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Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Creamy chicken tortilla soup with a rich orange-cream Tex-Mex broth, shredded chicken, and hearty beans and corn. Simmered to a velvety texture and served with tortilla strips, avocado, lime, and a sour cream swirl.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 615
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and vegetables
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast Cooked and shredded
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans Drained
  • 1 can (15 oz) corn Drained
  • 1 can (10 oz) Rotel tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 1 onion Diced
  • 4 cloves garlic Minced
Soup base
  • 4 cup chicken broth
  • 8 oz cream cheese Cubed
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • salt To taste
  • pepper To taste
Toppings
  • sour cream For topping
  • shredded cheddar For topping
  • tortilla strips For topping
  • cilantro For topping
  • avocado For topping
  • lime For topping

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté the aromatics
  1. Heat a large pot over medium heat and sauté the onion for 4 minutes until softened and fragrant (visual cue: translucent edges). Add the garlic and taco seasoning, then cook for 2 minutes (visual cue: bubbling spices and a toasted aroma).
Build the soup base
  1. Add the Rotel tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, black beans, corn, and cumin to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil (visual cue: active rolling bubbles across the surface).
Make it creamy
  1. Reduce heat to low and stir in the cream cheese until completely melted and the broth looks smooth (visual cue: no cream cheese lumps).
Simmer and finish
  1. Stir in the shredded chicken and heavy cream, then simmer for 10 minutes (visual cue: steaming and gently thickened broth).
  2. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve hot with sour cream, shredded cheddar, tortilla strips, cilantro, avocado, and lime.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the heat at low when melting the cream cheese so the soup stays silky instead of grainy. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave. Freezing is not recommended because dairy toppings and heavy cream can change texture when thawed. For a dairy-light swap, use light cream cheese and half-and-half instead of heavy cream (creaminess may be slightly less rich).