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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Wowie-wow-wow! This was delicious! Thanks for the great recipe.
Made this again and really, can’t put into words how much I love this! It does not taste easy! I’m seriously dreaming about it… come to think of it, I might have a problem… It’s full-bodied, easy to customize and packed with flavor. I have added beans & corn. I have pulled out some of the dice before blending it and adding it back in, so it has some extra ‘junk.’ I’ve served it with all the garnishes and with only a few. I’m bringing it to a neighborhood Halloween party. I expect to bring home an empty crock pot! We will be eating this until May! Thanks again!
Fantastic! Didn’t change a thing! This will become a regular on my menu. Chopped up some chicken for my toddler and he loved it. Love that you can be pretty careless with how big you chop up your veggies because you’ll puree them in the end anyway. Thanks Jenn!
This is the BEST Chicken Tortilla Soup I have EVER eaten! Absolutley fabulous. The only thing I changed was substituting a Sweet Red Pepper for the Green Bell Pepper.
Make this soup the day before you eat it…it develops and marries all the flavors…I added a few shakes of crystal hot sauce (crystal gives depth,but isnt all that hot).
Also added a dollop of sour cream to the garnish, with four blend shredded mexican flavor cheese…and chopped rotisserie chicken as it was our main course…..fabulous!
Loved how easy it was to make on a workday! The corn tortillas added a nice flavor and a satisfyingly thick texture. I added just a dash of red pepper flakes. This is now a family favorite!
Delicious, fun, festive, and a family favorite!
The immersion blender makes these soups so easy to make. Transferring to a blender is a hassle and you can find an immersion blender that will get the job done for $30.
Hi Jenn. This soup sounds absolutely delicious and I would love to make it tomorrow night for dinner (with the garnishments and all)! I do not have an immersion blender and will need to put the soup in my kitchenaid blender. Does the entire pot of soup need to be blended? I’m guessing 2 cups at a time?
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Aminah, This is one of my favorites — you will love it! Yes, the whole soup does need to be blended. You can do it a few cups at a time; just be sure the hole is open in the lid to allow the steam to escape and cover with a dish towel.
I was pleasantly surprised to find this was so easy to make and so very delicious! I will surely make this again.
My daughter has a peanut allergy and with the recent recall of cumin due to contamination with peanut proteins, I was wondering whether that spice could be omitted or substituted?
Hi Julie, I’m afraid the soup might be a little bland without the cumin, as it’s the main seasoning in the soup, but you could try substitute more chili powder and some ground coriander.
This soup is easy to make and extremely flavorful! The butter in it gives a very rich taste. The soup was good without anything in it but my husband loved it filled with chicken, cilantro and avocado.