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The 25 Most Popular Recipes of 2022.
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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.
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 bowls of soup.
We love tortilla soup over here, but this tortilla soup is a little different. It’s more of a salsa verde 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 crockpot. I’ve been making this recipe for years, we just love it with the salsa verde and rice.
When I was first working on this recipe, 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!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Made this tonight and it’s a 10/10! Yum! I’ll be saving this to make again and again. ❤️
Hey Kristie,
Happy Sunday!!🪷 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it! xT
Made this last week and we loved it! Very flavorful! Adding it to the family recipe book.
Hey Suzanne,
Happy Sunday!!🪷 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it! xT
This was so yummy!!
Hey Wendy,
Happy Friday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx
Very yummy, and even included the tortilla chips which adds a whole other layer. With all the possible toppings, it’s got something for everybody in the family!
Hey Grace,
Happy Friday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx
Absolutely amazing just like every recipe I try of Tieghans. Packed with flavor!
Hey Sierra,
Happy Friday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx
I made the salsa verde chicken and rice tortilla soup for dinner last Friday. My husband and I really enjoyed it. I made the soup in a dutch oven and spent the afternoon with it adding ingredients as the day progressed. I made rice separately and ladled soup on top.
My husband liked it so much he had three helpings.
Thank you so much for making this recipe Beth!! I love to hear that it was enjoyed:) xT
I’m not even the biggest soup person, but I love Mexican food, so I decided to try it. It was delicious… a keeper recipe! Thank you for coming up with it and sharing it with all of us to enjoy at home 🙂
Hey Kristina,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xT
I would like to mention that I first go through the instagram feed and then I revert to the site. I am visual driven person so I would probably continue to follow these steps. With that said I have to mention that somehow the poblanos were left off. It either wasn’t on the IG list or I just missed it. Sometimes I get discouraged when I have a missing ingredient but this came out perfect without it. I made Mexican Rice on the side and added it as I served.
Hey Liz,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Sorry about the poblanos! xT
Seriously so good!!
Hey Emily,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xT
Such a yummy recipe!
Hey Lisa,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xT
This is one of my new favorites!
Thanks so much Katelynn! Love to hear that this was enjoyed! xT
Super delicious and simple! I added some tomatoes and a dash of cayenne pepper for more heat. Will definitely make this again! Thank you! Xx
Hey Bianca,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Is it ok to start with frozen chicken in the crockpot?! Just realized I don’t have time to defrost and then make the soup!
Hi Molly,
I always like to thaw my chicken first:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
OMG this is SO DELICOUS! Mine is cooling down from cooking on the stove for 2-1/2 hours. I followed the directions exactly (I wanted to add garlic to the onions, but I restrained myself!) and I also used my leftover homemade green tomatillo salsa (had exactly 2 cups leftovers!). There are not a lot of spices, but this is SO flavorful, i’m a little shocked (in a wonderful way!). I did not have lime so I just squeezed in a bit of lemon juice instead. I used 1.5 lbs of chicken, 2 poblanos, 10 cups of chicken stock, and 2 cans of beans. I upped all the spices as overflowing teaspoons. Since I like brothy soup, I’m not going to add the rice, I’m just going to eat as is with tortilla chips, avocado and cilantro as the garnishes. I cannot wait to dig into this! Thank you so much!!!!
Hey Pamela,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks a lot for making this soup and sharing what worked well for you, so glad to hear it was a winner! xT
In case it helps someone else, I converted this recipe to an instant pot recipe. I sautéed the onions and peppers in the instant pot for a minute, and then I added the chicken broth, spices, and salsa verde and pressure cook it on high for 25 minutes. Then I shredded the chicken and added the black beans, cilantro, and lime juice, stirred, and it was done! It turned out great!
Thanks so much for sharing Maggie! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you:) Have a great week! xT