15 Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup to Try Tonight

Chicken tortilla soup is the kind of meal that turns a chilly evening into something worth looking forward to: a smoky, tomato-rich broth loaded with tender shredded chicken, black beans and sweetcorn, finished with crunchy tortilla strips and a squeeze of lime. Below are 15 ways to make it, from a classic stovetop pot to slow-cooker, Instant Pot and budget-friendly versions, so there's a version for whatever night you're having. Every variation uses the same reliable base technique, just with one or two ingredients or a cooking method swapped, so once you've made it once you can riff on it forever.

This is the base recipe everything else on the list builds from: onion, garlic and jalapeño sautéed in olive oil, bloomed with cumin, chilli powder and smoked paprika, then simmered with tinned tomatoes and chicken stock until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily. Poaching the chicken directly in the broth rather than cooking it separately means every strand soaks up flavour, and the poaching liquid becomes the soup itself. Finish with lime juice and coriander stirred in off the heat so they stay bright rather than turning dull and bitter.

For the fastest route to the table, swap the poached chicken breasts for 420 g (3 cups) shredded rotisserie chicken stirred in at the end, and use a 450 g (16 oz) jar of your favourite salsa in place of the tinned tomatoes and half the spices. Because the chicken is already cooked, the whole pot goes from stovetop to bowl in under 25 minutes. This is the version to reach for on a Tuesday when you want a from-scratch dinner without much from-scratch effort.

Bulk this one up with 250 g (1 1/3 cups) cooked long-grain rice or a drained 400 g tin of pinto beans stirred in alongside the black beans, so the soup eats more like a stew. A 15 g (1 tbsp) portion of masa harina whisked with a little warm water and stirred in during the last five minutes thickens the broth and adds a subtle corn-tortilla flavour that plain cornflour can't. Serve it in deep bowls with extra tortilla chips crumbled over the top for a meal that needs nothing else alongside it.

Move the whole classic recipe into a slow cooker: sauté the onion, garlic and spices in a pan first for five minutes to wake up their flavour, then tip everything except the beans, corn, lime and coriander into the slow cooker with two whole chicken breasts left uncut. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours, until the chicken shreds with a fork straight in the pot. Stir in the beans, corn, lime and coriander for the last 15 minutes so they heat through without turning mushy.

Stir 115 g (4 oz) softened cream cheese or 120 ml (1/2 cup) double cream into the finished soup off the heat, whisking until fully smooth before it goes back on low heat to warm through. Adding dairy after the soup has stopped boiling keeps it silky instead of splitting. This version pairs particularly well with a handful of crushed tortilla chips stirred through the bowl, since the starch thickens the creamy broth even further as it sits.

Strip the recipe back to six ingredients: chicken stock, tinned diced tomatoes with green chillies, cooked shredded chicken, frozen sweetcorn, taco seasoning and tortilla strips. Simmer the stock, tomatoes and taco seasoning for 10 minutes, add the chicken and corn, then heat through for another five. It's not the most complex pot of soup you'll make, but it proves how few ingredients you actually need for a bowl that tastes properly seasoned.

Whisk 200 g (about 1 1/2 cups) shredded Monterey Jack or pepper jack into the hot broth in handfuls off direct heat, stirring until each addition melts before adding the next, so the cheese doesn't clump or turn grainy. A pinch of extra chilli powder balances the richness the cheese adds. Ladle into bowls and top with a little more cheese so it forms a melty layer as it hits the hot soup.

Deepen the broth with 15 g (1 tbsp) tomato purée fried with the spices for a minute before the liquid goes in, plus a bay leaf and a strip of orange zest left to simmer with the soup and removed before serving. These small additions round out the flavour without adding heat, making this the bowl to reach for when you want something that tastes like it simmered all afternoon. A dollop of sour cream on top finishes the comfort-food effect.

Swap fresh chicken breast for two 340 g (12 oz) tins of chicken breast, drained, and use frozen pepper and onion mix instead of fresh vegetables to keep the shopping list short and the cost down. Bulk out the pot with an extra tin of black beans, which stretches the soup to feed more people for very little extra spend. Own-brand tinned tomatoes and stock work just as well here as named brands, since the spices do most of the flavour work.

Built for the Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker: sauté the onion, garlic and spices using the sauté function, then add the stock, tomatoes and two raw chicken breasts and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes with a 10-minute natural release. Shred the chicken straight in the pot, stir in the beans, corn and lime, and dinner is on the table in about 30 minutes total. This is the fastest of the 15 without sacrificing the deep, simmered flavour of the classic version.

Char whole tomatoes, a jalapeño and half an onion under the grill until blackened in spots, about 8-10 minutes, then blend them with a little stock before adding to the pot in place of tinned tomatoes. This roasted base gives the broth a smokier, slightly sweeter depth that plain tinned tomatoes can't match. Look for good char, not just softness, on the vegetables before you blend, as that's what carries the smoky flavour through.

This is the base recipe served bar-style: ladle the plain broth and chicken into bowls, then let everyone build their own with diced avocado, cotija or crumbled feta, extra black beans, pickled jalapeños, sour cream, lime wedges and a generous handful of tortilla strips. Setting toppings out in small bowls means everyone, including fussy eaters, ends up with a bowl they actually want to eat. It also turns a weeknight soup into something that feels like an occasion with almost no extra cooking.

Dial the heat right down by leaving out the jalapeño and using mild chilli powder, then double the recipe so it fills a large stockpot and feeds a crowd or gives you leftovers for the freezer. Cutting the chicken into small, even pieces rather than shredding it makes each spoonful easier for younger eaters to manage. Keep the spicier toppings like pickled jalapeños and hot sauce on the side so everyone can adjust their own bowl.

Combine the best techniques from the rest of the list: roasted tomatoes and a charred jalapeño for smokiness, a spoonful of chipotle in adobo for depth, bone-in chicken thighs poached directly in the broth for extra richness, and a good squeeze of lime and fistful of coriander stirred in right at the end. Poaching bone-in thighs rather than boneless breast gives the broth more body without needing a separate stock step. This is the version worth making when you want to impress rather than just feed everyone quickly.

Everything, including 130 g (2/3 cup) raw long-grain rice, goes into a single Dutch oven or large pot at once with the raw chicken breasts, so it all simmers together for about 25 minutes until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through. Shred the chicken back into the pot once it's done, rather than dirtying a second pan, and check the rice doesn't stick by giving the pot a stir every five minutes or so. It's the version to make when the only thing you want to wash up afterwards is one pot and a ladle.

Don't skip blooming the cumin, chilli powder and paprika in the oil for 30-60 seconds before adding any liquid; this toasts the spices and wakes up flavours that stay flat if they only simmer in broth. Poach chicken breasts whole rather than pre-cut, since larger pieces stay juicier over the simmer time and shred more easily with two forks once cooked. Always add lime juice and fresh coriander at the very end, off the heat, as prolonged simmering dulls their brightness and turns the coriander slightly bitter.

Serve chicken tortilla soup in wide, shallow bowls so the toppings stay visible and crisp rather than sinking, with warm tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips added just before eating. A wedge of lime, a scoop of diced avocado and a spoonful of sour cream on top balance the smoky, spiced broth with cooling, fresh contrast. For a fuller meal, serve alongside a simple green salad or warm cornbread, or spoon the soup over a small mound of cooked rice in the bowl.

Once cooled, store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, keeping any tortilla strips, cheese and avocado in separate containers so they don't turn soggy or discoloured. To freeze, leave out the corn and beans if possible, as they can turn grainy after thawing, and freeze the base for up to 3 months in freezer-safe containers or bags. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave in short bursts, stirring in a splash of stock or water if the soup has thickened in the fridge.