Chicken Tortilla Soup ~ Quick and Easy!

This Chicken Tortilla Soup is one of those fast cooking, super satisfying recipes that has a guaranteed spot on permanent meal time rotation at our house.

Pre-roasted chicken and black beans are simmered in a red chili broth flavored with garlic, onions, oregano, and cumin.

Then, come the toppings... Pile your bowl with tortilla chips, avocado, lime, green onions, jalapeños, cilantro, and sour cream. The soup is an hearty, mouthwatering weeknight meal that will be on the table in just over 30 minutes.

Why This Recipe Works

I almost always make this soup at the end of a week in which I've made Enchilada Casserole and Roast Chicken.

My family and I love the soup so much that it's something I plan for, making sure to reserve 1 cup of the enchilada sauce and roast enough chicken to ensure a cup or two is leftover for this soup.

But truly, if you have leftover chicken of any kind this soup is a great way to use it. The same goes for the random veggies rolling around in your crisper. Chop them up and toss them in.

Of course, you don't need to have leftover anything to make this soup.

Pick up a rotisserie chicken from your local market, open a can of enchilada sauce, and you're good to go.

What Are the Main Ingredients in Chicken Tortilla Soup?

The three main ingredients in this soup recipe are:

1. Chicken
2. Beans
3. Enchilada Sauce

More about each of those ingredients in a moment. In addition, you'll also need:

• Extra virgin olive oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 large yellow or white onion
• A few cloves of garlic
• Adobo sauce (Found in the Mexican food isle of most major supermarkets)
• Dried spices: oregano and ground cumin
• A pinch of sugar
• Salt and pepper (obvi)
• Chicken broth (Or, Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base)
• A can of diced tomatoes

Using Pre-Cooked Chicken Makes This Recipe Quick and Easy

Use roast chicken, any other kind of leftover cooked chicken, or pick up a rotisserie chicken at your local market.

Roasting a couple of chickens is something I do about twice a month, making sure to roast enough for leftovers.

It's no more work to roast 2 or 3 chickens than it is to roast 1, and having leftover roast chicken meat is always a good thing. This soup is one of my favorite ways to use it up.

Over the years, I've discovered two ways of roasting chicken that are fool proof and delicious every time. Both methods require minimal prep time (5-10 minutes) and only 3 ingredients, including the chicken. You'll find both roast chicken methods here.

Besides this soup, here are a few of my other favorite ways to use leftover roast chicken (or leftover chicken of any kind):

• 20-Minute Garlic Chipotle Pasta
• Chicken Lettuce Wraps
• Chicken Salad Niçoise
• Chili Chicken Nachos with Chimichurri Sauce
• Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Garlic and Mushrooms
• Easy, Cheesy, Chicken Enchiladas Verdes
• Open Face Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Beans, beans, the magical fruit...

Does anyone else think about that silly childhood rhyme every time they eat beans? Beans, beans the magical fruit, the more you eat the more you toot.

If that silly little rhyme is actually quite true for you, cooking a pot of dried beans might be the solution.

In general, I feel that cooking dried beans is a highly underrated endeavor. I've got nothing agains canned beans and keep several varieties in my pantry at all times.

BUT – cooking dried beans only takes about 5 minutes of prep work, costs a fraction as much as canned, and taste markedly more delicious. Even better - cooking dried beans makes them more digestible, lessening the less desirable side effects of eating beans.

The two recipes I rely on are:

• How to Cook Any Kind of Beans in the Slow Cooker
• How to cook Any Kind of Beans in the Instant Pot

If I'm not going to use up an entire batch of beans in a week, I usually portion them out and freeze them for later use. Like homemade enchilada sauce, having some home cooked beans in the freezer is always a good thing.

Enchilada Sauce

The enchilada sauce recipe I've been making for years is extremely simple, requires only a handful of ingredients and does NOT require you to soak or roast dried chilies.

The key is to start with frozen red chili puree, cooking it with broth and spices until it's thick and rich, and delicious.

Of course, it goes without saying, that if you have a pot of homemade enchilada sauce, you might want to make an Enchilada Casserole. But, you can also just section it off and freeze it in 1-cup portions so you have delicious enchilada sauce on hand whenever you need it.

You can also use a can or jar of prepared enchilada sauce in this soup. Just taste the broth and add more seasoning if you like; canned enchilada sauce tends to be a bit more bland than the homemade variety.

This Chicken Tortilla Soup is All About the Garnishes

The broth, chicken, and beans are delicious all on their own, but the topping are where it's at.

Ladle some soup into your bowl then load it up with crushed tortilla chips, avocado, cheese, green onions, cilantro, jalapeños, and sour cream.

Weekly Meal Plans that include Chicken Tortilla Soup:

• Weekly Winter Meal Plan #1. If you're making this soup as a part of this Weekly Meal Plan, you should have some leftover enchilada sauce, black beans, and roast chicken in your refrigerator, just waiting to be used in this soup.

More Popular Soup Recipes:

• Black Bean Soup with Pickled Onions and Cilantro Oil
• Black Bean Tomato Soup
• Creamy Chicken Chili with Chorizo and Roasted Corn
• Spanish Potato Soup
• Red Lentil Soup with Ham
• Vegetarian Chili with Pico de Gallo and Chimichurri Sauce

If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #alittleandalot on Instagram.