Chicken & Rice Tortilla Soup

This Chicken & Rice Tortilla Soup is a really easy dinner when you want something warm and cozy without a ton of work. Everything cooks together, then the chicken gets shredded while the rest of the soup is blended until smooth and ladled over rice. I used a pressure cooker for the quickest version, but I’ve included stovetop and slow cooker instructions below so you can make it with whatever you have on hand.

The corn tortillas do a little more than just add flavour here. As they cook, the masa from the tortillas naturally thickens the soup and gives it that smooth, slightly creamy texture without needing any cream or flour.

It’s quick, simple, and easy to customize depending on how spicy you want it or what toppings you have on hand. I like mine with avocado, crema, cilantro, tortilla chips, and plenty of fresh lime.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The corn tortilla hack: The tortillas blend right into the soup, and the masa naturally thickens everything up without needing flour or cream, so it’s naturally gluten-free!
• Great for using up leftovers: It’s an easy way to use leftover rice or tortillas that are about to go stale.
• Completely customizable: Keep the toppings simple or load it up with avocado, crema, cilantro, tortilla chips, lime, and whatever else you like.
• Mostly hands-off: Once everything is in the pressure cooker, you can walk away and do something else while dinner cooks.

Ingredients

Tortilla Soup

• 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 jalapeño, most seeds removed depending on your spice preference, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 small corn tortillas, roughly chopped
• 1 (28 oz) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 cups chicken broth
• Juice from ½ lime

For Serving

• 2 cups cooked rice
• Crushed tortilla chips/strips
• Diced avocado
• Mexican crema or sour cream
• Torn cilantro
• Lime wedges
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Prep Steps

Everything for this recipe can be chopped pretty roughly since it all gets blended!

• Peel and roughly chop the carrot and onion.
• Roughly chop the red bell pepper.
• Chop the jalapeño, removing all of the seeds for less heat or keeping some of the seeds for more heat.
• Peel the garlic cloves—no need to mince them, they can go in whole.
• Chop or tear the corn tortillas into smaller pieces.
• Juice ½ of the lime and save the other half for garnish.
• Prep your fresh garnishes. I used diced avocado, torn cilantro, and fresh lime wedges!

How to Make It

Step One:

Add the carrots, onion, red bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, and corn tortillas to the pressure cooker.

Step Two:

Pour in the crushed tomatoes, place the chicken breasts on top of the veggies, then add the chicken broth and the seasonings—smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and bay leaves.

Step Three:

Secure the lid and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. Allow a natural release of the steam for about 10 minutes, then carefully use the quick release button to release any remaining pressure.

Step Four:

Remove the chicken breasts and bay leaves from the pot. Discard the bay leaves and set the chicken aside.

Step Five:

Blend the soup until very smooth, either with an immersion blender directly in the pressure cooker or by carefully transferring to a blender and blending until smooth. If using a conventional blender, make sure the lid is vented so the heat can escape.

Step Six:

Stir in the lime juice, then taste and add salt if needed.

Step Seven:

Shred the chicken and stir it back into the soup. Let it warm through for a minute or two if needed.

Step Eight:

Add cooked rice to each bowl and ladle the tortilla soup over top. Finish with crushed tortilla chips, avocado, crema, cilantro, fresh lime wedges, and

Cooking Notes

Click the arrow to expand the section you need!

Slow Cooker/Crockpot Instructions

1. Add the carrots, onion, red bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, and corn tortillas to the slow cooker.
2. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, place the chicken breasts on top of the veggies, then add the chicken broth and the seasonings—smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and bay leaves.
3. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are very tender.
4. Remove the chicken breasts and bay leaves. Discard the bay leaves and set the chicken aside.
5. Blend the soup until very smooth, either with an immersion blender directly in the slow cooker or by carefully transferring to a blender and blending until smooth. If using a conventional blender, make sure the lid is vented so the heat can escape.
6. Stir in the lime juice, then taste and adjust the salt as needed.
7. Shred the chicken and stir it back into the soup. Cover for a few minutes to warm through if needed.
8. Add cooked rice to each bowl and ladle the tortilla soup over top. Finish with crushed tortilla chips, avocado, crema, cilantro, and fresh lime wedges.

Stovetop Instructions

1. Add the carrots, onion, red bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, and corn tortillas to a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot.
2. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, place the chicken breasts on top of the veggies, then add the chicken broth and the seasonings—smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and bay leaves.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are very tender.
4. Remove the chicken breasts and bay leaves from the pot. Discard the bay leaves and set the chicken aside.
5. Blend the soup until very smooth, either with an immersion blender directly in the pot or by carefully transferring to a blender and blending until smooth. If using a conventional blender, make sure the lid is vented so the heat can escape.
6. Stir in the lime juice, then taste and adjust the salt as needed.
7. Shred the chicken and stir it back into the soup. Let it warm through for a minute or two if needed.
8. Add cooked rice to each bowl and ladle the tortilla soup over top. Finish with crushed tortilla chips, avocado, crema, cilantro, and fresh lime wedges.

Substitutions You Can Try

Chicken breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work too. They may need a little extra time depending on their size.

Chicken broth: Vegetable broth will also work, although the flavour will be a little different.

Jalapeño: Use less for a milder soup, keep some of the seeds for more heat, or swap it for another mild pepper like a poblano.

Fire-roasted crushed tomatoes: Regular crushed tomatoes can be used if that’s what you have.

Corn tortillas: Yellow or white corn tortillas both work well here.

Rice: Use any cooked rice you like. White rice, brown rice, or leftover rice all work.

Toppings: Avocado, crema, cilantro, tortilla chips, and lime are my go-tos, but you can customize these however you like.

Storage & Reheating

Store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I recommend storing the rice and toppings separately so the rice doesn’t absorb too much of the broth and the garnishes stay fresh.

Reheat the soup gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave until warmed through. Add a splash of chicken broth or water if it thickens up in the fridge.

For freezing, let the soup cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Freeze the soup without the rice or toppings for the best texture. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

This is such an easy one to keep in your back pocket for a cozy dinner any night of the week.

If you make this soup, tag me (@britacooks)on Instagram or TikTok, I’d love to see your recreations. It also means so much when you leave a review in the comments below!

You can save this recipe for later on Pinterest, or head over to my YouTube channel to cook along with me while I walk through the whole recipe. And while you’re there, you’ll find plenty more recipes to try next!