Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

This Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup is an easy and flavorful meal that will warm up the whole family! A delicious blend of creamy tomato-based soup that’s loaded with shredded chicken, veggies, spices and cheese. This soup is sure to become a household favorite!

There is the classic stovetop chicken tortilla soup and then there’s this creamy chicken tortilla soup. Both are equally delicious and hearty but some days you may want a creamier, thicker base for your soup, which is why this creamy version is the perfect solution! It is rich in flavor from all the seasonings and vegetables while luxuriously creamy from the cheeses. You definitely won’t be disappointed with this!

Why You’ll Love This Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Creamy and flavorful. The cream cheese and cheddar cheese in this recipe give the soup base an extra creamy and velvety texture. The taco seasoning brings out the flavors of the soup and it’s like a dance party for your taste buds!

Loaded with veggies. Corn, beans, and tomatoes are added into this soup giving lots of texture and bulk to the soup. You can even add in some baby kale or baby spinach if you wanted!

Versatile cooking methods. Having multiple cooking methods always makes a recipe more enticing. This recipe is written for the stovetop but you can also make this in the slow cooker as well.

Chicken doesn’t go to waste. A great way to use up rotisserie chicken is to shred it and add it into this soup for even more flavor!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here is a list of ingredients you will need to make creamy chicken tortilla soup. Make sure to scroll down to view the full recipe for more details.

• Onion
• Garlic
• Tomato paste
• Taco seasoning – I used a low sodium packet.
• Diced tomatoes with green chilies – this gives the soup a little extra spice. If you are sensitive to spice, you may swap this out for regular diced tomatoes.
• Black beans
• Corn
• Dried parsley
• Chicken broth
• Shredded chicken – rotisserie chicken works really well in here and gives it even more flavor. Alternatively, you can put two boneless skinless chicken breasts in the Instant Pot to cook and shred easily.
• Cream cheese
• Cheddar cheese
• Tortilla strips, for topping

How Do You Make Chicken Tortilla Soup Creamy?

The secret is using cream cheese and freshly grated cheddar cheese. You want freshly grated because it doesn’t have the extra gunk that manufacturers put on shredded cheeses in a bag to keep them fresh and not stick together. Freshly grated cheese melts so much nicer and you also won’t get that gritty texture. The cream cheese just brings it all together in an even creamier way!

How To Make Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Take a look at the recipe card below for detailed instructions on how to make chicken tortilla soup. For now, here are the basics.

Sauté the aromatics. Add onion and garlic to a heavy bottom pan and cook until fragrant.

Add the seasonings. Next, add the tomato paste along with the taco seasoning and stir to incorporate.

Make the soup. Add the diced tomatoes, black beans, corn, and dried parsley to the pot and stir. Pour the chicken broth into the pot and stir to incorporate. Bring mixture to a boil then a low simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken and cheeses. Once soup is heated through, add in the shredded chicken and stir to evenly disperse throughout the soup. Add the cheeses and allow it to melt into a smooth mixture with no clumps.

Substitutions and Variations

The beauty of this creamy chicken tortilla soup is you can customize it to your own tastes profiles. Want it more spicy? Add some cayenne pepper. Want to use another kind of protein? Shredded turkey would be great. Want more vegetables? Add kale leaves or another kind of bean.

Tips for Success

Here are a few of my tips and tricks to make this creamy chicken tortilla soup perfect!

• Use full fat cream cheese. The cream cheese gives this soup its creamy texture and you want to use the full fat version because it yields a creamier soup and also fat-free cream cheese is just kind of weird. Also, full fat versions will ensure that it melts better and not seize.
• Freshly grate your cheese. As mentioned above, grating your own cheese is always the way to go so you don’t get all that extra stuff that’s added to pre-shredded bagged cheeses.
• Season to taste. Always season to taste to your own flavor profile whether that be more salt, more spice, etc.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

If you have leftovers of chicken tortilla soup, here are ways to store and reheat.

• Storing: the soup will stay fresh for five days in the refrigerator when put into an airtight container.
• Reheating: to reheat, I typically like to reheat on the stovetop but microwave for about 45 seconds to 1 minute works just as well.
• Freezing: this soup freezes really well! Allow the soup to cool completely then put it into a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to three months. To reheat, thaw by bringing the soup to room temperature then reheat with the instructions above.

What to Serve with Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

My ideal way of serving this soup is with a slice of carb aka a slice of bread or tortilla! The bread gives you the ability to sop up all the creamy goodness from the soup. Here are some ideas:

• Homemade Flour Tortillas
• Extra Garlicky and Cheesy Bread
• Homemade Naan

More creamy and cozy soup recipes!

• Sausage Gnocchi Soup
• Cozy Vegan White Bean Soup
• Turkey and Dumpling Soup
• Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup