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Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup: Best One-Pot Meal

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A hands-off, pantry-friendly slow cooker chicken tortilla soup that delivers deep, smoky flavor with minimal effort. Perfect for busy weeknights, meal prep, and customizable toppings.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 medium)
  • 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 10 oz can red enchilada sauce (mild)
  • 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
  • Salt and black pepper to taste (start with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper)
  • For serving: corn tortillas or tortilla chips, shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, diced avocado, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, sour cream or Greek yogurt, pickled jalapeños (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prep your ingredients: Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Drain and rinse the black beans. Open the cans of tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and broth.
  2. Layer everything in the slow cooker: Place the chicken breasts in the bottom. Add the diced onion and minced garlic on top. Pour in the fire-roasted tomatoes (with juices), enchilada sauce, drained black beans, and frozen corn. Sprinkle cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, and pepper over everything. Pour in the chicken broth. Do not stir.
  3. Cook low and slow: Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. Avoid lifting the lid during cooking.
  4. Shred the chicken: When cooking time is up, use two forks to shred the chicken right in the slow cooker. It should fall apart easily. If not, cook another 30 minutes on HIGH.
  5. Stir and adjust seasoning: Stir the soup. Taste and add more salt, lime juice, or cumin as needed. I usually add another 1/2 teaspoon salt and a generous squeeze of lime juice.
  6. Optional: Thicken the broth: For a thicker soup, ladle about 1 cup of broth (without solids) into a blender or use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Stir back into the pot.
  7. Toast the tortilla strips: Cut 4-6 corn tortillas into thin strips. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes until golden and crispy. Alternatively, use high-quality tortilla chips.
  8. Serve immediately: Ladle soup into bowls. Top with crispy tortilla strips, shredded cheese, diced avocado, sour cream, fresh cilantro, and a lime wedge. Let everyone customize their own bowl.

Notes

For best flavor, use fire-roasted tomatoes and Mexican oregano. Season in layers—adjust salt at the end. The soup thickens as it sits; add broth when reheating. Make ahead for even better flavor. For stovetop: simmer everything except chicken for 20 minutes, then add chicken and simmer 20-25 minutes until cooked through.

Nutrition

Keywords: slow cooker chicken tortilla soup, easy tortilla soup, one-pot meal, chicken soup, slow cooker soup, Mexican soup, healthy soup, gluten-free soup

Find it online: https://zorbmeal.com/easy-slow-cooker-chicken-tortilla-soup-best-one-pot-meal/