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This simple Crockpot Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup is the perfect bowl of wholesome, filling soup to warm up to on the coldest of days. Made easily with a mix of chicken, spices, red enchilada sauce, broth, and cilantro. Mix in rice and top each bowl off with plenty of cheddar cheese, lime, and avocado. And of course, plenty of salty tortilla chips. The toppings are key!
If there’s a soup I make on repeat every single winter, it’s my chicken tortilla soup. Everyone, including my dad, who is not typically someone who enjoys soup, loves this easy dinner.
It’s actually one of the very first soups I ever made back when I started cooking in middle school. All I had on hand were a couple of cans of enchilada sauce, chicken broth, and chicken. I threw the ingredients into the crockpot and let everything slow cook with a touch of cumin too.
I had rice in the fridge at the time, so I added that to my soup base just before serving. Ever since then, I simply cannot make tortilla soup without rice. It creates the perfect bowl along with all those chips on top too!
I obviously don’t make tortilla soup the traditional way, but this still hits all the same flavor notes and it’s so delicious!
Plus I absolutely love that I can throw everything into the crockpot in the morning, no searing chicken or anything, and come home to a delicious dinner at night. That’s so easy, right? So I adore this recipe and I’m excitedly revisiting it for everyone today!
Details
All you need for this is an onion, some jalapeños, garlic, chicken, enchilada sauce, seasonings, rice, and chips. Layer the onion, jalapeños, and garlic in the crockpot. Then add the chicken, the enchilada sauce, and broth. Cover and cook!
It really is that easy. Shred the chicken once done cooking. From here you can either stir the rice into the soup or add the rice to bowls and ladle the soup over the rice.
Either or, it’s delicious.
If it’s easier for you, you can also make this in the instant pot or on the stove. I added directions for both.
And most importantly, the toppings.
I layer a thick layer of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, a dollop of Greek yogurt, and then sliced avocado. Then sprinkle on lots of fresh cilantro and green onions. Oh, and it’s definitely optional, but I love to do a quick mango salsa and add that on top as well. It’s so delicious!
A wonderful soup to warm up with!
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 Crockpot Spicy Chicken 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!
Crockpot Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 281 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2-3 teaspoons taco seasoning
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 3 cups red enchilada sauce
- 3-4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1-2 cups cooked white or brown rice
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- tortilla chips, for serving
- yogurt, shredded cheddar, avocado, mango salsa, and green onion, for serving
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, layer the onion, jalapeños, and garlic. Add the chicken, cumin, taco seasoning, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Pour over the enchilada sauce and 3 cups of broth. 2. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the rice, cilantro, and lime juice. 3. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with tortilla chips. Then finish as desired with a dollop of yogurt, cheese, green onions, mango, and cilantro. Enjoy!
Stove-Top
- 1. In a large soup pot, cook the onion, jalapeños, and garlic with 2 tablespoons olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the chicken, cumin, taco seasoning, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Pour over the enchilada sauce and 3 cups of broth. 2. Set over medium heat and bring to a simmer, cook 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the rice, cilantro, and lime juice. 3. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with tortilla chips. Then finish as desired with a dollop of yogurt, cheese, green onions, mango, and cilantro. Enjoy!
Instant Pot
- 1. In the bowl of your instant pot, layer the onion, jalapeños, and garlic. Add the chicken, cumin, taco seasoning, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Pour over the enchilada sauce and 3 cups of broth. 2. Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Release the steam. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the rice, cilantro, and lime juice. 3. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with tortilla chips. Then finish as desired with a dollop of yogurt, cheese, green onions, mango, and cilantro. Enjoy!
This was really a take it or leave it for me. I used the instant pot recipe and I really enjoyed that it was so easy. however, the end result is really a soup that tastes primarily like your enchilada sauce and is heavily dependent on the toppings you choose. Homemade tortilla chips, enchilada sauce, etc, would have kicked this recipe up a notch, but would also detract from the simplicity. If I were to make again, I would probably serve with corn quesadillas made with a mix of Monterrey jack and cheddar and soft Mexican cheese for saltiness. Also felt like this could have used beans in the soup.
We served with Inca corn, which are kind of like giant corn nuts, which added some crunchy texture.
Hey Breanna,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your comment! xx
Made it for dinner tonight and it was so yummy! So glad I found this. I didn’t add too much cheese since I’m not a cheese girl but the taco seasoning and enchilada sauce definitely made the difference
Hi Sophia,
So glad to hear this! Thanks for making this dish and your comment! Have a great Thursday! xT
Hi – I’ve made this several times when family comes into town, it’s always a hit! But I’m curious to make it in the Instant Pot..if I doubled the recipe should I double the time?
Thanks!
Hi Krysten! Yes, you can make it in the Instant Pot! 🙂 xT
This was really delicious and very spicy! I wasn’t sure about the 3 cups of enchilada sauce, but in fact they and the rice gave the soup a perfect consistency. Definitely one I’ll be making again!
Hi Helen! Thank you SO much! I always love reading comments and seeing that the recipe was a success! Have a great day! 🙂 xT
Easy and delicious! Great for a sunny but freezing cold day in Austin. It was a hit – will make again. Thank you!
Thank you for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have a great rest of your week! 🙂 xT
Delish! Snowy in NJ and this soup was a perfect ending to the day. Followed to a T basically and it will be a new favorite for us. Added a sprinkle Of cheddar cheese on top and yum. I put the rice in cold as it didn’t say otherwise but next time I may heat it up a bit first. Also added half a lime before cooking and let chicken marinade overnight in all the spices to make am easier on myself. Put a little adobo also instead of salt. Thanks for sharing this goodness!
Hi there! SO happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for trying it out, and have a cozy week! 🙂 xT
A little spicy but so tasty!! Thanks for the recipe!
Hey! Thank you so much for trying the recipe out! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! 🙂 xT
Love this soup! Made it in the crockpot following recipe exactly and it was VERY yummy! Quick question…next time I wanted to try it with black beans and frozen corn, but without the rice. At what point (in the crockpot) would I add the canned black beans and frozen corn? Thank you! I also recently got your latest cookbook and am so enjoying it!
Hi there! I would add it about 20 mins before the soup finishes cooking! Hope this helps! 🙂 xT
Super easy to make in the instant pot, very delicious
Thank you so much for trying out this recipe! So glad it was an easy and delicious recipe for you! xT
Absolutely delicious. I made this in the crock pot, following the directions exactly. This was the perfect recipe for my family as my husband doesn’t care for beans – so the rice fot the bill. Thank you!
This recipe is sorely lacking beans. I added a can of rinsed black beans after trying a spoonful of the soup. Could do one better and add some corn as well. I think the rice adds nothing and there’s a reason it isn’t a standard ingredient in chicken tortilla soup.
Thank you for this feedback CJ! I appreciate it! 🙂 xT
Sounds great
Thank you!!
If I add leftover rotisserie chicken instead of raw chicken breasts to this recipe, how would you adjust the cooking time for stovetop or insta pot?