This delicious Slow Cooker Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup is super easy to throw together. Just dump everything in a crockpot and walk away for 4-8 hours, later returning to a flavorful meal that magically cooked in your absence.
Chicken Tortilla Soup is based on the classic Sopa de Tortilla that is thought to have originated in the Tlaxcala state of Mexico. This soup consists of a base of broth, tomatoes and chicken and can often be found with some form of chiles, corn, beans or fried tortilla strips for garnish. I've taken this classic Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe and adapted it into a flavorful crowd-pleasing healthy recipe that comes together easily in the slow cooker.
This soup is gluten-free, grain-free and dairy-free as is so it works for a variety of dietary restrictions.
Serve this Slow Cooker Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup with chips and Jalapeno Salsa or Guacamole for an entire Mexican-inspired meal. Don't skimp on the toppings either! Offer a variety to suit all tastes! I particularly like shredded cheese, sliced avocado, sliced jalapeno and Mexican Pickled Onions.
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Ingredients
Here's what you need to make Slow Cooker Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup:
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- corn
- tomato paste
- diced tomatoes
- diced tomatoes with chiles
- chicken broth
- sugar
- salt
- black pepper
- chili powder
- cumin
- smoked paprika
- black beans
- onion
- minced fresh garlic
- desired toppings such as chopped fresh cilantro, avocado, cheese, sour cream, chopped onions, sliced jalapenos, hot sauce, crushed tortilla chips and lime wedges
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here's how to make Slow Cooker Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup:
1. Add all the ingredients to a slow cooker, stirring to combine. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
2. Then, remove the chicken and shred it using 2 forks.
3. Return the chicken to the pot and give everything a good stir.
4. Serve with your favorite toppings.
Hint: The tomatoes with chiles add a touch of heat to this recipe without making it spicy. See the substitutions and variations below for increasing or decreasing the spice based on your preferences.
Substitutions
Want to substitute an ingredient in Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup? Here's how:
- Corn - use an equal amount of hominy in place of the corn.
- Diced tomatoes with chiles - use an equal amount of regular diced tomatoes in place of the tomatoes with chiles to eliminate any trace of spice in this soup.
- Diced tomatoes - use an equal amount of fire-roasted diced tomatoes in place of the regular diced tomatoes to add some extra flavor to the soup.
- Chicken broth - use an equal amount of vegetable broth, bone broth, chicken stock or water mixed with chicken bouillion in place of the chicken broth.
Variations
Try one of these variations for Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup:
- Spicy - add a diced jalapeno, ½ teaspoon cayenne or a few tablespoons of hot sauce to increase the spice in this soup.
- Vegan - use an equal amount of vegetable broth in place of chicken broth and omit the chicken altogether to make this soup vegan. You can also reduce the cooking time to 2 hours on low or 1 hour on high.
- Low-sodium - use low-sodium chicken broth and eliminate the added salt from the recipe for a low-sodium soup.
- Low-carb - eliminate the canned corn and black beans to make this soup low-carb.
Equipment
This tool comes in handy for making Slow Cooker Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup:
Storage
Once the Chicken Tortilla Soup has cooled, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. (Check out this article for more details on how to properly freeze and store soup.)
Top tip
To add a little something extra to the Chicken Tortilla Soup, fry or bake some tortilla strips for topping the soup.
FAQ
This Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup has fiber and nutrients and is a lean source of protein making it a great healthy meal!
Related
Looking for other easy soup recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
Serve this Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup with one of these salads for a balanced meal the whole family will love:
Recipe
Slow Cooker Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15 oz) can corn, drained
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- ½ Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- desired toppings such as: sour cream, sliced avocado, hot sauce, sliced jalapenos, chopped onion, shredded cheese and/or chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a slow cooker, stirring to combine. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Then, remove the chicken and shred it using 2 forks.
- Return the chicken to the pot and give everything a good stir. Then serve, or keep the slow cooker on warm up to 3 hours until serving with your favorite toppings.
Nutrition
Food safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
Shannon
Flavorful, easy and healthy! Such a classic!