Creamy crockpot chicken tortilla soup is a dump and go recipe packed with Mexican flavors, tender chicken, black beans, chili peppers & crunchy tortillas. This slow cooker chicken tortilla soup recipe is always a family favorite! It’s filled with all of the flavors from the traditional Taco Tuesday, but the prep work takes less than 15 minutes and you don’t have to stand over the stove!
In case you didn’t know your Instant Pot also has a slow cooker function that you can use as well and get rid of the additional appliance if you don’t have the space. When you are short on time you can also make instant pot chicken tortilla soup in just 30 minutes. Chicken tortilla soup on the stovetop is another family favorite – it’s quick to make on the stovetop.
If you love tex-mex flavors, you have to try my Green Chicken Chili Recipe. It’s another soup that isn’t just for soup season if you know what I mean.
Ingredients Needed for Crockpot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
- boneless skinless chicken breasts – you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs
- taco seasoning – make your own or use a packet that is store-bought – spices like chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt are all tasty in your taco seasoning mix
- Green chiles – mild or hot
- Black beans – we use canned, be sure to rinse them first
- Tomatoes – canned tomatoes are easy, fresh tomatoes will work, too!
- Corn – can swap for frozen corn if that’s all you have
- Chicken broth
- grated Mexican cheese – cheddar cheese, jack cheese, pepper jack cheese, and mozzarella are all good options also
- Heavy cream
- tortilla chips – I’ll show you how to make crunchy strips from corn tortillas!
- Cilantro for garnish
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Crockpot
Add the chicken and seasoning. Place the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker and cover with taco seasoning.
Add remaining ingredients. Cover the chicken with chiles, beans, corn, and tomatoes. Pour in the chicken broth.
Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours.
Shred chicken. Remove the chicken from the soup. Shred it with two forks then add it back to the crockpot. Pour in the heavy cream and shredded cheese, then stir.
Continue cooking. Allow the soup to cook for another 30 minutes to 1 hour or until it has thickened slightly and the cheese has melted.
Serving. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with your favorite toppings. You can add the tortilla chips directly to the crockpot or serve them individually.
How to Make Crispy Tortilla Strips for the Soup
To crisp up corn tortillas, cut each one into slices and place them in the air fryer. Spray a good bit of cooking spray and air fry at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Shake the basket halfway through.
Creamy Tortilla Soup Storing Instructions
Keep the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. We do not recommend freezing because of the heavy cream and cheese. It may change the consistency when thawing and reheating.
Tips for Making this Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup Crock Pot Recipe
- The chicken tortilla soup will thicken once the cheese and chicken is added back in. Toppings will also thicken the soup.
- No additional salt is needed.
- If you are worried about the level of spiciness, we used hot green chiles and it wasn’t spicy at all. You can use mild chiles instead.
- For more spice, add serrano or jalapeno slices.
- If you want the tortilla strips to be crunchy, follow the directions for making them in the air fryer. Some like to add them raw and let them “cook” to soak up the flavors.
- Tortilla Soup Topping Ideas: Sour cream, onion, avocado, salsa, fresh lime juice or lime wedges.
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Crock Pot
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup taco seasoning or one taco seasoning packet
- 4 oz. can diced green chiles mild or hot
- 15.5 oz. can black beans drained and rinsed
- 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes juices included
- 15.25 oz. can whole kernel corn drained
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups grated Mexican cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream
- tortilla chips or 6 corn tortillas, cut into strips either air fried or oven baked to crisp them up
- Cilantro one bunch for garnish
Instructions
- Place frozen OR thawed chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle taco seasoning over the top of the chicken breasts.
- Spread green chiles, black beans, tomatoes, and corn over the chicken.
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth.
- Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
- Remove chicken breasts from the soup and shred with two forks.
- Return the chicken to the soup and add the cheese and heavy cream.
- Cook an additional 30-minutes – 1 hour, stirring occasionally until the cheese is fully melted and combined and the soup is thickened slightly.
- You can add the tortilla chips directly to the soup along with the cheese and cream and cook for the final 30-60 minutes or crisp the corn tortillas in the air fryer or oven. To crisp the tortilla chips in the air fryer, spray liberally with non-stick cooking spray and bake at 400° for approximately 5 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through cooking.
- Serve soup with additional chopped cilantro, tortilla strips/chips, and avocado, if desired.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Jess says
If I am cooking four chicken breasts do I double the recipe?
Stefanie says
I just doubled the recipe this week and used 4 chicken breasts and it was great; still had a good amount of chicken in every bite. If you wanted an extra chicken-centric soup, you could just use the quantities as is, but with the increased chicken. Cook time will be the same. But we love this recipe so much, I wouldn’t hesitate to double it and have more for leftovers!
Sara says
Can I leave out the cheese? We are dairy free in the house and I have a cream alternative that works wonderfully but no cheese alternatives as they are gross.
Stefanie says
You can leave out the cheese, it will obviously change the flavor and be somewhat thinner, but it won’t compromise the cook time or anything like that. Do you use coconut cream or what is your favorite cream alternative! You might also consider reducing the broth by a cup or so to help thicken it up.
Carlie says
I also have to make mine without cheese, but it is still very good. The rest of the family enjoys it with cheese and they love it! So easy and delicious. Oh, and I love making my own tortilla strips in the air fryer. That works great!
p. simmons says
short cut..buy pre cooked chicken and add to soup at the end
Meghan Martin says
Do you have suggestions for converting this from slow cooker to pressure cooker?
Thank you!
Stefanie says
Hi Meghan! I think this will work really well in a pressure cooker (like an Instant Pot?) I would add all the ingredients except for the cream and cheese to the pot. Seal and cook for 15 minutes. Release the extra pressure. Shred the chicken and then stir in the cream and cheese until it’s all melted. Should work perfectly. If you were going to add onions, I would saute those in the instant pot first, but otherwise, you should be able to just throw everything else in as is (including the raw chicken). Let me know how it turns out!
Jess says
I don’t have heavy cream but I do have cream cheese…would that work?!
Stefanie says
I think cream cheese will work just fine in this recipe. I’d use 4-8 oz – cut it into chunks and then let it melt in the crockpot and stir everything together.
Amy Tincher says
I always use cream cheese when I make my soup. It works great! I cut it up in chucks and pour some of the soup broth over it and blend and then pour it back in the crockpot.
Debbie says
Can you use premade tortilla strips?
Stefanie says
Yes, of course!
Marcy says
Can you replace the cream with regular milk?
girlinspired says
Hi Marcy, you can replace the cream with milk, but the soup will be thinner. I would probably use less milk and possibly thicken with a little potato starch slurry (mix 1-2 T. of cornstarch or potato starch with a couple tablespoons of water and then stir in to the soup after you shred the chicken.)
Christine says
This looks very good please send me the website thank you
J.Haynie says
This was such a delicious recipe! The chicken turned out too tough though. Next time, I might cook on low for eight hours so the chicken will be more tender. That way, the recipe will be perfect!
Zoe says
Omg sooooooo good!!!! Cooked chicken in instant pot…shredded and mixed everything together on stove top. Was so quick and easy.
Nancy Horan says
This is an excellent recipe. It is the best chicken tortilla soup I have ever eaten.
Carla Zeller says
Excellent tasting soup. Easy to make and the tortilla strips were also easy to make and very tasty with the soup.
girlinspired says
Thank you, Carla! I’m glad you liked it. ❤️
Peggy E Adams says
Easy to prepare and delicious. My chicken was precooked so I shredded it ahead of time. I will definitely be making this again.
Avery says
Really easy and tastes great. Next time I might substitute crushed tomatoes for an even thicker/creamier base instead of using diced tomatoes. I just didn’t love the texture of the tomatoes. Otherwise, this was great and hearty.
girlinspired says
That’s a great idea. Glad you liked the soup!
Jaime says
This recipe was so easy to make and tastes so good! Will definitely be making this one again