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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.
Details
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!
Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 321 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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
To Cook the Rice In the Soup: Alternately you can add 1 cup of dry rice and 2 cups of water to the soup when you add the chicken broth. Allow the rice to cook 20-25 minutes, but no longer. If you let it sit longer, it will soak up too much broth.
This soup was absolutely delicious. Made it for dinner this evening and me and my partner loved it. The flavor was amazing and it was quick and easy to make. Will definitely be making this again.
Thank you sooo much for trying out this recipe! Hope your New Year is off to an awesome start! xT
This was SO good! 10/10 will definitely be making again!
Thank you sooo much for trying out this recipe! Hope your New Year is off to an awesome start! xT
Made this soup tonight and- served it over brown rice. It was delicious. My family loved it! I will definitely be making it again.
Thank you!
Thank you SO much! Always love to hear when a recipe is a success! Hope you have an amazing New Year! xT
SO delicious! Definitely going in the rotation. Had plenty of flavor and plenty of spice!
Thank you so so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have an awesome New Year! xT
Made the soup. It came out good. I added 3 to 4 times the season to attain the depth and flavor for taste. I used the same amount of meat and broth (unslated). Season Season Season! My husband commented on how good it was which was surprising.
Thanks so much Stephanie! xT
I LoVe this soup! It’s got a really nice kick to it. (Enough to chase away that winter cough that’s going around.) I made a big batch. Question: can I freeze some of this?
Hi there! Yes, that should work fine to freeze it! xT
This soup is in regular rotation at our house. We are empty nesters, but I still make the full recipe and we enjoy leftovers for a few days. Delicious!
Aw I love to hear that! Thank you so so much! xT
Lord Jesus was this amazing!! Took me back to Maudie’s Tex Mex in Austin which I used to love getting when I lived there; it’s been years. Tasted just like it!! Thanks so much Tieghan!! This will definitely be a staple in our household and so glad I found a recipe to my favorite soup that I’ve been missing!!
Hi Aileen,
I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback! So glad it was enjoyed:) Have a great week! xT
Simply Delicious!
Hey Susie,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Happy Thanksgiving! xT
Can you make this vegetarian?
Hey Emily,
Sure, I might add some extra beans in place of the chicken! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
This was delicious! Everyone loved it.
Hey LaNae,
Happy Friday!🍂 I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for trying it and your comment! xx
I have made this tortilla soup 5 times, tonight being my 5 and it comes out fantastic every time! My daughter and her family live across the road from me so I walk it over to them for their supper and they just love it! Thank you for this delicious recipe ☺️😋
Hey Melissa,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe so often, I am so glad to hear that it always turns out well for you:)
Could you do step one and place in a freezer bag to cook in crockpot later?
Hi Kelly! I haven’t ever tried that before so I’m not quite sure! So sorry! xT
Just made this tonight. The flavor was so good. I used Zataran cilantro lime rice and just put it in the bottom of the bowl. Also added a can of corn and sliced black olives to it.
Your seasoning mixes are so good. Will make this again this winter.
Hi there! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe! Thank you for giving it a try! xT
I made this last night! It was soooo delicious! Poured over rice, and the toppings just made it excellent!
Thank you so much for trying out this recipe! Hope you enjoyed! xT
This was a yummy meal for the first night of real cold in Minnesota for the winter season. We had leftover smoked pulled chicken from Sam’s club that I threw in instead of cooking the chicken in the soup which saved some time and the smoky flavor was extra tasty. I live in the boonies and can’t get poblanos in our grocery store so I used a red and a green bell pepper and it was still good. I served the rice into the bowl and then topped with soup which I’ve found helps to keep the leftovers from soaking up all the broth by the next day (we’re a small family so this much soup will last us for at least 2 meals). I garnished with tortilla strips from the crouton part of the grocery store. We will make it again!
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you’re having a great Halloween weekend! 🙂 xT
Did you use just plain white rice?