Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
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This creamy chicken tortilla soup has all the bold Southwestern flavor of the classic, but with a smooth, velvety texture that makes it extra special—pure comfort in a bowl.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
This creamy chicken tortilla soup was inspired by a version served at Tommy Bahama Restaurant, a breezy, island-inspired chain with a laid-back vibe. Unlike typical tomato- and broth-based tortilla soups, this one starts with a purée of vegetables, broth, and corn tortillas, giving it a hearty texture and deep, satisfying flavor. In my opinion, it beats the standard version by a mile.
At the restaurant, it’s topped with grilled chicken, charred corn, tortilla strips, and a drizzle of crema, but you can make it your own. Diced avocado, black beans, pico de gallo, cilantro, or a sprinkle of cheese would all be delicious additions.
“Made this last night and holy moly it was good!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Olive Oil and Butter: Used for sautéing the vegetables and also add flavor to the soup.
- Onions, Garlic, Green Bell Pepper: These aromatic vegetables are essential for the soup’s base flavor. They add sweetness, depth, and a slight bite.
- All-purpose Flour: Thickens the soup, giving it a more substantial texture.
- Chicken Broth: Serves as the liquid base of the soup, providing depth, richness, and body.
- Corn Tortillas: Thicken the soup and add a traditional corn flavor.
- Cumin, Chili Powder, and Cayenne Pepper: These spices add warmth, heat, and a smoky flavor.
- Chicken, Avocado, Corn, Beans, Cilantro, Sour Cream: Optional add-ins for finishing the soup.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cook the aromatics and peppers. Heat the oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and green pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and just starting to brown, about 15 minutes. If they’re browning too quickly, lower the heat to medium-low.
Step 2: Add the flour. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for about a minute. This cooks off the raw flour taste and helps thicken the soup later, giving it that rich, creamy texture. The mixture will look a bit pasty at first—that’s okay.
Step 3: Build the base. Add the chicken broth, cut tortillas, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne. Give it a good stir, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes. The tortillas will soften and infuse the broth with a subtle corn flavor that gives this soup its signature taste once blended.
Step 4: Blend. Take the pot off the heat and use a handheld immersion blender to purée the soup until completely smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, let the soup cool slightly, then carefully purée it in batches in a regular blender. Be sure to remove the center knob from the lid and cover the opening with a dish towel to allow steam to escape and prevent splatters.
Step 5: Finish and serve. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning, if needed. Stir in the chicken (if using), then ladle the soup into bowls and add your favorite toppings. The soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days and freezes beautifully for longer storage.
More Hearty Soup Recipes You May Like
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
For the Soup
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped (about 2½ cups/375 g)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced into quarters
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken broth, best quality such as Swanson
- 6 small (6-in/15-cm corn tortillas), cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Optional Additions
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, from a store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftovers
- Sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, corn, cilantro, avocado, black beans, lime wedges
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and green pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and just starting to brown, about 15 minutes. (Turn the heat to medium-low if the mixture is browning too quickly.)
- Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, cut tortillas, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat, then use a handheld immersion blender to purée the soup until completely smooth. (Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly and use a blender to purée in batches. Be sure to remove the center knob on the blender top and cover with a dish towel to avoid splatters.) Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Stir in the chicken, if using, then ladle the soup into bowls and serve with optional additions.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made this for a quick dinner when I had last minute guests that came over to watch a football game. It’s a keeper!!! Just enough heat to keep it interesting — but not too much for the folks that can’t take it 🙂 Served with all the suggested condiments and a hot sauce for the spicier folks. If I had more time –would’ve made the monterey jack & jalapeño cornbread; but had to opt for freezer rolls. I don’t know how much it contributed to the final result — but I do use homemade chicken stock. I’ve had the cookbook for a while – and am just starting to try some recipes — the desserts and the adouille sausage and shrimp gumbo are singing me their siren song 🙂
I own the cook book and have been making many recipes from it. This weekend I made the chicken tortilla soup. The flavor on it was amazing. The directions were easy to follow and the results exceeded my expectations. Its a winner
Excellent!
Oh my gosh is this amazing! My husband and I couldn’t believe it wasn’t filled with cream and cheese, it was so smooth and creamy-like haha, it really has such a beautiful texture! Thank you for another fantastic recipe 🙂
I made this recipe for a family get together at the coast and it was a huge hit. So delicious. I added some rotisserie chicken and black beans. The seasonings used are perfect. I have printed the recipe and will be using it many times again.
Thank you for such a great soup. My daughter loves tortilla soup but hates tomatoes in it. This was just perfect with added chicken. I made this yesterday to take to her for her birthday and while that was cooking I made your beef stew for us. Everything was just wonderful. Thank you so much for your recipes that are always perfect. Out of all the food blogs on the internet, yours is by far the best. I have never made anything of yours that wasn’t fantastic.
Can this be made in an Instapot?
I don’t have enough experience with it to tell you confidently whether or not/how to convert a recipe to an instant pot, so you may want to take a peek at these tips. It looks like they could be useful in converting traditional recipes to ones that would work in a pressure cooker. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
With all the great reviews, I was looking forward to this soup last night. I was surprised by how bland it tasted. It had salt, fat and heat, but incredibly lacking in acid. Limes, although pictured, are not included in the written recipe and the juice is needed. I also added Texas Pete/Frank’s Red Hot to add more flavor.
Hello,
Bought your cookbook recently as a show of support for your awesome recipes and what you share here on your website!
Why do you say (in your note) that the chicken breasts should be bone-in? Obviously, rotisserie chicken would be the best and then bone-in the 2nd best, but I think boneless chicken breasts will work too! (It is all I have right now.) Also, wouldn’t the chicken be better in the recipe if it was shredded instead of cubed?
Do you think that a baked potato would be a good side dish for this?
By the way, thanks for all the “pairing” suggestions you give with your recipes – I love that!
Hi Christina, it’s fine to use boneless breasts if that’s all you have on hand. (Keep in mind that they will take less time in the oven – I’d bake them at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.) And it’s perfectly fine to shred the chicken instead of dice it if you prefer. Regarding a side, I might prefer something like a salad over baked potatoes — maybe this Black Bean and Corn Salad or this Chickpea, Corn, and Red Pepper Salad. Hope that helps!
Thank you!
Would this be good without pureeing it?
Hi Deb, because this has the tortilla pieces, it really needs to be pureed or the texture won’t be right.