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Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Creamy chicken tortilla soup with a rich orange-cream Tex-Mex broth, shredded chicken, and melty cream cheese. Simmered until silky, then served with tortilla strips, sour cream swirl, and fresh toppings.
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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: 575
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Soup base
  • 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.
  • 4 cup chicken broth
  • 8 oz cream cheese Cubed.
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 0.25 salt To taste.
  • 0.25 pepper To taste.
Toppings
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar
  • 1 cup tortilla strips
  • 2 tbsp cilantro
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 lime

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté aromatics
  1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and sauté the onion for 4 minutes, until softened and fragrant (visual cue: translucent edges).
  2. Add the garlic and taco seasoning and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly (visual cue: seasoning darkens slightly and smells toasted).
Build the broth
  1. Add the Rotel tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, black beans, corn, and cumin, then bring to a boil (visual cue: active bubbling across the surface).
  2. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, then stir in the cream cheese until completely melted and smooth (visual cue: no visible cream cheese lumps).
Finish and serve
  1. Stir in the shredded chicken and heavy cream and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally (visual cue: broth thickens slightly and coats the spoon).
  2. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve hot with sour cream, shredded cheddar, tortilla strips, cilantro, avocado, and lime (visual cue: a sour cream swirl and bright lime over each bowl).

Notes

Pro tip: cube the cream cheese and keep the heat at a steady simmer while stirring so it melts evenly into the broth. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently to avoid thinning. Freezing is not recommended because the cream can break after thawing. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat cream cheese and half-and-half instead of heavy cream while keeping the same cooking steps.