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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.
Please clarify – the ingredients (kale, etc.), mentioned in many of the comments below do not appear in the Ingredient list above for this recipe? The recipe above sounded wonderful but now unsure if some ingredients left off list? What brand of salsa verde do you recommend using? Thank you
Hi Linda,
This is an older recipe that I revamped, so you can go ahead and follow it as written using the ingredients listed. I like Frontera brand salsa verde. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Are we supposed to shred the chicken at some point? If so, when?
Hey Juliet,
You do not have to shred the chicken, but you totally can if you would like. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out well for you! xx
So, so good! Love this variation with salsa verde (I used homemade salsa verde from my freezer — yum). It went together so fast and was perfect for my soup craving on a chilly night. Your recipe has just the right amount of flavor and heat, and the lime juice and fresh cilantro add so much brightness!
With just two of us, there’s always leftovers, so instead of stirring the rice into the pot, I added 2-3 Tbsp. of cooked rice to each bowl before ladling in the soup. The only other thing I’ll do differently next time is add the kale closer to the end so it doesn’t overcook. Thanks for a new recipe to add to my fall/winter soup rotation!
Hey Kim,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
We absolutely loved this recipe! Great flavor, easy to make, and healthy ingredients. This will be one of our new comfort foods 🙂
Hi Carol,
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! xxT
Delicious! Made a few adjustments because I had about 1/2 a rotisserie chicken. Sautéed 1/2 an onion, then added the seasonings (left out the brown sugar for my low carb husband). Let them Bloom and then added the broth and salsa verde. Also added a can of black beans. Whole family liked it. Was very flexible to the different diets we have going on. Would make again.
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your comment! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious! Great flavors and balance.
Doubled the recipe but only did 1 1/2 cups of rice which was perfect.
Will definitely make this soup again.
Hi Maryn,
Wonderful! I really appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Delicious ! I added black beans, a jalapeño and roasted green chilis from New Mexico. used Mexican rice. Also put a little more chicken broth just to make it a little less spicy after my additions.
Hey Elizabeth,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
This recipe was really good!! The broth was delicious ? the only think I would do different next time would be add the broccoli and kale later on – but I’m someone who likes their veggies al Dante in soup. Such a fab soup – love everything Tieghan makes! ❤️
Hi Emily,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Delicious soup! I improvised a bit due to lack of some ingredients & it was lovely.
Hi Millie,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I typically make a chicken tortilla soup from Emeril’s recipe that is amazing, but I just received this cookbook for a birthday gift and this recipe looked fun and easy to try. I made the recipe and did not make any changes. You could definitely taste the enchilada sauce, and it didn’t quite taste like chicken tortilla soup. I will stick with my current recipe.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe Erin!
I love most of Tieghan’s recipes, but this one was a bit on the heavier side for me. I think instead of using 2 cups of rice, maybe 1 to 3/4 cups of rice is enough, the salsa verde with the spices tasted delicious, but it was just too heavy with the sour cream, tortilla strips, avocado, and rice. Again, I loved the broth, but a bit disappointed with the combination.
Hey Amanda,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry it was not enjoyed. xTieghan
Could this recipe be used in the crock pot??
Hey Hayden,
Sure, I would cook for 6-8 hours on low. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I made a similar recipe from your cookbook. It called for 18 minutes in the instant pot. This was my first time using one and it seemed to overcook the dish. The burn notification came on part of the way too. The chicken was over cooked but since it was shredded still tasted great. I feel like maybe I used the instant pot wrong? Should it be less time? I thought I followed everything right and I’ve made so many of your other dishes with no problem, any advice?
Hi Lauren! Oh no I’m so sorry about that! Maybe a different setting on the instant pot would be better? Thanks so much for the feedback! xxTieghan
The burn notification came on for me too, and I’ve used my InstaPot quite a few times. I’m sure that having a wee layer of liquid on the bottom (like 1/2 cup of water or so) would eliminate the problem (or sauteing the onions/garlic in oil prior to adding the chicken). I think the onions & garlic get stuck on the bottom of the insert.
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try Amy!! Sorry to hear about the burn notification. xTieghan
This soup was so very good. My family loved it…there wasn’t anything left in the pot. I used Swiss chard instead of kale because that’s all I had. Used uncooked rice…didn’t take the lid off the pot for 25 minutes like I’d normally cook rice. It was perfect. Thank you so much Tieghan!
Hey Polly! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
I made this tonight using your cookbook Half Baked Harvest Super Simple and it calls for uncooked rice. I didn’t cook at all. Pretty big quality control issue – do you have any input?
Hey Jessica,
So sorry I am unclear here, which recipe did you follow because they are two completely different recipes? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Hi, can this made the day before without the rice? What about the lime tortilla chips, can they be made the day before?
Hey Rebecca,
Yes, both are okay to be made a day in advance. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan