• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
My Sequined Life logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

    Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup with Rice

    Published: Aug 14, 2018 · Modified: Jun 16, 2020 by Alyssa · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Share via Email

    Easy chicken tortilla soup with rice is filled with bold southwestern flavors and on the table in forty minutes. Top this healthy soup recipe with tortilla strips, cheese, and a sprinkling of lime juice for a delicious main dish recipe.

    A bowl of soup topped with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, cilantro, and a lime wedge

    I may be trying to will soup weather into existence right now, but this easy chicken tortilla soup with rice is worth it.

    Clearly soup isn't exactly the first thing you'd think to make when it's hot outside, though there are those among us (like me!) who ignore the thermometer and barrel ahead with soup on our menus. 

    Soup is usually healthy (or healthier), not crazy involved to make, and yields a fair amount of leftover portions for lunches and/or stocking the freezer. It's hard to beat those qualities, even if you have to put a fan on or drop the A/C down a degree or two to eat it.

    This soup, with its easy prep, healthy ingredients, and southwestern flavors, fits the bill on all counts and has earned its place as a year-round favorite. Read on to see how simple it is to make!

    A ladle being lifted out of a large ceramic pot of soup

    Easy ingredients and method

    This soup starts off by sauteing onion, garlic, and diced jalapeno pepper in a little bit of olive oil.

    If you're concerned about this soup being too spicy, don't be. I've found sauteing the jalapeno mellows out the spice nicely, which is what happens here. Plus discarding the seeds before adding the pepper to the recipe helps keep it on the milder side of things.

    Next come the seasonings, including chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper.

    Now it's time for the liquid which is the same base I use in my Italian sausage soup: reduced-sodium chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, and water. This is also the time for adding in the more hefty ingredients. In go the cooked and shredded chicken, diced tomatoes, black beans, and corn.

    All that's left is to raise the heat to bring the soup to a boil, add the dry rice, and then let it simmer until cooked and tender.

    I realize the rice is a little shy in these pictures, but it's there. Long grain brown rice bumps up the nutrition and is a hearty addition to this healthy soup. I kept the amount of dry rice on the lower side so it didn't blow up and overwhelm leftover soup portions, but feel free to increase the quantity if you like a lot of rice in your soup.

    An overhead picture of a big pot of soup surrounded by plates of toppings

    The "easy" in this recipe title is referring to, among other things, the chicken in this soup. I used cooked, shredded chicken here to cut out a few steps. AKA my favorite chicken shortcut ever, a rotisserie chicken.

    How many cups of chicken are in a rotisserie chicken?

    Of course your mileage may vary, but I measured that you can get approximately four cups of shredded chicken out of a rotisserie chicken. So this recipe calls for four cups.

    If your chicken is bigger or smaller it doesn't really matter as there's a ton of wiggle room. Just add as much (or as little) as you like. Four cups felt like a balanced amount without chicken overwhelming every spoonful.

    This soup would also work great with leftover grilled/cooked chicken breasts. Just shred or slice them up thinly and substitute away.

    Two bowls of soup topped with tortilla strips, lime wedges, and cheese ready to eat

    Soup toppings

    The toppings really make this soup! What you see here are tortilla strips, shredded cheese, and cilantro, with a drizzle of lime from the lime wedge. Definitely do your own thing though! A dollop of sour cream would work, too.

    I have to say my favorite topping might be the tortilla strips. This is chicken tortilla soup after all. There are store-bought varieties, yes, however I love making them at home. All you need are tortillas, oil, and spices. The ones you see in these photos are these baked tortilla strips seasoned simply with salt and pepper.

    I always find myself with a stray tortilla or two or three that I don't know what to do with after making tacos or freezer breakfast burritos, so I've turned to making them into crisp and healthier strips. They're also delicious on salads.

    If you're into chicken soups with rice, you might also like this creamy chicken and rice soup! It's TOTAL comfort food and features an unexpectedly delicious blend of two common pantry spices.

    Recipe notes

    • The tortilla strips can be made a day or several days in advance to cut down on prep time the day of. Shredding the chicken ahead of time also helps keep things lean time-wise.
    A ceramic bowl of soup topped with tortilla strips, cheese, and lime wedges

    Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup with Rice

    Easy chicken tortilla soup with rice is filled with bold southwestern flavors and on the table in forty minutes. Top this healthy soup recipe with tortilla strips, cheese, and a sprinkling of lime juice for a delicious main dish recipe.
    4.80 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Southwestern
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 314kcal
    Author: Alyssa

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 onion, diced
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
    • 1 jalapeno pepper chopped with seeds removed
    • 1 ½ teaspoon chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 32 oz reduced-sodium chicken broth
    • 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
    • 28 oz water
    • 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
    • 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken
    • 1 cup canned black beans rinsed and drained
    • ½ cup sweet corn kernels
    • ⅓ cup long grain brown rice uncooked

    For serving:

    • Baked tortilla strips
    • Shredded cheese
    • Cilantro
    • Lime wedges
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Place a heavy-bottomed pot on the stove over medium heat. Add olive oil and once heated add onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Saute for 2-3 minutes, or until onion is just becoming golden.
    • Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, pepper, and salt and stir.
    • Pour in broth, crushed tomatoes, water, diced tomatoes, chicken, black beans, and corn. Raise heat to a boil.
    • Once boiling, stir in rice. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally. Serve with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, cilantro, and lime wedges.

    Notes

    The nutritional info is an estimate for the soup only, not including any toppings you want to add.
     
    The jalapeno is added without seeds and sauteed for a mellower flavor. As written this recipe isn't spicy. Leave the seeds in or add more jalapeno peppers for a spicier soup if you like!
     
    To keep things simple measuring wise, I use the empty 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes to measure the water here. It doesn't have to be precise - just fill it as full as you can without risking a spill on the way from the sink to the stove.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 25.3g | Protein: 34.7g | Fat: 5.6g | Saturated Fat: 1.2g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 955mg | Potassium: 931mg | Fiber: 5.1g | Sugar: 7.4g | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 4.3mg
    Tried this Recipe?Tag @mysequinedlife - I love to see what you're making!

    Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

    Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
    « DIY Salsa Bar for Easy Summer Entertaining
    Freezer Breakfast Burritos »
    • Facebook
    • Email

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Angelica says

      February 23, 2020 at 1:06 pm

      5 stars
      I absolutely love this recipe. My family, who are not fans of soup cannot get enough of it, and when I say I'm making it I can see the warm and fuzzy feeling of happiness they get... I do not use jalapeños simply because we don't like them and I make my own broth just as my own preference. I a so happy I came across this recipe and thank you so much for sharing it!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        February 24, 2020 at 2:33 pm

        I'm so glad you and your family like this soup, Angelica! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how it went.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    A picture of a woman smiling with a text overlay reading well, hey there.

    Hi! I’m Alyssa and welcome to my food blog. Here you can find a variety of food and drink recipes, running the gamut from better-for-you main dishes to holiday fare, and from lighter bites to some serious desserts. All with the occasional cocktail recipe thrown in for good measure, too. ♥ Learn more →

    As Featured In...

    A collage of publication logos.

    Simple, Tested Basics

    • The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning
    • Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes
    • Oven Roasted Frozen Broccoli
    • How to Caramelize Onions
    • How to Make Croutons
    • Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
    • Air Fryer Baked Potato
    • How to Roast Garlic

    Popular Recipes

    • Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
    • Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies
    • Italian Baked Turkey Meatballs
    • Southern Instant Pot Collard Greens
    • Italian Anise Cookies
    • Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Contact

    Policies

    • Privacy Policy & Disclosure
    • Accessibility Statement

    More

    • Recipe Index
    • Dinner Hall of Fame
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Air Fryer Favorites

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2013 - 2023 My Sequined Life