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This simple Crockpot Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup is the perfect bowl of wholesome, filling soup to warm up to on the coldest of days. Made easily with a mix of chicken, spices, red enchilada sauce, broth, and cilantro. Mix in rice and top each bowl off with plenty of cheddar cheese, lime, and avocado. And of course, plenty of salty tortilla chips. The toppings are key!
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If there’s a soup I make on repeat every single winter, it’s my chicken tortilla soup recipe. Everyone, including my dad, who is not typically someone who enjoys soup, loves this easy dinner.
It’s actually one of the very first soups I ever made back when I started cooking in middle school. All I had on hand were a couple of cans of enchilada sauce, chicken broth, and chicken. I threw the ingredients into the crockpot and let everything slow cook with a touch of cumin too.
I had rice in the fridge at the time, so I added that to my soup base just before serving. Ever since then, I simply cannot make tortilla soup without rice. It creates the perfect bowl along with all those tortilla strips on top too!
I obviously don’t make tortilla soup the traditional way, but this still hits all the same flavor notes and it’s so delicious!
Plus I absolutely love that I can throw everything into the crockpot in the morning, no searing chicken or anything, and come home to a delicious dinner at night. That’s so easy, right? So I adore this recipe and I’m excitedly revisiting it for everyone today!
Details
All you need for this is an onion, some jalapeños, garlic, chicken, enchilada sauce, seasonings, rice, and chips. Layer the onion, jalapeños, and garlic in the crockpot. Then add the chicken, the enchilada sauce, and broth. Cover and cook!
It really is that easy. Shred the chicken once done cooking. From here you can either stir the rice into the soup or add the rice to bowls and ladle soup over the rice.
Either or, it’s delicious.
If it’s easier for you, you can also make this in the instant pot or on the stove in a dutch oven. I added directions for both.
And most importantly, the toppings.
I layer a thick layer of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream, and then sliced avocado. Then sprinkle on lots of fresh cilantro and green onions. Oh, and it’s definitely optional, but I love to do a quick mango salsa and add that on top as well. It’s so delicious!
A wonderful soup to warm up with!
Looking for other warming winter dinners? Here are a few ideas:
Better For You Chicken and Spinach Ramen
Creamy Butternut Squash Butter Chicken
30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken
Coconut Milk Braised Black Pepper Chicken
Coconut Sweet Potato Lentil Soup with Rice
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Spicy 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!
Crockpot Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2-3 teaspoons taco seasoning
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 3 cups red enchilada sauce
- 3-4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1-2 cups cooked white or brown rice
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- tortilla chips, for serving
- yogurt, shredded cheddar, avocado, mango salsa, and green onion, for serving
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, layer the onion, jalapeños, and garlic. Add the chicken, cumin, taco seasoning, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Pour over the enchilada sauce and 3 cups of broth. 2. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the rice, cilantro, and lime juice. 3. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with tortilla chips. Then finish as desired with a dollop of yogurt, cheese, green onions, mango, and cilantro. Enjoy!
Stove-Top
- 1. In a large soup pot, cook the onion, jalapeños, and garlic with 2 tablespoons olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the chicken, cumin, taco seasoning, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Pour over the enchilada sauce and 3 cups of broth. 2. Set over medium heat and bring to a simmer, cook 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the rice, cilantro, and lime juice. 3. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with tortilla chips. Then finish as desired with a dollop of yogurt, cheese, green onions, mango, and cilantro. Enjoy!
Instant Pot
- 1. In the bowl of your instant pot, layer the onion, jalapeños, and garlic. Add the chicken, cumin, taco seasoning, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Pour over the enchilada sauce and 3 cups of broth. 2. Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Release the steam. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the rice, cilantro, and lime juice. 3. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with tortilla chips. Then finish as desired with a dollop of yogurt, cheese, green onions, mango, and cilantro. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Fantastic!! We loved this. It was a busy Saturday and this certainly was easy to put together and was so delicious!! Thank you for sharing this!!
Hey Pam,
Happy Sunday!!🏈 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Beginner crock pot user question….do you put chicken and rice in uncooked?
Hey Kelli,
The chicken is uncooked and the rice is cooked:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Wow! This is crazy delicious and very easy. I love good crock pot recipes, especially ones where the chicken isn’t cooked to oblivion. This delivers an incredibly savory broth.
Every recipe I have tried so far is wonderful. I’m learning your recipes are very reliable. The other I rely on hands-down is Ina Garten. So you’re in good company. 🙂
Hey Shari,
Happy Sunday!!🏈 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Thanks so much for your kind message:) xx
Best tortilla soup I’ve made. Throwing out all my other tortilla soup recipes! I think it was the enchilada sauce that made the difference. Usually I use salsa. I also added black beans the last few hours in the crock pot. Thanks for all your great recipes!
Hey Shawna,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! Have a great weekend! 🏈
Made this today & it was delicious!! I added a can of black beans & about 1 cup of frozen corn about 1 hour before complete (I cooked it on slow). This one will become part of our winter soup rotation.
Hey Alli,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! Have a great weekend! 🏈
Made this last night for a cozy, fun Thursday night dinner and the best part was that it was so simple and easy! Plus it was so flavorful that I couldn’t stop eating some scoops out of the pot. Definitely adding into my week night rotation!
Hey Brooke,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your comment! So glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Looks super yummy! Can’t wait to try it.
Thanks so much Maria! I hope you love the recipe! xT
How spicy is it on a scale of 1-5? Hubby isn’t a spicy eater so I have to adjust seasonings and peppers to suit the rest of us who enjoy some heat.
Thank you!
Hey Terri,
This has a nice kick to it, I would say 3! I would skip the jalapeño and make sure you are using a mild enchilada sauce and taco seasoning! I hope you love this recipe! xT
Super delicious! Made it yesterday and it’s a hit! Very easy too which made it fun to make. Thank you! 😋
Hey Cathi,
Perfect!! So glad to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it:) xT
Really good flavor! I was going to make it in the crockpot, but ran out of time, so made it on the stovetop. It was very easy, after the 15 minute simmer, I left it on a very low light for a while (maybe 10 minutes), then turned it off, so the flavors could meld together. When it was time to eat, heated back up and it was delicious. The lime juice really makes it, so don’t forget it! I made rice separately and put it in the bowl and then added the soup. I loved the cheese and avocado on top!
Hey Sally,
Happy Thursday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing what worked well for you, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Made this tonight and it was soooooo so good! I made it following the InstantPot directions and added frozen corn once the pressure released. So glad I did! This was amazing and so comforting on a windy/cold Michigan night. Not sure how I missed it the first time it was posted but glad I caught it tonight!
Hey Jessi,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
This looks so good! Have you tried freezing the soup? I am looking for soups to freeze for my daughter who is having her first baby tomorrow. 🙂
Thanks Lynn! Sure, you could freeze this without the rice, that would work well! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Yum! I think I’m going to try making a vegetarian version of this with black beans instead of chicken.
Sounds like a great idea Becky, let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
Could you make this with rotisserie chicken?
Absolutely! We do, taste even better as the chicken is already seasoned. Just shred the chicken into the broth.
Thanks for sharing Jacki!!
Hey Sandra,
Sure, that would work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out well for you! xT
Got to try this one, your tortilla soup in Super Simple is a favourite in my house. Xx
Love to hear this Kelly-Jane!! Let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT