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This simple one pot spicy Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup is the perfect bowl of wholesome, filling soup to warm up to on the coldest of days. Made with poblano peppers, shredded chicken, and a mix of chili powder, paprika, and oregano. Mix in rice and enjoy with salty chips on top. It’s spicy, cozy and so delicious. Top each bowl of tortilla soup with plenty of cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, and avocado. And of course, plenty of tortilla chips.
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As we reach the end of December and those bitter cold January days are just ahead, I’m already looking forward to sharing wholesome, yet cozy recipes to start off the new year. We’ve been getting snow on and off all week, so everyone has been craving delicious soup recipes.
We love tortilla soup over here, but this tortilla soup is a little different. It’s more of a green salsa and rice soup with plenty of chips on top – and on the side.
It’s so easy to make, using just one pot or the slow cooker. I’ve been making this recipe for years, we just love it with the salsa verde and rice.
Details
When I was first working on this salsa verde chicken soup, I knew I wanted it to be simple, but cozy, and full of flavor.
You can use a single pot on the stove, or use the crockpot, whatever is easiest for you.
I start with an onion, add poblano peppers, then chicken, and a mix of chili powder, smoked paprika, and dried oregano. If you’re making this on the stove, cook the spices with the chicken until you can really smell them in the air.
At this point, I just pour over the chicken broth. Actually, I’ve been using a mix of chicken broth and chicken bone broth. I love the Kettle and Fire Bone Broth if you’re looking for an easy-to-access store-bought broth.
Then the salsa verde. Cover the pot and simmer until the chicken is cooked and you can easily shred it. I usually pull the chicken out of the soup and then shred. But you can also easily shred the chicken directly in the soup.
The rest is really pretty darn simple. Simmer the soup for a few hours to really help the flavors meld and intensify. Or simply serve once the chicken is cooked.
If you have the time, I find the soup is best after a few hours of simmering.
To finish the soup, you can either add rice to bowls, then pour over the soup. Or you can stir the rice right into the soup.
If you know you want to enjoy leftovers, add the rice to bowls, then pour over the soup. If the rice sits too long in the soup, it’s going to end up soaking up most of the broth.
The toppings are the real secret here, they make this tortilla soup really good. You have to do them all!
I layer as follows: a thick layer of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, a dollop of Greek yogurt, and sliced avocado. Then sprinkle on lots of fresh cilantro, green onions, and cotija cheese.
Lightly crush tortilla chips on top, and use lots. Then lime zest and sea salt. Holy freaking YUM. It might be simple as can be, but every spoonful is so delicious. Think a little spicy, smoky, filled with chicken, peppers, rice, cheese, and all those toppings.
Perfect for wintery days.
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 Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice 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!
Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1-2 poblano peppers, chopped
- 2 cups salsa verde
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 can (14 ounce) black beans, drained
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 3 cups cooked rice
- tortilla chips, for serving
- yogurt, avocado, cheese, and green onions, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until fragrant, 5 minutes. Stir in the poblano peppers, chicken, chili powder, paprika, oregano, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, until you smell the seasonings. 2. Stir in the broth and salsa verde. Season with salt and pepper. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.3. Shred the chicken using 2 forks, then stir back into the soup. Add the beans, lime juice, and cilantro. Cook 10 minutes, to warm through, or up to 3 hours over the lowest heat possible. If needed, thin with additional broth.4. Stir the rice into the soup, then ladle into bowls. Top, as desired, with yogurt, cheese, avocado, cilantro, and green onions. Grab a handful of tortilla chips, and serve crushed over the soup or alongside the soup for scooping. Zest lime over each bowl. Enjoy!
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, combine the onion, poblano peppers, chicken, chili powder, paprika, oregano, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Stir in the broth and salsa verde.2. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4-5 hours.3. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the beans, lime juice, and cilantro. 4. Stir the rice into the soup, then ladle into bowls. Top, as desired, with yogurt, cheese, avocado, cilantro, and green onions. Grab a handful of tortilla chips, and serve crushed over the soup or alongside the soup for scooping. Zest lime over each bowl. Enjoy!
Notes
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.
Omg wow! This was a hit! Only thing better than how easy it came together was how tasty it was! HBH for the weekend win.
PS I doubled the chicken, but still felt soupy with probably less rice.
Hey there,
Amazing!! I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a winner! xT
So good! We subbed quinoa for rice since we had it and we missed the rice! It was still good but if you’re between the two – go rice!
Hey Ashley,
Happy Tuesday! Thanks so much for making this recipe! Great idea to use quinoa! xT
Delicious! Thank you for another great recipe!
Hey Laura,
Perfect! Thanks so much for making this soup, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! xx
So yummy! My only problem was that I glazed over the part of the instructions where it says to put the rice in the bowls and pour the broth over. Instead, I put the rice in the pot and then let it all simmer together and it did get a little thick. It became more of a dip than a soup, but that didn’t bother us at all—we put the tortilla chips to good use. (I should have known better about the rice🤦🏼♀️.) Nevertheless, the taste was amazing and we loved it! Shared the recipe with my mom and aunts. Will make again and again! Thank you!
Hey Caitlin,
Amazing!! I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a winner! xT
Hey! Loved the soup!! Can you give instructions on freezing the soup? And when to add the rice if so? Thanks so much!!
Hey Lindsey,
So glad you enjoyed this recipe!! I would freeze this soup without the rice and then add that once you reheat the soup. I hope you love this recipe! xx
Holy freaking YUM is right! You knocked this one out of the park. This is my new favourite soup! SO good. It has the perfect kick to it. I could not find poblano peppers so I used jalapeño instead. I also used shredded rotisserie chicken, and used sour cream in place of the yogurt. It was fantastic. Will be making this on the regular! Thank you!!
Hey Jessica,
Amazing!! I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a winner! xT
Made this tonight in the crockpot and it was a hit! Do you think we could freeze leftovers?
Hey Susan,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! I would freeze without the rice:) xx
Such a tasty soup! I charred and peeled the poblanos and added chopped red bell pepper. Also had to substitute green enchilada sauce for the salsa verde and the soup was still amazing! Thanks for recipe!
Hey Nancy,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this soup was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xx
O.M.YUM!
Thanks so much Lindsey!!
Hi Tieghan,
Wow – this was so flavorful! A must to use all the toppings – I used sour cream instead of yogurt and fresh grated smoked gouda cheese! I’m not a fan of black beans so I used small white beans and added sweet corn – a nice compliment to the heat of the spices. We used jalapeno lime tortilla chips and they were fantastic! Another favorite for us!
Donna
Hey Donna,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx
This soup is perfection and so flavorful! I made the stove top version and the recipe steps was very easy to follow. Do not skip on all the extra toppings as they really complete the dish and make it a full meal.
Hey Ciara,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
Hi! What could I substitute the poblano pepper with? They aren’t my favorite!
Hey Lauren,
Depending on how much spice you want, I would use a green pepper or jalapeño pepper. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I eyed this recipe last week and saved it for Saturday evening. I fed a houseful of my husband’s buddies and it was a HIT. This soup is still being talked about. Definitely a keeper.
Hey Olivia,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
Hi Tieghan!
Just curious, did this recipe change a bit? I made a similar one a couple of months ago that had quinoa in it – it was similar but slightly different. I went searching for it today to make it again (I LOVED it btw!) and this is all that comes up. Going to try this one tonight but want to make sure I’m not crazy.
Thanks!! My husband and I love all of your recipes Xx
Hey Nina,
Yes, I revamped this recipe, it was pretty old! Let me know if you give this version a try, I hope you love it! xT
I made this in my crockpot and it was yummy. I used cilantro/lime rice instead of the lime juice and fresh cilantro. ( I forgot to buy cilantro). Definitely use your favorite toppings!
Hey Sheri,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
The whole family loved this soup! We like spice but found it a little too spicy. Using some sour cream helped tone it down. We will adjust the chili powder down a 1/2 teaspoon next time.
Hey Melissa,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Sorry about the spice, but glad you enjoyed:) xx
Curious how you make your homemade tortilla chips? They always look amazing in your videos but couldn’t find a recipe for them? 🙂
Hey Amy,
You can find the recipe here:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/essentials/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT