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This simple one-pot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup is the perfect bowl to warm up to. Made with salsa verde, poblano peppers, jalapeños (for just the right amount of heat), and shredded chicken. Add taco seasoning for amazing flavor. Then cream cheese for creaminess. This soup is spicy, creamy, and so delicious. Top each bowl of creamy soup with avocado, plenty of fresh cilantro, and lots of salty tortilla chips. I even added a little bit of lime zest too!
It’s soup season! We’ve had some seriously cold temperatures, single digit, temps this week. It’s COLD. I made this over the weekend, and it was so perfect. It really hit the spot.
All of my brothers were in town. And even though they claim not to enjoy soup, they said it was awesome. They loved that it was a bit spicy yet creamy and cheesy too. With the broth being a bit thicker, it makes the soup a little heartier. It’s a great comfort food recipe for this time of year!
Originally, I wanted to make a more traditional variation on tortilla soup using tomatoes and red enchilada sauce. I’m sure it would have been delicious, but when I didn’t have any red enchilada sauce on hand, I reached for what I did have: salsa verde.
I used two full jars of my favorite salsa verde from Whole Foods, two cans of diced green chilies, a poblano pepper, and some jalapeños.
Step 1: cook the onion and peppers
Use a little olive oil or butter and start cooking the onion. Then add the poblanos, jalapeños, cumin, and a few teaspoons of taco seasoning for a truly yummy mix. Let this cook for a few minutes to bring out the flavor in the dry spices.
Step 2: cook the chicken
Next, add the chicken. I like to toss it up with all those spices.
Then pour over the salsa verde, add the diced-up green chilies, and then the broth. Let the chicken simmer away in the broth until it’s cooked through. This will take 15 or 20 minutes.
Step 3: shred the chicken
I like to pull the chicken out of the soup and shred it. Then mix in the cream cheese. If you want to make the soup even creamier, add a 1/2 cup or so of heavy cream.
To finish this off, mix in a big handful of white cheddar cheese and let it melt into the soup.
You can also make this in the crockpot if it’s easier for you. I added directions for both.
Step 4: serve, top, and enjoy
I layer a thick dollop of Greek yogurt with sliced avocado on top. Then a big handful of crushed tortilla chips and lots of fresh cilantro and green onions. It’s so delicious!
A wonderful soup to warm up with!
Looking for other warming winter dinners? Here are a few ideas:
Crockpot Chili Meatballs and Spaghetti
30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken
Coconut Sweet Potato Lentil Soup with Rice
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Delicious! This is the first recipe I’ve tried from your site, but it definitely won’t be the last! I added a bit of rice to the bottom of the bowl when serving, and I used the remnants of a rotisserie chicken, which worked well. Would you happen to know if this will freeze well?
Hey there,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out and your feedback! Love to hear it turned out well! Yes, you could totally freeze this! xT
Super easy and tasty dinner!
Thanks so much Wendy!! Love to hear that this dish turned out well for you and I appreciate you making it:) xT
Oh my gosh… this SOUP!! My whole family loved it 💚
Thank you sooo much Kristin! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! xT
The whole family loved this one, will be in our regular rotation for sure! And it could not have been easier. I made it as the recipe stated the first time (always have to do this before changing anything!) and the second time I added some frozen corn that I wanted to use up. Both were insanely good.
Thank you SO much for trying out this recipe! Loveee to hear that you enjoyed it! 🙂 xT
Best I’ve ever had and perfect for these cold days!
Thank you so much Lauren! xT
We all really like this! SO flavorful -will be making this a lot more! Thank you!
Thank you so much Laurie! xT
I can’t wait to make this!! Has anyone used frozen chicken breasts in the instant pot/crock pot? Was hoping to save a step in defrosting meat 🙂 thanks!
I Love EVERYTHING I make from your recipes, but just wanted to say this soup was just the best!!
Thank you so so much Mary! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! xT
This soup is SO yummy! The flavors are delicious and not overwhelmingly spicy. It’s got a good heat to it. I mixed it up and instead of shredded chicken (not my favorite), I finely diced the chicken and added when you simmered for 20 minutes. Came out perfect. I will only use 3 cups of broth instead of 4 next time, because I prefer a thicker soup. This will definitely be on repeat in my house.
Hi! I’m so so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for giving it a try! xT
This recipe is so deliciously cozy and super easy! I did a few changes based off of the comments to tweak it into what I prefer (less spicy, more creamy, with a lime zing). I used 2 cups of the green salsa, 1 can of the diced chilis. I didn’t have the peppers so I added half a tsp of chili powder instead. I also added 2 cloves of garlic to sauté towards the end of the onion sauté which brought some great flavor. Used an 8oz cream cheese and made sure to fully melt and whisk. Squeezed a full lime into it. Also added some frozen roasted corn from TJ’s which turned out great! Easy, hearty (fiancé loved it) and delish 🙂 I bet it will be even tastier the next day!
Hi Lily! Thanks so much for trying out the recipe! Love to hear you enjoyed it! xT
Another delicious soup, Tieghan! Reminded me a lot of your white chicken chili—super flavorful and love the kick the jalapeños give this one. Can’t stop eating it!
Hi Paige! Thanks so much for trying out the recipe! Love to hear you enjoyed it! xT
Sounds so delicious and easy, will make it this weekend
Hey Rachel! Thank you so much for trying the recipe out! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! 🙂 xT
Could you make this in an instant pot as well? If so, what would be the cooking time?
I made this in my InstaPot and cooked the onion, pepper, chicken, salsa and broth mixture on high pressure for 14 minutes and then shredded the chicken and added the rest of the ingredients. Turned out great!
So yummy! Another amazing recipe that I will make again and again !
I did add garlic and a can of corn!
Thank you !
Hi there! I’m so glad that you’re enjoying the recipe! Thanks for giving it a try! xT
I have made this recipe just as written about 4 times since the middle of December. My husband commented that it was the best tortilla soup I have ever made! It is absolutely delicious! I would not change one thing!!! I did use a rotisserie chicken one time and that was delicious too! Thank you, thank you! We had it for Christmas Eve lunch and will probably make it a tradition!
Hi Rosy! Thank you so much! I’m so so happy to hear you and your husband are enjoying this soup! xT