This Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup is the ultimate cozy slow-cooker meal. Just toss everything in, let it simmer, and finish with cream and cheese for that rich Tex-Mex flavor. It's warm, comforting, and totally effortless.
Recipe Overview
Time: 3 Hours & 30 Minutes
Ingredients: Chicken breast, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, black beans, corn, Ro-Tel, onion, jalapeños, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, cornstarch, corn tortillas, olive oil, heavy cream, Mexican cheese, and cilantro.
Ease: Easy, mostly hands-off, just add everything to the slow cooker and let it cook. The only extra step is baking the tortilla strips.
If you need more cozy Fall & Winter dinner ideas, check out my Creamy Poblano Corn Chowder, 4 Ingredient Potato Soup, or Layered Chicken Enchilada Casserole.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Fresh Vegetables- This recipe uses onions, garlic, and jalapeños for flavor and heat. Adjust the jalapeños based on how spicy you like your soup.
- Canned Vegetables- Crushed tomatoes, Ro-Tel black beans, and corn add heartiness and classic Tex-Mex flavor. If you can't find Southwest corn, regular canned corn works.
- Chicken Breast- You will need about one and a half pounds of chicken breast. I've used chicken tenderloins in this recipe before; if you do, reduce the cooking time by an hour on high and two on low.
- Chicken Broth- I only used 3 cups to make this a thick, creamy soup. You can add an additional 1-2 cups of broth for a thinner soup.
- Seasoning- The seasoning is pretty simple. You will need chili powder, cumin, and salt.
- Heavy Cream- You need heavy cream to give this soup that creamy texture.
- Corn Starch- Helps to thicken up the soup even more.
- Mexican Cheese- Add cheese to the soup to help make it creamy, and you can use more as a topping. I used a Mexican cheese blend, but pepper jack, Monterey jack, and cheddar would all work!
- Corn Tortillas- This wouldn't be a chicken tortilla soup without the crunchy tortilla strips. They are pretty easy to make. You can also buy premade tortilla strips at the grocery store.
- Oil- Use a natural oil or olive oil to help crisp the tortilla strips in the oven.
Full ingredient list with quantities in the recipe card below
How to Make Crock-Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Add ingredients into the Crock-Pot
Add the onion, jalapeños, garlic, chicken, broth, tomatoes, beans, corn, Ro-Tel, and seasonings. Cook on Low for 6-8 hours or High for 3-4 hours.
Add Corn Starch
When there are 30 minutes left, mix the cornstarch with some of the broth and add it back into the crockpot.
Make Tortilla Strips
Cut your corn tortillas into ¼-inch by 1-inch strips. Toss them in a tablespoon of olive oil, then spread them out on a sheet pan. Bake at 400F for 8 minutes.
Add in Dairy
Once your time is up, shred the chicken and return it back to the crockpot. Mix in heavy cream and cheese. Serve with tortilla strips, cilantro, and more cheese.
Tips
For a Thicker Soup: Start with 3 cups of broth. If it's still not thick enough at the end, stir in a little extra heavy cream or cheese to thicken it.
For a thinner Soup: Begin with 4 cups of chicken broth and add more at the end until the soup reaches your preferred consistency.
Wait to Add Corn Starch and Dairy: Don't add the cornstarch at the beginning. It can settle to the bottom of the slow cooker and burn. Add it during the last 30 minutes. Heavy cream and cheese should also be added at the end to cool down the soup and prevent the dairy from separating.
Tortilla Shortcut: Crumble up store-bought tortilla strips instead of baking the corn tortillas.
Common Questions
It's not recommended to put frozen chicken in a slow cooker. Frozen chicken can stay too long in the temperature "danger zone" (40F-140F) where bacteria can grow. For safety, thaw the chicken completely before adding it to the Crock Pot.
Yes. You can substitute half-and-half or even whole milk, but the soup will be slightly thinner and less rich.
Remove all of the seeds from the jalapenos for a very mild, not at all spicy soup.
Chicken can dry out if it cooks too long in the slow cooker. For best results, cook it on Low for about 6 hours, then check if it's done. Once the chicken reaches 165F and shreds easily, it's done.
Make-Ahead & Storage
Make Ahead: Assemble everything in the slow cooker insert (except the cream, cheese, and cornstarch) and refrigerate it overnight. In the morning, place it in the Crock Pot and cook as directed.
Store: Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat: Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave. Add a splash of broth if the soup thickens too much after chilling.
Freeze: For best texture, freeze the soup before adding the cream, cheese, and cornstarch slurry. Thaw, reheat, and then stir in the dairy at the end. If you freeze it fully made (with dairy), the texture may separate slightly.
Tried this recipe? Let everyone know how it turned out! Your feedback and tips help others decide if they should make it.
Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast
- 3 cups chicken broth see notes
- 1 15oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15oz can black beans, drained or pinto beans
- 1 15oz can southwest corn, drained or regular corn
- 1 15oz can Ro-Tel, not drained
- 1 onion diced
- 2 jalapeno seeded and diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon corn starch
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or any kind
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup Mexican cheese +more for serving
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Add the chicken breast, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, black beans, corn, Ro-Tel, onion, jalapeños, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salt to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- When there are 30 minutes left, mix 2 tablespoons of corn starch with ¼ cup of the broth. Add the slurry to the soup and cook for 30 more minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the tortillas into ¼ inch strips. Toss in 1 tablespoon of oil. Bake for 8-10 min.
- When the soup is done, take out the chicken and shred it with two forks, then return it to the crockpot. Mix in heavy cream and cheese.
- Serve your soup with tortilla strips and cilantro on top.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and may vary based on the ingredients used.
Brooke Ragsdale says
I added a block of cream cheese when I added the other cheeses and it made it super creamy. we will definitely be cooking this again.
I also think adding two additional small cans of green chilies wouldn't hurt either since the cans are so tiny. and I used two cans of Rotel instead of traditional canned diced tomatoes