Weight Watchers Chicken Tortilla Soup

Make this homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup with tender shredded chicken, fire-roasted tomatoes, jalapeño, cumin, and lime using one of three methods including Instant Pot, stovetop, and slow cooker.

Shredded chicken soup topped with avocado, jalapeño, lime, herbs, and crisp tortilla strips.

Mexican-inspired chicken tortilla soup is a savory, tomato-based soup with tender shredded chicken, chiles, warm spices, and lime. This chicken tortilla soup recipe includes three cooking methods, giving you flexibility depending on your schedule. Make Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup for the quickest option, or prepare it on the stovetop or in the slow cooker. Use my Chicken Bone Broth recipe for a homemade soup base.

Quick Look: Chicken Tortilla Soup

⏱️ Prep Time: 12 minutes
🔥 Cook Time: 20 minutes
⏲️ Total Time: 32 minutes
🍽️ Servings: 4
🍗 Protein: Boneless, skinless chicken breast
🍅 Soup Base: Chicken broth and fire-roasted tomatoes
🌶️ Flavor: Savory and lightly spicy with a fresh lime finish
🥣 Texture: Brothy with tender shredded chicken
🔥 Cooking Methods: Instant Pot or pressure cooker, stovetop, and slow cooker
🥑 Toppings: Avocado, shredded cheddar, and tortilla chips
Why This Recipe Works: Sauté the onion, jalapeño, garlic, and spices before adding the broth. I use the same technique in my Instant Pot Chili. Direct heat softens the aromatics and helps the spices release more of their flavor before the liquid is added.

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Quick Look: Chicken Tortilla Soup
What Is Tortilla Soup?
Chef’s Notes from Valentina
Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
Expert Tips for Chicken Tortilla Soup
Weight Watchers Chicken Tortilla Soup
FAQ About Chicken Tortilla Soup
More Homemade Soup Recipes
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Storage and Reheating

What Is Tortilla Soup?

Tortilla soup, also called sopa de tortilla or sopa azteca, is a traditional Mexican soup associated with central Mexico. Its origins are traced to Tlaxcala. The traditional preparation uses a tomato-based broth seasoned with onion, garlic, pasilla chile, and epazote. Chicken broth is also commonly used as the liquid base.

Fried corn tortilla strips are served with the broth and add a crisp texture to the soup. Common garnishes include avocado and cheese. Some versions also include Mexican crema, chicharrón, cilantro, lime, or additional chiles.

Chicken tortilla soup is one of the variations of the traditional dish and includes shredded chicken. This recipe uses fire-roasted tomatoes, jalapeño, cumin, and lime alongside the chicken and tortilla strips.

Chef’s Notes from Valentina

Chicken tortilla soup gets much of its flavor from fire-roasted tomatoes, jalapeño, chili powder, cumin, and lime. The tomatoes also give the broth more depth than plain diced tomatoes.
Add the lime juice after cooking. Adding it at the end preserves its citrus flavor and prevents it from losing freshness during cooking.
The optional bell pepper adds sweetness and another layer of vegetable flavor. Leave it out if you prefer a simpler tomato and chile base.
For another Mexican-inspired chicken dish, try my Chicken Skillet Enchiladas. It’s a good choice when you want Mexican-inspired flavors in a skillet meal rather than soup.

Ingredients

Olive oil – 2 tablespoons. Use it to sauté the vegetables and create the base of the soup.
Onion – 1 small white or yellow onion, chopped. The onion softens during cooking and provides the aromatic base.
Bell pepper – 1, seeded and chopped, optional. Include it for additional vegetable flavor and texture, or leave it out.
Jalapeño – 1, seeded and sliced. It adds chile flavor and heat. Removing the seeds helps keep the heat more moderate.
Garlic – 4 cloves, minced. Add it after the vegetables soften and cook it briefly before adding the liquid.
Chili powder – 1 ½ teaspoons. It provides much of the chile seasoning in the broth.
Ground cumin – 1 teaspoon. Its earthy flavor works with the chili powder, tomatoes, and chicken.
Chicken broth – 3 cups, preferably reduced-sodium. Reduced-sodium broth makes it easier to adjust the salt at the end.
Fire-roasted diced tomatoes – 1 (15-ounce) can, drained. Their lightly charred flavor gives the broth more depth than regular diced tomatoes.
Boneless skinless chicken breast – 12 ounces, about 2 medium breasts. The chicken cooks directly in the soup before being removed and shredded.
Salt – to taste. Season the soup after cooking and adjust the amount based on the saltiness of the broth.
Limes – 2, juiced. Add the juice after cooking to brighten the finished broth.
Cilantro or parsley – chopped. Sprinkle it over the soup before serving.
Avocado, shredded cheddar, and tortilla chips – for garnish. Add them directly to individual bowls before serving.

Substitutions And Additions

Precooked chicken: Use precooked shredded chicken instead of raw chicken breast. For the Instant Pot or stovetop method, stir it into the soup near the end and heat it through. For the slow cooker method, add it during the last 30 minutes to prevent overcooking.

Vegetarian chicken tortilla soup: Omit the chicken and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth. Add a can of drained black beans to give the soup more substance and protein.

Different protein: Boneless skinless chicken thighs can replace the chicken breasts. Cook until the chicken is fully cooked and tender. For lean ground chicken, 99% lean ground turkey, lean ground beef, or turkey sausage, brown the meat with the vegetables before adding the broth and tomatoes.

Low-carb tortilla strips: Replace regular tortilla chips with low-carb tortilla strips. Cut low-carb tortillas into strips and toss them with a small amount of olive oil. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 10–15 minutes or until crisp.

How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup

Sautéed peppers and onion, chicken cooking in broth, shredded chicken, and finished soup topped with avocado and tortilla strips.

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Sauté the vegetables: Press Sauté and let the Instant Pot heat for 3–5 minutes. Add the olive oil, onion, optional bell pepper, and jalapeño. Sauté for 4–5 minutes until the onion softens. PIC. 1
Cook the garlic and spices: Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Cook for about 1 minute.
Add the broth, tomatoes, and chicken: Add the chicken broth and drained fire-roasted tomatoes. Place the chicken breasts in the pot. PIC. 2
Pressure cook: Cancel Sauté and secure the lid. Set the valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes. Perform a quick pressure release when the cooking cycle ends.
Shred the chicken: Transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board or plate. Shred them with two forks and return the chicken to the pot. PIC. 3
Season: Add the lime juice. Taste and season with salt as needed.
Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with tortilla chips, sliced avocado, shredded cheddar, and chopped cilantro or parsley. PIC. 4

Stovetop Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chopped peppers and onion sautéing, chicken simmering in broth, cooked soup, and shredded chicken on a cutting board.

Sauté the vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion, optional bell pepper, and jalapeño. Sauté for 4–5 minutes until the onion softens. PIC. 1
Cook the garlic and spices: Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Cook for about 1 minute.
Add the broth, tomatoes, and chicken: Add the chicken broth and drained fire-roasted tomatoes. Place the chicken breasts in the pot.
Simmer: Bring the soup to a simmer. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. PIC. 2
Remove the chicken: Transfer the cooked chicken breasts to a cutting board or plate. PIC. 3
Shred the chicken: Shred the chicken with two forks. PIC. 4
Season: Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Add the lime juice. Taste and season with salt as needed.
Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with tortilla chips, sliced avocado, shredded cheddar, and chopped cilantro or parsley.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Combine the ingredients: Place the olive oil, onion, optional bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, drained fire-roasted tomatoes, and chicken breasts in the slow cooker. Reserve the lime juice, cilantro or parsley, and garnishes.
Slow cook: Cover and cook on Low until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Check the chicken 30 min before the end of the cooking time to avoid overcooking the chicken breasts.
Shred the chicken: Transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board or plate. Shred them with two forks and return the chicken to the slow cooker.
Season: Add the lime juice. Taste and season with salt as needed.
Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with chopped cilantro or parsley, tortilla chips, sliced avocado, and shredded cheddar.

Ladle holding shredded chicken, tomatoes, jalapeño, and herbs above a pot of tortilla soup.

Expert Tips for Chicken Tortilla Soup

Control the heat with the jalapeño. Use less jalapeño for a milder soup or increase the amount for more heat. Adjust the quantity according to your preferred spice level.
Shred the chicken while warm. Warm chicken separates more readily with two forks and produces tender, even pieces with less effort.
Maintain a gentle stovetop simmer. Avoid a rapid boil once the chicken breasts are in the broth. Gentle heat helps keep the chicken tender instead of tough and dry.
Top with tortilla chips just before serving. Add the chips directly to each bowl at serving time. They retain their crunch instead of absorbing the broth and turning soft.

Weight Watchers Chicken Tortilla Soup

This Weight Watchers chicken tortilla soup combines skinless chicken breast, vegetables, fire-roasted tomatoes, broth, and seasonings. Several of the main ingredients appear on the current Weight Watchers ZeroPoint foods list.

Olive oil and toppings such as avocado, cheddar, and tortilla chips can affect the final Points value. For an accurate total, calculate the recipe with the exact ingredients and portions used in the Weight Watchers app.

FAQ About Chicken Tortilla Soup

Can I make chicken tortilla soup with leftover chicken?

Yes. Shredded leftover or rotisserie chicken works well and shortens the cooking time. Prepare the soup base first, then add the chicken near the end. Heat it just until hot to help prevent the meat from drying out.

How can I make chicken tortilla soup creamier?

Stir sour cream or plain Greek yogurt into the soup after cooking. Keep the heat low and avoid boiling afterward to help prevent the dairy from separating.

Chicken tortilla soup with shredded chicken, jalapeño, lime, herbs, and tortilla strips.

More Homemade Soup Recipes

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Shredded chicken soup with avocado slices, jalapeño, lime, cilantro, tomatoes, and crisp tortilla strips.

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5 from 7 votes

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Make this homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup with tender shredded chicken, fire-roasted tomatoes, jalapeño, cumin, and lime using one of three methods including Instant Pot, stovetop, and slow cooker.

Course:Main Course

Cuisine:Mexican

Prep Time 12

Cook Time 20

Total Time 32

Servings people

Calories215.4 kcal

Author Valentina Dimitrova

Cost $ 1.00 per person

Equipment

Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot, or Crock Pot, or a regular Pot
cutting board
knife
wooden spoon

Ingredients

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small white or yellow onion – chopped
1 bell pepper – seeded and chopped, optional
1 jalapeño – seeded and sliced
4 garlic cloves – minced
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups chicken broth – preferably reduced-sodium
1 15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes – diced and drained
12 ounces raw boneless skinless chicken breasts – about 2 medium breasts
salt – to taste
2 limes – juiced
chopped cilantro or parsley

Garnishes

sliced avocado
shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips

Optional Low-Carb Tortilla Strips

low-carb tortilla – cut into strips
olive oil – as needed

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