Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

This Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup is so flavourful – just dump in all the ingredients and push start, then top with avocado, tortilla strips, jalapeno and cilantro!  

Ingredients in crockpot chicken tortilla soup

This is an easy dump crockpot recipe. Just toss all your ingredients in the crockpot and forget about it until it’s time to eat!

You’ll need these ingredients, plus seasonings and pantry staples:

• Chicken breast
• Onion
• Lime juice
• Corn
• Red pepper
• Green pepper
• Salsa
• Chicken broth

How to make the best crockpot chicken tortilla soup

When you use your slow cooker, this warm healthy meal couldn’t be easier. Plan a few minutes of prep work in the morning and just a few minutes to gather your toppings in the evening.

1. Put all the ingredients for the soup in the crockpot.
2. Cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours.
3. Shred the chicken.
4. Serve in bowls with desired toppings.

Making it on the stovetop

You can adapt this same recipe and make it on the stovetop. It will only take about 30 minutes from start to finish this way.

1. Saute the onions, garlic and peppers in oil and seasonings.
2. Add the broth and salsa.
3. Once it is simmering, add your chicken breasts and corn.
4. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is done. Cooking the chicken in a separate pan or using leftover chicken from another meal will make this even quicker. A rotisserie chicken can be shredded while the rest of the ingredients cook.
5. Remove chicken and shred it then return to the pot.

Making it in the Instant Pot

To make this meal super fast, use your Instant Pot!

1. Use the saute function on the Instant Pot to cook the garlic, onions and peppers. Season it with all the spices. (This is an optional step. I like the way it adds a rich flavor to the soup to saute the veggies first, but they will cook completely under pressure even if you choose to skip this step.)
2. Pour the chicken broth and salsa in the Instant Pot.
3. Add the chicken and corn.
4. Set the Instant Pot to cook on high for five minutes.
5. Allow it to release the pressure naturally.

Ingredient substitutions

If you want to make a few changes in this slow cooker chicken tortilla soup recipe, try some of these ideas:

• Use chicken thighs. Thighs are juicier cuts of meat. Still look for boneless skinless meat to make it easier to shred before serving.
• While this soup usually contains chicken, you can try it with lamb, beef or even fish. Cooking times will change depending on the kind of protein you use however.
• Add beans. Black beans and pinto beans both taste great in this.
• Use different kinds of salsa to change the flavor and heat. Anything from mild salsa to super spicy can be used. Even fire roasted tomatoes could be substituted.
• It would be easy to make this soup vegetarian. Omit the chicken and use vegetable broth instead. It won’t take as long to cook this way.
• Use hominy instead of corn for a traditional Mexican flavor.

Topping ideas

Making a giant pot of this crockpot chicken tortilla soup is a great idea to feed a crowd. It’s easy to double this recipe if you need to. Plus, you can keep it warm in the crock pot for a long time. Offer a whole table of toppings to allow each person to customize their bowl.

Start with these toppings suggestions and then get creative:

• Tortilla strips: You can buy these, but it’s easy to make your own by cutting soft corn or flour tortillas into strips, tossing them with olive oil and baking them. If you want them extra crispy, you can pan fry them. These can also be made in advance as they will keep in the pantry for a few days.
• Cilantro
• Lime wedges
• Avocado
• Jalapenos
• Sour cream
• Cheddar, cotija or Monetrey jack cheese
• Salsa or pico de gallo
• Radishes
• Black olives
• Hot sauce
• Red onion
• Guacamole

Storing and reheating

Crockpot chicken tortilla soup will last in the refrigerator for five days.

This means slow cooker chicken tortilla soup is a great meal prep recipe. You can make this in advance as a big meal or divide it into six individual servings and be prepared for a week of healthy and nutritious lunches.

To reheat a single bowl, microwave for 2-3 minutes. If you want to reheat the entire pot, you can put it on the stove for a few minutes.

Freezing this soup

If you want to make this crockpot chicken tortilla soup ahead of time, freezing is a great option. Allow it to cool completely and then store in a freezer safe bag or container. You can freeze this in one large container or in individual portions. It will last for four to six months in the freezer.

Thaw the soup in the refrigerator overnight before reheating in the microwave, or reheat from frozen in the microwave for 6-7 minutes, stirring halfway through.

More easy crockpot soups

• Slow cooker turkey chili
• Crockpot Tuscan sausage and kale soup
• Slow cooker sweet potato lentil chili

Meal prep tools for this recipe

• Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this soup into your weekly lunches.
• I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
• Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months

Meal prep challenge

If you'd like some more help with meal planning, then you'll love my free 5-day meal prep challenge! It's basically a free course that will teach you how to meal prep and cook healthy meals at home with some PDF bonus materials. Sign up for free below:

*Nutrition info includes 1 tbsp tortilla strips, 1/6 of an avocado and 1 tbsp sour cream as toppings