! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Where do I find Serano peppers? Is there a substitue if I can’t find?
You could substitute Jalapeño peppers instead. My store happened to be out the day I was ingredient shopping so that’s why I ended up with Serrano peppers. They’re twice as hot as Jalapeños, so either plan on less bite or just increase the Jalapeños slightly if desired.
I made the soup from this recipe this weekend, it was fantastic! I added a few things to make it spicier, and it was perfect. The whole batch was finished off in one day… Thanks for this!
This looks great. Only thing I would do different is stick with my homemade tortilla strips. I often wonder why people add extra ingredients such as beans, potatoes, zucchini to tortilla soup.
Do you happen to know the nutrition information for this?
I’m sorry, but I do not. There are a lot of free nutritional calculators available that you could use to find out though.
I made this today, and it was so easy and delicious! I made it exactly as directed except I also topped it with sour cream, which I thought added to it. My husband commented on what a great flavor the soup had. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe!
You’re very welcome. I’m so glad you both enjoyed it.
Very good. I added a can of black beans & cilantro. Also topped with sour cream. It was a hit. Thanks :)
Made this today and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Made this for dinner tonight and everyone loved it. Followed the recipe exactly and turned out great. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the recipe!!
I plan on trying this recipe later this week or next week. I’m new to using a crock pot. I cooked my first meal in my crock pot last week. I wanted to know if you put the whole chicken breasts in the crock pot to cook with the other ingredients or you shred the chicken first? How do you shred the chicken? Can I use frozen corn, instead of can corn? Also, how long can the soup be stored in the freezer? Thanks!
Yes, put the raw whole chicken breasts in the slow cooker. In the recipe it tells you to shred the chicken towards the cooking cycle. You can either place the whole chicken breasts in a stand mixer and shred with a paddle attachment or shred by hand with forks. As for freezing, I typically freeze soup in the cheap reusable plastic containers you can find at the grocery store. Leave at least a half inch between the soup and the top of the bowl and label the container well. Usually soup can be stored frozen for several months or longer depending on if it’s a freezer attached to a refrigerator or if it’s a stand alone unit. Good luck!
Made it tonight and it was a success! Wouldn’t feed 8-10 people though. We have 4 plus a toddler and there was a bowl or two at best left.
So glad you enjoyed it. As for the servings, 8-10 is the recommended serving size. When determining this, it’s typically one large ladle full per person. I know that doesn’t sound like much but in the US we’re use to seeing vastly larger portions than are recommended. Certainly feel free to eat more, but it should definitely be able to feed a larger group than 4 people.
I have this in the crock pot right now, just finished adding the last ingredient. Smells wonderful already. Can’t wait fior dinner! I’ll let you know how we all liked it!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!! My family loved it.
Where do you find the tortilla strips? Also I am hoping to put this in the crock pot then eat it 8 hours later, could I just put cooked shredded chicken in the crock pot with all the other ingredients and then let it cook on low for 8 hours or would the chicken overcook??
I found my tortilla strips in the produce section near the lettuce and bagged lettuce varieties, but it can also be found near the croutons. As for the chicken, you can either add in your shredded chicken at the very end or add large uncooked whole chicken breasts in the beginning of the cook cycle and shred towards the end, per the recipe instructions. Do not add shredded chicken in the beginning.
What size crock pot does this recipe fit in? I’m wondering if my 7qt crock pot would fit a doubled recipe…
This is made in a 6qt slow-cooker with some head room but I don’t believe a 7qt would be enough room to double safely.
I love make ahead meals ! It makes life 10x easier.
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For the tortilla chips you can take a corn tortilla cut into strips put on a cookie sheet and spray with olive oil and bake in the oven.
I’m aware, but did not care for the taste.
Made this today! So yummy and easy! Thanks!!