Mexican
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken, tomato, corn, and chiles simmer into a soup you finish with lime, crushed tortilla chips, and cheese. The dairy and the chips go on at the end so they do not dissolve in the pot.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 4 hr
- Total
- 4 hr 15 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- The soup cooks while you are out.
- Chips and cheese are a finish, not an 4-hour ingredient.
- Shredded chicken makes it a meal.
- Lime is what makes it taste finished.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Rough grocery estimate for the full recipe: about $12–$16 at a typical US supermarket. Prices vary by store, region, and season.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Put the chicken, salt, onion, tomatoes, corn, broth, chili powder, and cumin in the slow cooker.
- 2
Cover. Cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours 30 minutes. Leave the lid on.
- 3
The chicken should be 165°F. Shred it in the pot.
- 4
Stir in the lime juice. Taste for salt.
- 5
Ladle into bowls and top with tortilla chips, cheddar, and cilantro. The cheese melts on the hot soup. Do not add it at the start.
Pro tips
- Chips in the cooker turn to paste. They belong in the bowl.
- If the soup tastes flat, it needs lime or salt, not more chili powder.
- Breasts left on low all day get stringy. Use the 4-hour mark.
Easy substitutions
- Cheddar
- Skip it for a dairy-free bowl
- Tortilla chips
- Baked corn tortilla strips
- Chicken breast
- Thighs, same time
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate the soup without chips and cheese up to 3 days.
Reheating
Warm on the stove until steaming. Add fresh chips and cheese in the bowl.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 340
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Budget friendly · Slow Cooker · Gluten-Free, High Protein
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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