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.

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.

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:
- Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
- Remove the 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, 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.

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:
- Creamy Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
- Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
- Crockpot Shredded Chipotle Chicken
To browse more of our latest recipes and seasonal dishes, visit our homepage here.
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Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Equipment
- Souper Cubes optional, for storage
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
Nutrition
If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.
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