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This simple one-pot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup is the perfect bowl to warm up to. Made with salsa verde, poblano peppers, jalapeños (for just the right amount of heat), and shredded chicken. Add taco seasoning and ground cumin for amazing flavor. Then cream cheese for creaminess. This soup is spicy, creamy, and so delicious. Top each bowl of creamy soup with avocado, plenty of fresh cilantro, sour cream, and lots of salty tortilla chips. I even added a little bit of lime zest too!
It’s soup season! We’ve had some seriously cold temperatures, single digit, temps this week. It’s COLD. I made this over the weekend, and it was so perfect. It really hit the spot.
All of my brothers were in town. And even though they claim not to enjoy soup, they said the taste was awesome. They loved that it was a bit spicy yet creamy and cheesy too. With the broth being a bit thicker, it makes the soup a little heartier. It’s a great comfort food recipe for this time of year!
Originally, I wanted to make a more traditional variation on tortilla soup using diced tomatoes and red enchilada sauce. I’m sure it would have been delicious, but when I didn’t have any red enchilada sauce on hand, I reached for what I did have: salsa verde.
I used two full jars of my favorite salsa verde from Whole Foods, two cans of diced green chilies, a poblano pepper, and some jalapeños.
Onto details
Step 1: cook the onion and peppers
Use a little olive oil or butter and start cooking the onion. Then add the poblanos, jalapeños, cumin, and a few teaspoons of taco seasoning for a truly yummy mix. Let this cook for a few minutes to bring out the flavor in the dry spices.
Step 2: cook the chicken
Next, add the chicken. I like to toss it up with all those spices.
Then pour over the salsa verde, add the diced-up green chilies, and then the broth. Let the chicken simmer away in the broth until it’s cooked through. This will take 15 or 20 minutes.
Step 3: shred the chicken
I like to pull the chicken out of the soup and shred it. Then mix in the cream cheese. If you want to make the soup even creamier, add a 1/2 cup or so of heavy cream.
To finish this off, mix in a big handful of white cheddar cheese and let it melt into the soup.
You can make this in the Dutch oven or crockpot if it’s easier for you. I added directions for both.
Step 4: serve, top, and enjoy
I layer a thick dollop of Greek yogurt with sliced avocado on top. Then a big handful of crushed tortilla chips and lots of fresh cilantro and green onions, some jalapeño pepper would be good to. It’s so delicious!
A wonderful chicken tortilla soup recipe to warm up with!
Looking for other warming winter dinners? Here are a few ideas:
Crockpot Chili Meatballs and Spaghetti
30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken
Coconut Sweet Potato Lentil Soup with Rice
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Green Chili Tortilla Soup
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 331 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 poblano, chopped
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2-3 teaspoons taco seasoning
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 3 cups salsa verde
- 2 cans (4 ounce) diced green chiles
- 3-4 cups chicken broth
- 6 ounces cream cheese, melted
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- lime zest and juice
- lots of salted tortilla chips
- yogurt, avocado, and green onion, for serving
Instructions
Stove
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the poblano, jalapeños, cumin, taco seasoning, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until very fragrant. Add the chicken, salsa verde, canned chiles, and 4 cups of broth. Season with salt and pepper. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.2. Melt the cream cheese in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.3. Pull the chicken out and shred using two forks. Stir in the cream cheese until smooth, then stir in the shredded chicken and cheddar cheese. Cook for 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro and lime juice.4. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with tortilla chips. Then finish as desired with a dollop of yogurt, avocado, green onions, and cilantro. Enjoy!
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, layer the onion, poblano, and jalapeños. Add the chicken, cumin, taco seasoning, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Pour over the salsa verde, canned chiles, and 3 cups of broth. 2. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the cream cheese, whisking until mixed. Then add the cheddar cheese, cilantro, and lime juice. 3. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with tortilla chips. Then finish as desired with a dollop of yogurt, avocado, green onions, and cilantro. Enjoy!
OMG so good. Definitely adding to the make again rotation 👌
Hey Andrea,
Yay! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for giving it a try! Happy fall weekend! xT
This was delicious. I made it exactly as directed for the crock pot, with the exception of sauteeing the onions, peppers and seasonings before adding to pot. I will definitely make this again.
Hey Steph,
Awesome! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have a great weekend! xT
Hello! Making this tonight! With the green chiles, are we supposed to drain them first? And then how would you recommend using shredded chicken, instead of chicken breast? Thanks!
Hey Lauren,
You do not need to drain the green chiles:) You can add the chicken in step 1 and then just simmer for 10 minutes, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe! xT
Thanks Tieghan! Oh my gosh, the recipe was insanely good! Looking forward to the leftovers and adding this to our chilly weather rotation.
Does it reheat well? I want to make in advance. Thanks!
Hey Kim,
You bet! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
My husband rates this 10/10 and I agree with him! Delicious! We did substitute a few things because we’re in Australia and don’t have access to the various chillies etc, that being said it was delicious and had a decent spice to it which we like. For the kids, I just added more cream cheese/yogurt to tame the heat. Added some corn just because. Love that it makes a decent portion so there was leftovers. This will be a new staple dinner for us! Thank you ☺️
Hey Rosie,
Fantastic! So glad to hear that this dish turned out nicely for you, I appreciate you making it! xT
Tastes amazing, just too much cream cheese in my opinion. It really set off my heartburn.
Hi Molly,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear the cream cheese was too much! xx
Absolutely wonderful. I have made this 3 times since discovering the recipe. Hubby Loves it too. Good enough for a whole houseful of guests!
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Friday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! xT
Delicious!! Do you know if this will freeze well?
Hey Alyssa,
Happy Sunday! I’m so glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for trying it out! Yes, you can definitely freeze this! xT
This soup was amazing! I used an immersion blender on the soup before I added the chicken back in, and it was so creamy and delicious! The heat level was perfect and the lime addition was great!
I might try adding some beans or corn next time to make it extra hearty, but it definitely is NOT needed.
Hey Laura,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for trying it! I think corn or beans would be great. Have a great Sunday! xx
My favorite soup!
Thanks so much!!
This is a great weeknight dinner option! It is absolutely bursting with delicious, unique flavor. We love topping it with avacados and tortilla chips! I do change up the recipe a bit sinc I meal prep each week by cooking a chicken in the instapot and shredding it, so I just added the shredded chicken in and it worked great. Overall, a great go-to meal!
Thanks so much Adelaide! Love to hear that this soup turned out well for you:) Have a great day! xT
All your recipe’s hit, but this one is definitely one of my favorites. I used rotisserie chicken bc I’m lazy and it was freakin phenomenal, this is definitely going to be one of my regulars, might through fresh corn in next time bc I’m a Long Island girly LOL
Lol thanks so much Nicole!! Love to hear that this recipe was a winner! I appreciate you making it:) xT
Oof this was a big disappointment for us. It was hot and acidic yet somehow lacked the flavor we were hoping for. I love some of your other recipes so this came as a surprise. I’m wondering if green enchilada sauce may have been better than green salsa…
Hi Jamie,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. Sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. I’ve never tried with green enchilada sauce before, but you certainly could! xx
I agree with Jamie. Way to hot and spicy .. very acidic. I love a bowl of chicken tortilla soup but this has way too many varieties of green peppers. Not a fan of the salsa verse in it along with all the peppers. Too much green pepper as all you taste. Took a chance on a different tortilla soup recipe as I love so many of your recipes ! 🔥🔥🔥