Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Last updated December 9th, 2024

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With Modelo Especial as the secret ingredient we know you’ll understand why this slow cooker chicken tortilla soup is a go-to winter recipe.

A bowl of chicken tortilla soup.

As a busy young couple, we often find ourselves searching for easy recipes to make. Some days we’re just too tired to cook while other days we truly just can’t find the time. But that’s why we love our slow cooker so much! Being able to throw ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning knowing dinner will be ready for future us is such a life saver. And while some recipes like this one require just a little bit of extra work, not having to cook a full dinner from scratch every night is a huge relief. 

What This Recipe Entails

To help minimize the amount of work needed for this recipe, it relies heavily on canned ingredients. Most of your time will be spent opening cans and dumping their contents into your slow cooker.

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 6 hours

For this recipe you can either use our homemade taco seasoning or a store bought packet. We highly recommend making your own taco seasoning at home so that you always have it on hand and ready to go. 

Chicken tortilla soup with avocado and sour cream.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients

We want this recipe to be as easy as possible for you which is why it uses mostly canned ingredients and taco seasoning. The less work you need to do to cook, the more time you have to spend with your loved ones, get other things done, or just take a moment to yourself.

Here’s everything you’ll need:

  • Chicken breast
  • Yellow onion
  • Jalapenos
  • Black beans
  • Whole kernel corn
  • Fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • Diced green chiles
  • Modelo Especial
  • Lime
  • Taco seasoning

You may have already noticed our special ingredient for this soup, but if not, we use Modelo Especial (or any other beer) instead of a chicken broth or other base. This adds a little extra flavor to a fun Mexican meal. 

How To Make Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Slow cooker meals are the best when you can just dump everything in and start cooking. And that’s exactly what this recipe calls for, add the ingredients, turn on the slow cooker, and check back later.

Here’s a breakdown of how to make our chicken tortilla soup:

  1. Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine. 
  2. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
  3. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred.
  4. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 2 hours.
  5. Serve hot, or let cool and package in an air-tight container for storage in the fridge or freezer for a later date.

We love recipes that help minimize the amount of work we need to do so we have more time for other things. Whether it’s for a busy weeknight dinner or meal prep for the week’s lunches, slow cooker meals are always on our weekly meal planner.

Chicken tortilla soup.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

We love slow cooker recipes because they make meal prep a breeze. This recipe makes about 6 servings of soup, and leftovers will stay good in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week – or a few months if you freeze it. We like to use our Souper Cubes to easily freeze perfect portions that can be individually reheated later on.

For reheating from the fridge, you can either microwave individual servings for about 2 minutes each, or until it reaches your desired temp. I like my soup warm, Nicole likes her’s at “burn-your-mouth-off” hot. To each their own. You can also heat up multiple servings on the stove over medium-low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes depending on the number of servings. 

If you are reheating from the freezer, it is best to defrost the soup first, this can quickly be done in the microwave or in the fridge the day prior. Once defrosted, you can heat up your meal per the above directions.

Serving Suggestions

While technically chicken tortilla soup doesn’t need anything to go with it for a great dinner, we love serving this recipe with tortilla chips and shredded Mexican cheese for topping. The added cheesiness and salty crunch and great flavor and texture to the meal. 

Slow cooker meals are so versatile and can be made or served for so many occasions. Our favorite reasons to make this soup are for meal prepping lunches for the week, easy dinner with leftovers, or feeding a crowd when we’re hosting. 

So next time you’re looking for a warm soup for some comfort on a cold winter day, try this easy slow cooker chicken tortilla soup recipe. Let us know what you think by commenting, rating, and sharing below!


Love this recipe? You may also enjoy these easy slow cooker recipes:

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A bowl of chicken tortilla soup.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Alex
With Modelo Especial as the secret ingredient we know you’ll understand why this slow cooker chicken tortilla soup is a go-to winter recipe.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 6 servings
Calories 267 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 pound chicken breast
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 2 medium jalapenos diced
  • 15 ounces canned black beans drained
  • 15 ounces canned whole kernel corn drained
  • 15 ounces canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 4 ounces canned diced green chiles
  • 12 fluid ounces beer
  • 2.5 tablespoons taco seasoning
  • 1 medium lime juiced

Optional Toppings

  • Mexican blend cheese shredded
  • Tortilla chips crushed
  • Avocado sliced
  • Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

Instructions
 

  • Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
  • Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
  • Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred.
  • Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 2 hours.
  • Serve hot, optionally topped with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, avocado, and/or sour cream, or let cool and package in an air-tight container for storage in the fridge or freezer for a later date.

Notes

Beer: The best beer for this recipe is Modelo Especial – it’s what we use every time! If you don’t have it, we recommend a beer that’s on the lighter side.
Serving suggestions: Crushed up tortilla chips and shredded Mexican-blend cheese make a great topping for this soup.
Storage: This soup stores well in the fridge or freezer. Let it cool completely, then package in an air-tight container (or Souper Cubes – we love these!) and store in the fridge for up to 4 days, or the freezer for up to 6 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 267kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 23gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 686mgPotassium: 711mgFiber: 7gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 885IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 3mg
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Keyword beer, black beans, corn, crockpot, green chiles, jalapeno, onion, shredded chicken, slow cooker, tomatoes

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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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