Forget the heavy cream. The secret to this irresistibly Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup is hiding in two unexpected pantry staples: creamed corn and sour cream. Together they create a rich, velvety broth that lets the smoky Hatch chiles and warm Southwestern spices shine. A comforting one-pot meal you’ll crave on chilly evenings, yet it’s simple enough to pull together on a busy weeknight.
What You Can Expect From This Recipe
Chicken tortilla soup has become the “darling” of the Mexican soup world because it checks almost every box home cooks and restaurant diners love. It’s deeply flavorful, endlessly customizable, and built on ingredients that create layers of texture in every bite. It’s not considered one the oldest traditional Mexican soup, like Pozole, but more of a modern regional specialty soup.
My version of Chicken Tortilla Soup is inspired by my love for regional Southwestern Style Recipes, specifically New Mexico cuisine, rather than many versions you’ll find that lean towards Tex-Mex versions which can contain a heavy tomato broth base and can include beans and melted yellow cheese.
Why This Southwestern Version Works So Well
- Creamy: Rather than using heavy cream, my recipe uses sour cream. The reason sour cream is so prevalent in Southwestern recipes is because of it’s acidic flavor. It’s thick, spoonable, and it’s tangy bright flavor provides a cooling balance to spicy foods.
- Creamed Corn: Most recipes you’ll find use frozen, fresh or canned corn kernels. That’s more of a Mexican or Tex-Mex version. I use undrained creamed corn for a smoother texture and creamier end texture to the soup.
- It’s Fast: Thanks to the convenience of canned goods, this stovetop version is an easy fix, worthy of a weeknight meal planning. It’s on the table in about 45 minutes.
- Chicken Breast: So many versions instruct to save time by using rotisserie chicken. Which I believe brings some unnecessary injected non-Southwestern flavor to the soup. Keep the flavors cleaner by using boneless, skinless chicken breast to soak up the pure Southwestern seasonings.
- Chop don’t shred: I like to chop the chicken breast in bite sized pieces rather than cooking the chicken first and then shredding. I like the texture better in this soup than the mushier texture of thin shredded chicken. And it’s easier to eat.
- New Mexico Chile Peppers: Tex-Mex versions use poblano or jalapeno peppers. This recipe stays purely Southwestern by using Hatch Chile Peppers and to enhance the experience, and New Mexico Chimayo Red Chile Powder.
Tortilla soup is a perfect bowl of soup to cozy up to. Let’s take a look.
Table of contents
Key Ingredients
- Creamed Corn
- Canned Chopped Tomatoes: Fire roasted tomatoes are always a good choice.
- Rotel Tomatoes: The can marked “original” is what I buy. It packs some heat, so start with ¼ can then add more to the level of your heat tolerance.
- Roasted Hatch Chile Peppers, or Pueblo Chiles. To learn about the difference between the two, check out my article Pueblo Chiles vs. Hatch Chiles.
- Sour Cream, use full fat please. It makes the soup smoother and creamier than reduced fat.
- Spices: Ground cumin, Chimayo chile powder, chili seasoning and Mexican oregano.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Ingredient Subs and Swaps
- You’ll find Chimayo Chile Powder listed in this recipe, which can be difficult to find. But please don’t let that stop you from making this tortilla soup. You can simply substitute Ancho Chile Powder, which is a milder version of red chile powder and if you’re after the heat of Chimayo, try a pinch of cayenne. Chipotle Chile powder will give it a smoky flavor.
- I also include regular Chili Powder in this recipe. Chili powder with an “i” is a blend of spices and a mixture we commonly use to season Beef Chili Soup. Check out my post for Chili vs. Chile to learn more about the differences.
- Please look for Mexican Oregano next time you’re in the store. And keep a supply on hand whenever you cooking up any Southwestern themed recipe. Mexican oregano is different than traditional “regular” oregano as it has a grassy and citrus note, rather than the sweater and anise flavors of Mediterranean oregano. Its flavor profile is well suited for Mexican food. Taste them side by side sometime. If you don’t have Mexican oregano, substitute Marjoram rather than Mediterranean oregano. Marjoram follows suite with the citrus flavor notes.
- Chicken Thighs: Even though chicken breasts are traditional for this soup, feel free to substitute boneless-skinless chicken thighs. They have more fat and will bring more flavor to the recipe.
- Mexican Crema: Ever try it? You’ll find it in the Mexican produce section, its lighter in texture and carries a tangy flavor and is thinner in consistency to American style sour cream.
Popular Toppings For Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Avocado, sliced or chopped
- Purchased or homemade tortilla strips, or crushed tortilla chips.
- Jalapeno peppers, sliced
- Chopped cilantro
- Cheese: Keep this recipe fresher by sprinkling on Cotija cheese. It’s a fresh Mexican crumbling cheese. It’s my choice rather than a greasier heavy cheese like shredded cheese like cheddar.
- Fresh limes for squeezing.
Step By Step Instructions
- Step 1: Heat a Dutch oven or your favorite soup pot over medium high heat. Once the pot is hot, add the oil. Once softened, add chicken. Don’t stir for 2 minutes, allowing the chicken to obtain a sear on one side. Stir the chicken and let cook 3 more minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. About 1 minute.
- Step 2: Turn down heat a bit, pour in chicken broth and add spices. Let this simmer for about 5 minutes to blend flavors.
- Step 3: Add canned tomatoes, part of the can of Rotel tomatoes, creamed corn and chopped chile peppers. Give it a good stir and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes. It’s ready to serve.
What To Serve It With
- Try serving it with my popular recipe for Cheesy Cornbread.
- Soup and salad are natural partners. My Southwestern Salad works well here.
- Warmed corn or flour tortillas are a good substitution for tortilla strips.
Tips for Success
- The first few times I tested this recipe, I stirred the sour cream into boiling soup at the end. It separated slightly and looked grainy. Now I always add a dollop to the hot soup once it’s served. The texture stays perfectly silky.
- Raw boneless skinless chicken breasts can be ornery to cut up. Place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes for easier work.
- Use leftover chicken: I use raw chicken breast and cook it right in the soup. But if you have leftover roast chicken just cut it into pieces and add to soup during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Adjust the spice: The beauty of cooking with chile peppers and chile powders is that you can choose your level of spice tolerance. Choose mild, medium or hot.
- If using avocado as a topper, wait until the last minute to cut it. Avocados are notorious for browning quickly.
Make Ahead, Storage and Freezing
- Make Ahead: We all know soups always taste better the next day. Make this soup a day in advance, refrigerate and gently reheat stove-top the next day. Wait to add sour cream and toppers until ready to serve.
- Refrigerator: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: This soup freezes very well, minus the sour cream. I like using zip-lock style freezer bags. Just stand it up, spoon in any left over soup, seal well, and lay flat to optimize freezer space. Remember to label and date. It will keep up to three months.
- Reheating: Reheat individual servings in the microwave. The 50% power feature is your best friend. Place soup in a microwave safe bowl. For a gentle, no-splatter method, reheat in 30 second increments at 50% power until hot. You can also reheat in a sauce pan, over low heat on the stovetop. Again, add the sour cream and toppings after you’ve heated.
FAQ’s
If you’d like it a little thicker, add a tablespoon or two of masa harina. Masa harina is a traditional Mexican flour used to make tortillas. Just whisk in towards the end of cooking until well blended.
You can. I prefer chicken breasts. It takes about the same amount of time to cut up chicken breast as it does to remove rotisserie chicken from the bone and shred. Rotisserie chicken can carry a flavor profile that may change the end flavor result.
You most certainly can. But keep in mind, the cream corn participates in making this a creamy chicken tortilla soup. Frozen kernels make this more of a Tex-Mex style soup.
More than likely you may have added it to the cooking soup towards the end. The heat of the simmering soup causes sour cream to “break”. The time it takes to ladle the soup into room temperature bowls, will cool everthing down a bit. That’s the time to add the sour cream.
Explore More Southwestern Soup Recipes
If you love soups as much as we do, check out my Soup Category. You’ll find lots of delicious cozy comfort food recipes, including the most popular on my site of Hatch Green Chili Colorado.
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Southwestern Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Neutral oil Such as canola, vegetable oil or avocado oil.
- 1 ¼ pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 large sweet onion chopped, about two cups
- 4 cloves garlic diced
- 30 ounces chicken stock homemade or canned broth. Use either two cans of chicken stock, or a 32 ounce box container.
- 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Mexican Oregano or marjoram
- ½ teaspoon Chimayo Chile powder A single belnd red chile powder
- 1 teaspoon Chili seasoning A blend of spices used to season chili soup
- 15 ounce can chopped tomatoes undrained
- ½ can Rotel tomatoes undrained.
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt or more if needed
- 14.74 ounce can creamed style corn undrained
- 4 whole Hatch chile peppers roasted, peeled and chopped. Or 1 -4 ounce can chopped green chiles.
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add chopped onions and cook until starting to turn tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the pieces of chicken. Don't crowd the meat and don't stir for 2 minutes, allowing the chicken to obtain a sear on one side. Stir the chicken and let cook 3 more minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. About 30 seconds.
- Turn down heat a bit, pour in chicken broth and add spices. Let this simmer for about 5 minutes to blend flavors. Add kosher salt to taste.
- Add canned tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes, creamed corn and chopped chile peppers. Give it a good stir and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if need, it's ready to serve.
- Ladle soup into soup bowls. Quickly spoon in a generous dollop of sour cream. Top with hand crushed corn chips or multi-colored tortilla strips, diced or sliced avocado, chopped cilantro, sliced jalapeno peppers. A squeeze of lime to brighten flavor.
Notes
- The first few times I tested this recipe, I stirred the sour cream into boiling soup at the end. It separated slightly and looked grainy. Now I always add a dollop to the hot soup once it’s served. The texture stays perfectly silky.
- Raw Boneless skinless chicken breasts can be ornery to cut up. Place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes for easier work.
- Use leftover chicken: I use raw chicken breast and cook it right in the soup. But if you have leftover roast chicken just cut it into pieces and add to soup during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Adjust the spice: The beauty of cooking with chile peppers and chile powders is that you can choose your level of spice tolerance. Choose mild, medium or hot.
- If using avocado as a topper, wait until the last minute to cut it. Avocados are notorious for browning quickly.
Nutrition
Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe … It’s What’s For Dinner
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
Lea Ann did you receive my recipe for Chile rellenos? let me know please.?
Thanks
Katherine
What a wonderful tortilla soup. Love the idea of the creamed corn to make it a little creamier, along with the necessary sour cream, of course. 🙂 A perfect soup for this chilly weather. Hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season!