Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

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I’ve tested nearly every version of this recipe I could think of, and finally found the secret to the perfect Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup! And it’s so quick and easy to make, with 8 ingredients and just a few minutes to assemble in the slow cooker.

This delicious chicken tortilla soup serves 4 people generously and doesn’t require any precooking. It does use leftover grilled chicken, but if you don’t have any you can buy the pre-grilled chicken at the store or use rotisserie. It can be prepped and frozen ahead of time to keep on hand as a quick freezer meal and leftovers can be frozen for later as well (more on that below).

What make this Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup special?

• No crushed tomatoes. A lot of tortilla soup recipes call for this, and while I love them in other soups, they ruin the texture of tortilla soup which should be “brothy”.
• Grilled chicken cut into bite sized pieces instead of shredded chicken, which I find becomes stringy and chewy in tortilla soup.
• Sweet corn to offset the slightly spicy seasoning
• My extra special homemade taco seasoning as a base in the broth
• No beans – do you really LIKE the beans anyway? If you do,  you can add them!
• Fresh jalapeño – plenty of flavor and as long as you remove ribs and seeds, no added heat.

How to make tortilla soup in the slow cooker?

The hardest part is dicing up the chicken, onion and jalapeño. After that, everything just gets layered into the slow cooker and stirred and let simmer.

It’s perfect because it can cook all day or be ready in a couple hours.

Add a few toppings like shredded cheese, crispy tortilla salad toppers and fresh cilantro for a simple and delicious dinner.

Can I freeze the recipe?

Yes! You can add everything except the broth to a freezer bag and store for up to three months. When ready to cook it, you just need to thaw overnight in the fridge and add the broth along with the contents of the bag to the slow cooker.

You can also freeze leftovers by portioning into individual servings and storing in an airtight container to eat later!

Can I cut in half or double this recipe?

Yes! If cutting in half, I would suggest making the whole recipe up to the point you add broth, dividing in half, and storing half in a freezer bag to cook later. That way you prep once and eat twice! Use a 2-3 quart slow cooker if making half.

To double, simply double all of the ingredients (you can use the serving size slider in the recipe card below) and use a 5 quart or larger slow cooker.

What goes well with Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup?

This recipe stands well on it’s own with crushed chips or tortilla strips and cheese.

If serving to a crowd and you want another side, I’d suggest Slow Cooker Spicy Queso or Slow Cooker Corn Dip!

P.S. I’m kind of passionate about frozen corn, because some is really good and some is really bad. I love the frozen sweet corn at Aldi, so if you can get that, you should.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

I've tested nearly every version of this recipe I could think of, and finally found the secret to the perfect Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup! And it's so quick and easy to make, with 8 ingredients and just a few minutes to assemble in the slow cooker.

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 359kcal

Author: Jennifer Draper

Equipment

3 Quart Slow Cooker

Ingredients

• 8 oz leftover grilled chicken breasts (chopped into bite sized pieces)8 oz leftover grilled chicken breasts (chopped into bite sized pieces)
• 8 oz tomato sauce8 oz tomato sauce
• 14.5 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes14.5 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 cups frozen sweet corn kernels2 cups frozen sweet corn kernels
• 3 cups chicken broth3 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup sweet onion (peeled and diced)1/2 cup sweet onion (peeled and diced)
• 2 tablespoons fresh jalapeno (diced, ribs and seeds removed)2 tablespoons fresh jalapeno (diced, ribs and seeds removed)
• 2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
• 4 oz salad topper tortilla strips4 oz salad topper tortilla strips

Instructions

• Add all ingredients except for tortilla strips to slow cooker and stir to combine
• Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours for high for 3-4
• Serve each bowl with a handful of tortilla strips and topped with cheese, sour cream, cilantro or plain - however you prefer!

Notes

To freeze this recipe:

Add everything except the broth to a freezer bag and store for up to three months.  When ready to cook it, you just need to thaw overnight in the fridge and add the broth along with the contents of the bag to the slow cooker.

You can also freeze leftovers by portioning into individual servings and storing in an airtight container to eat later!

To cut in half or double this recipe:

To make half of a recipe to serve 1-2 people, I would suggest making the whole recipe up to the point you add broth, dividing in half, and storing half in a freezer bag to cook later.  That way you prep once and eat twice! Use a 2-3 quart slow cooker if making half.

To double, simply double all of the ingredients (you can use the serving size slider in the recipe card below) and use a 5 quart or larger slow cooker.

If you can't make the homemade taco seasoning:

Purchase a high quality store bought taco seasoning instead. The exact brand will impact the quality and flavor of the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 907mg | Potassium: 641mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 892IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 3mg

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