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Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Warm, hearty, and easy to make, this Chicken Tortilla Soup is filled with spices, fresh lime, and is perfect for meal prep or weeknight dinners.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex
Calories: 310
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients
  • 1 can 15oz can black beans (drained and rinsed)
  • 1 can 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1.5 cups frozen corn (canned or fresh corn works too)
  • 2 pieces bell peppers (chopped) (any color)
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth Use low-sodium optional
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs)
  • 0.25 cup fresh cilantro (finely chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice (1 lime)
  • 6 small corn tortillas (cut thinly into strips)
  • Olive oil, coconut oil or avocado oil (for frying)
Toppings
  • Greek yogurt for serving
  • sour cream for serving
  • avocado for serving
  • cilantro for serving
  • red onion for serving

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Add the black beans, tomatoes, corn, peppers, garlic, broth, and spices to a crock pot and stir to combine.
  2. Nestle the uncooked chicken in the soup so that it’s fully covered.
Cooking
  1. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
  2. Remove the chicken from the soup and use two forks to pull it apart. Place the shredded chicken back in the soup with the lime juice and chopped cilantro and stir well.
  3. For the tortilla strips, thinly slice corn tortillas into skinny strips. Drizzle enough oil in the bottom of a medium pan to cover the bottom and heat over medium-high. Fry the tortilla strips in batches for 45 seconds on each side, until golden and crispy. Transfer to paper towel to cool slightly.
Serving
  1. Serve warm with sliced avocado, cilantro, lime juice and crispy tortilla strips.

Notes

Tortilla soup stays fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. For other meal prep ideas and bowls, see the chicken enchilada bowls post.