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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.

Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup | halfbakedharvest.com

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

French Onion Short Ribs

Crockpot Crispy Pork Ramen

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.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
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

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. 
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Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest
Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup | halfbakedharvest.com

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Comments

  1. 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

    1. 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

    1. 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

  2. 5 stars
    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!

    1. Hey Kim,
      Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan

  3. 5 stars
    We absolutely loved this recipe! Great flavor, easy to make, and healthy ingredients. This will be one of our new comfort foods 🙂

    1. Hi Carol,
      Fantastic!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! xxT

  4. 5 stars
    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.

    1. Hi Jennifer,
      Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your comment! xTieghan

  5. 5 stars
    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.

    1. Hi Maryn,
      Wonderful! I really appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan

    2. 5 stars
      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.

  6. 5 stars
    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! ❤️

    1. Hi Millie,
      Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

  7. 3 stars
    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.

  8. 3 stars
    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.

    1. 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

  9. 5 stars
    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?

    1. 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

    2. 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.

  10. 5 stars
    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!

  11. 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?

    1. 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

  12. Hi, can this made the day before without the rice? What about the lime tortilla chips, can they be made the day before?

    1. 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