~ Absolutely a family favorite! This deliciously hearty, super-easy tortilla soup is full of yummy Mexican flavors! Just toss everything in the slow cooker, and you’ll have an amazing dinner waiting! Filling and so nutritious … you’ll be making this crock-pot chicken taco soup again and again! ~
First off, we need to get one thing straight. The title of this recipe is Crock-Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup.
“Yes, Gretchen,” you say. “That’s what I read.”
“No, no,” I say. “I’m pretty sure you aren’t saying it right.”
I promised my youngest that I would tell the world how to properly pronounce this.
In our house, this is called Crock-Pot Chicken TOR-TILLLL-LLA Soup.
You’ve got to pronounce all the Ls there.
So it’s tortillllla. Not tor-tee-a. Tor-til-la.
And so, for the rest of your life (or just today if that works better for you) … you’ve gotta humor my kiddo and say tort-tilll-lla. Thank you. 🙂
Mmmmmkay. Moving on …
So, a few years ago, I had made an enormous batch of 3-Ingredient Crock-Pot Chicken Tacos. Can ya blame me?! It’s so incredibly simple! A family fave at our house, for sure! My kids beg for it!
Anyhoo, we happened to have loads of leftovers. (And I love leftovers. We actually try to cook big a few days each week so that we can have yummy leftovers to grab on those really busy evenings.)
So we had lots of taco chicken left over … and I decided I wanted to change things up a bit. I’d had chicken tortilla soup before, but hadn’t ever tried to make it myself. Since I had a little time that day … I figured, why not? I’ll try making my own.
Call it luck … call it what you want … but it was so delicious the very first time I made it! Don’t you love that?!?
I can remember standing over my stove top. (Yes, my very first version simmered for several hours on the stove. But as my kids are getting older and more involved in lots of after-school activities, I just don’t have time to stand and stir. Know what I mean?)
I remember breathing in that fantastic aroma. Tasting it repeatedly. Mmmmm …
And when I served it for dinner that night, my family (who, you’ll recall, LOVES chicken tacos) enthusiastically told me they LOVED this, too … and were hoping for leftovers!
Is that not the best compliment ever? They love it so much, they want to eat it two days in a row!
I’ve been making it for years now, and once I shared it with Shelley … we knew it was totally THKable!
So the only trick was adapting this for the slow cooker. (And, of course, rewriting it from the beginning for those who don’t always happen to have leftover 3-Ingredient Chicken Taco meat in their fridge like I do.)
Shelley and I had put this recipe on the calendar to share in the fall – it’s just so warming and toasty and really hearty – perfect for a chilly day.
Well. You know what season comes right before fall? That’s right. Summer.
And summer was when I was doing the final testing of this recipe.
Now, you may be thinking, “Ugh! Hot soup on a hot day?! How awful!”
But … you’d be wrong.
In fact, on a recent 90º day, my little one asked what was for dinner. When I told her Chicken Tor-til-la Soup, she cheered. Like, literally cheered. Jumping and squealing and carrying on. So super excited.
Honestly, I was really excited, too. It had been a crazy day, and I hadn’t been home much. So to come home to a dinner that was all set – it was truly a gift. (I mean, it wasn’t wrapped in a little blue box, but it was still like a gift!)
So if you’re looking for an awesomely-easy, supremely-delicious, fantastically-family-pleasing crock-pot chicken tortilla soup recipe, one that gives you a warm hug and is ready when you are … you’ve come to the right place!
I’m so thrilled to share this recipe with you (another one of our easy crockpot chicken recipes that’ll make your life easier!) … and I just know that your family will cheer for you when you make it, too! Total win!
Pssssst … if you’d like some side dish ideas to round out your meal, we’ve got a delicious collection of sides to accompany our Taco Soup, which would all pair perfectly with this Chicken Tortilla Soup, too!
And please … just remember how to pronounce it properly. TOR-TILLLL-LLA … I’m thinkin’ it’ll catch on eventually!
While We’re Talking Mexican … You’ve Gotta Check Out:
- Easy Mexican Ravioli Lasagna (Just 5 Ingredients and No Thawing or Boiling!)
- Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls
- Easy Taco Soup with Ranch
- Mexican Fiesta Black Bean Hummus
- Chicken Fajita Quinoa Bake (No Pre-Cooking!)
- Tex-Mex Taco Burgers with Creamy Salsa Dressing
Crock-Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
A deliciously hearty, super-easy slow cooker tortilla soup! Loaded with Mexican flavors, this healthy crock-pot chicken taco soup is a family favorite!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 (1.25-ounce) packet low-sodium taco seasoning (see note)
- 1 (16-ounce) jar of your favorite salsa
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1 (12-ounce) bag frozen corn kernels
- 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies (such as Ro-Tel)
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 corn tortillas, cut into 2-inch strips
- For serving: optional toppings such as shredded cheese, green onions, chopped avocados, reduced-fat sour cream, and chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Place chicken in slow cooker. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and then pour salsa on top.
- Add chicken broth, water, black beans, corn, tomatoes with chilies, quinoa, tomato paste, cumin, and salt.
- Stir to incorporate tomato paste.
- Cook on high for 5-6 hours, or on low for 7-8 hours.
- Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with two forks.
- Stir shredded chicken back into soup, as well as tortilla strips.
- Serve with shredded cheese, green onions, avocados, reduced-fat sour cream, cilantro, or other additional toppings, if desired.
Notes
Taco seasoning: We recommend avoiding taco seasoning mixes that contain MSG. Also, there are differences in the amounts of sodium (and other ingredients) in various brands, so it’s a good idea to read the nutrition information for the brands offered at your store.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 15 servings Serving Size: 1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 201Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 698mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 5gSugar: 4gProtein: 20g
Nutrition calculation does not include optional toppings. Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only, and may additionally vary depending on your choice of ingredients or preparation. No guarantees are made regarding allergies or dietary needs. Always consult a physician or dietician for specific advice and questions.
Hi! I make similar chicken tacos and always have tons of leftovers that go wasted. If, say, I had said leftover chicken and wanted to make this in the crockpot, would I cook it less time? Would the quinoa have enough time to cook? Thanks in advance. I’ve never used quinoa before, ever.
Hi Jana! Great question! We’ve never specifically tried doing this, so I’m not 100% sure on how it would work — but, based on similar recipes, I think you should be able to get away with cooking it for slightly less time. Cook time becomes less of an issue when you’re not worried about getting the chicken cooked. 🙂 However, in a crock pot, quinoa can still take a couple of hours to cook fully and get that really nice texture. (Exact time will depend on how big your crock pot is and whether you’re cooking it on low or high.) Since the chicken will be swimming around in tons of broth, there shouldn’t be any real worry about overcooking it — so you shouldn’t have any issue if you cook the soup for the recommended time, even using precooked chicken. But of you’re looking to shave some time off the recipe, you should be able to make that work as well. The first time you try it, you’ll want to check the quinoa at various intervals so you can make sure to catch it after the least amount of cook time possible.
Alternately, if you’re really looking to cut out some time, you could either cook the quinoa separately on the stove and then add it to the crock pot, or leave the quinoa out altogether. I really love the health kick and extra layers of texture this recipe gets from the quinoa, but it’s not an essential ingredient. With either of these modifications, there would really be no need to cook the soup in the crock pot at all. You could just add all the ingredients into a pot and simmer on the stove just long enough to heat everything through and let the flavors meld together a little bit. Since chicken and quinoa are the only really “raw” ingredients here, once you get both cooked, you can pretty much just throw all the ingredients together and let them mingle for a little while.
Hope this is helpful! Be sure to reach with any other questions and to let us know how it worked out for you! 🙂 ~Amy
P.S. So exciting to be trying quinoa for the first time! If you’re looking for some tips and tricks, be sure to check out our post on how to cook quinoa! And if you end up falling in love (like I’m sure you will!), we’ve got you covered with some other great quinoa recipes, too! 😉
I was searching for healthy family dishes to make for my neighbor’s family – she just had surgery. This looked easy, so I doubled the recipe so my family could try it too. It’s delicious! And I love that it’s lower in sodium that most soups. I’m in Fla. and it’s still HOT in Oct., but we got a glimpse of fall today ( temp was below 70 this AM 🙂 I’ll be making this recipe a lot this winter! Thanks for sharing.
What a sweet friend you are to help out your neighbor’s family like this – I’m so happy to know that our recipe played a small part in your efforts to lend a hand and make someone’s day easier! And, I’m thrilled that this soup was such a hit! 😀 Gotta say, though … I’m a bit jealous of those Florida temps – I spend several hours yesterday prepping plants to go into the greenhouse for the winter, as we had our first freeze warnings here in Ohio last night. Definitely soup season here!! ~Shelley
Oh! And just a thought, but if you love EASY (and yummy!) slow cooker soups as much as I do, we have a few more recipes you might enjoy trying this winter. Our Crock-Pot Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder and Crock-Pot Southwestern Corn Chowder with Chicken and Green Chiles both make big batches for sharing, and are even freezable! Plus, they’re basically dump-and-go recipes – really a snap to make! Or, try our super-easy Crock-Pot Italian Wedding Soup – it’s a quick and simple spin on one of my kids’ faves. Hope you enjoy these ideas, too – and thanks for taking a moment to leave me such a sweet comment with great feedback – really appreciate it! ~Shelley
I’ve made tortilla soup but never with quinoa. What does the quinoa add to the soup?
Hi Gretel! Great question! The quinoa mostly adds a bit of an additional nutrition boost in this (already-healthy) tortilla soup. There’s not a LOT of quinoa in there, so it’s maybe adding just a little bit of body, but really, if you don’t happen to have it on hand, I think you’ll be ok omitting it, too. We just love slipping quinoa into things like soups and chilis for the additional protein and fiber, plus a little boost in the potassium, magnesium and iron. (You can read more about all that in our post on How to Cook Quinoa and Why You Should – if you’re really interested. Basically, it’s an easy trick for a little nutrition boost in lots of recipes. Again, though, we’re not talking about a really major amount of quinoa in this particular tortilla soup, so don’t worry if you want to leave it out. Hope that helps! And thanks for the terrific question! ~Shelley