Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup: Dump, Shred, Done

This crock pot chicken tortilla soup is the kind of dinner you set up before work and forget about. Raw chicken breasts, black beans, corn, fire-roasted tomatoes and spices go straight into the slow cooker, no browning. Six hours later you shred the chicken, squeeze in a lime and top each bowl with tortilla strips you bake in 12 minutes. Each bowl has about 35 g of protein and 339 calories with the strips.

It makes 6 big bowls, keeps for 3 to 4 days in the fridge and freezes well, so one batch covers dinner tonight and a few lunches.

Ingredients for crock pot chicken tortilla soup

Makes 6 servings (about 1 3/4 cups each). Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 6 to 7 hours on LOW or 3 to 4 hours on HIGH.

For the soup

• 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (680 g)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (15 oz) low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 1 can (14.5 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with juices
• 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles (optional)
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• Juice of 1 lime

For the baked tortilla strips

• 6 corn tortillas (6-inch)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Pinch of salt
• Optional toppings: diced avocado, plain nonfat Greek yogurt, chopped cilantro, lime wedges

How to make it

1. Load the crock pot. Lay the chicken breasts flat in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, black beans, corn, tomatoes with their juices and green chiles. Sprinkle in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano and salt, then pour the broth over everything.
2. Slow cook. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken reaches 165°F in the thickest part.
3. Bake the tortilla strips. About 20 minutes before serving, heat the oven to 400°F. Cut the tortillas in half, then into 1/4-inch strips. Toss with the olive oil and a pinch of salt, spread on a sheet pan and bake 10 to 14 minutes, tossing halfway, until golden and crisp.
4. Shred the chicken. Lift the chicken onto a cutting board, shred it with two forks and stir it back into the soup. Squeeze in the lime juice, taste and add more salt if needed.
5. Serve. Ladle into bowls and pile on the tortilla strips right before eating, plus avocado, a spoon of Greek yogurt and cilantro if you like.

Save

Why this slow cooker version works

Chicken breasts on the bottom, broth on top. The breasts sit in liquid the whole time, so they poach gently instead of drying out at the edges. Thighs work too and stay even juicier, but breasts give you more protein for the calories.

Fire-roasted tomatoes and smoked paprika do the work of browning. Most stovetop tortilla soups start by charring tomatoes and chiles in a skillet. You skip that step here and still get a smoky, toasty broth.

The lime goes in at the end. Six hours of heat flattens fresh citrus. Added after shredding, the lime wakes the whole pot up. If the soup tastes dull, it almost always needs more salt or more lime, not more spice.

Baked strips, not a bag of chips. Six corn tortillas and one tablespoon of oil give you a crunchy topping for all six bowls at about 77 calories a serving. They stay crisp for days in a sealed container, which matters when you are eating this for lunch on Thursday.

Like this dump-and-go style? Our healthy slow cooker chicken recipes use the same idea for salsa verde, honey garlic and curry chicken.

Healthy chicken tortilla soup nutrition

I calculated these numbers from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient, divided across 6 servings. They leave out the spices, lime and optional green chiles, which add very little.

You’ll also loveLasagna With Cottage Cheese Instead of Ricotta

Per bowl	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat	Fiber
Soup only	262	33 g	23 g	5 g	4 g
Soup + baked tortilla strips	339	35 g	35 g	8 g	6 g
Soup + strips + 25 g avocado + 2 tbsp Greek yogurt	400	39 g	38 g	12 g	8 g

Most of the protein comes from the chicken: 1 1/2 pounds of raw breast carries about 153 g of protein across the pot. The black beans and corn add fiber and a little more protein. If you want an even bigger protein number, our high protein soup recipes go up to 41 g a bowl.

Save

Easy swaps and variations

• Chicken thighs: Use the same weight of boneless, skinless thighs. Richer broth, slightly more fat.
• Spicier: Add a minced jalapeño with the onion, or 1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo for smoky heat.
• Creamy: Off the heat, stir 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt into a ladle of hot broth first, then stir that back into the pot so it does not curdle.
• Thicker: Blend 1 cup of the soup (beans, corn and broth, no chicken) and stir it back in. Or tear 2 extra corn tortillas into the pot for the last hour; they melt and thicken the broth the traditional way.
• Pinto beans: Swap them in for the black beans one to one.
• Stovetop or Instant Pot: Simmer everything covered for 25 to 30 minutes on the stove, or pressure cook 12 minutes with a 10-minute natural release, then shred.

How long does chicken tortilla soup last?

Soups and stews with meat keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge and 2 to 3 months in the freezer for best quality, according to the FoodSafety.gov cold storage chart. Cool the soup, portion it into containers within 2 hours of cooking and keep the tortilla strips in a separate airtight container at room temperature.

To reheat, warm a bowl on the stove or in the microwave until it is steaming hot all the way through; leftovers should reach 165°F. Frozen portions thaw overnight in the fridge. Add fresh avocado and strips after reheating, never before.

This soup slots easily into a weekly plan. Our freezer meal prep guide shows how to batch several freezer-friendly dinners in one afternoon, and the healthy white chicken chili is a good second soup to rotate with this one.

Save

Quick questions

Can you put raw chicken in the crock pot for soup?

Yes. That is how this recipe works: raw, thawed chicken breasts cook right in the broth. Start with thawed chicken rather than frozen so it heats through steadily, keep the lid on, and check that the thickest piece reaches 165°F before shredding.

Can I freeze chicken tortilla soup?

Yes, it freezes well for 2 to 3 months. Freeze it before adding the yogurt, avocado or strips. The corn and beans hold their texture fine after thawing.

What is the difference between chicken tortilla soup and chicken enchilada soup?

Tortilla soup has a brothy, tomato-based base with crisp tortilla strips on top. Enchilada soup is usually thicker, made with enchilada sauce and often cream cheese or a lot of shredded cheese, so it runs heavier in calories.

You’ll also loveRoasted Chickpeas Recipe for Real Crunch, Oven or Air Fryer

Looking for more cozy bowls? Browse our hearty healthy soup recipes or the easy turkey chili, which also has a slow cooker option.

Sources

• USDA FoodData Central values via getfoodfacts.com: chicken breast, raw (FDC 171077), black beans, canned, low sodium (FDC 175238), sweet corn, frozen (FDC 168400), canned diced tomatoes (FDC 333281), chicken broth, low sodium (FDC 171609), corn tortillas (FDC 175036), onions (FDC 170000), red bell pepper (FDC 2258590), garlic (FDC 169230), olive oil (FDC 2710186), avocado (FDC 171705), Greek yogurt, nonfat (FDC 330137)
• FoodSafety.gov: Cold Food Storage Chart
• FoodSafety.gov: Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures