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Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup is a cozy and delicious must-try for this season, made with cream cheese, garlic, peppers, onions, and Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Noodles.
The perfect fall tortilla soup recipe
It’s here… the official season of soup! At least, that’s the case in my house. Anything that’s warm, cozy, and filled with flavor is a yes for us!
Today, I’m sharing one of my very best soup recipes with you: creamy chicken tortilla soup. It’s savory and flavorful, and it’s made with protein-rich ingredients that leave you feeling full and satisfied!
Each ingredient in this recipe plays a vital role, with the most important being the egg noodles. That’s because soup requires the perfect balance of texture! You need a bit of soft, a bit of crunchy. And you certainly can’t have soggy noodles! For that reason, it’s important to choose the perfect brand, which is why I went with Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Noodles.
The way the noodles pair with the crunch of the onion and pepper and the flavor of the beans… delicious! Shop them here!
Ingredients in creamy chicken tortilla soup
To make this chicken tortilla soup, you will need a whole lot of veggies along with some delicious flavor components like cream cheese, green chilies, lime, and garlic. After the soup, check out the simple way that you can make your own tortilla strips! Only 3 ingredients required.
Soup
- Olive oil: First up, 2 tbsp of olive oil will be used to sauté the onion and pepper.
- Yellow onion: Use an entire yellow onion, diced into small pieces.
- Green pepper: Then, do the same with 1 green pepper.
- Garlic: Mince up 4 cloves of garlic and throw them in. This will add delicious flavor and is definitely a must.
- Cilantro: Next, add 1/2 cup of fresh, chopped cilantro.
- Chicken: As for the chicken, you will need 3 large breasts (about 2 lbs total).
- Chicken broth: 8 cups of chicken broth will add density to the soup while also adding vital nutrients and minerals.
- Fire roasted tomatoes: Add some delicious tomato flavor with 1 14.5oz can of fire roasted tomatoes. Dice them up before adding to the soup.
- Black beans: Next, 1 can of black beans thickens up the soup while also adding protein and flavor. Drain before adding to the soup.
- Corn: Add 1 can of corn, and remember to drain before adding.
- Green chilies: To add some heat, optionally include 1 can of green chilies. You can also use 1 diced jalapeño for more intense heat.
- Lime: Include some tasty zing with the juice from 1 small lime.
- Spices: Next up are the spices. You’ll need the following: 1 tbsp of chili powder, 3 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of smoked paprika (optional), 1/4 tsp of cayenne (optional for heat), 2 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of pepper.
- Cream cheese: One of the best ingredients in this dish is the cream cheese. Cut one block into cubes and then add to the soup! Cutting it into cubes will help the pieces melt and mix a bit easier.
- Milk: Add a bit of thickness with 1/2 cup of milk. You can use any nut milk too.
- Egg noodles: Finally, this soup is complete with the addition of Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Noodles. You will need 1 12oz bag.
- Garnishes: Optionally garnish with avocado, Greek yogurt, hot sauce, and/or cilantro.
Homemade tortilla chips
- Tortillas: To make your own tortilla chips, start with 6 small corn tortillas.
- Olive oil: You will need to coat them in 1 tbsp of oil.
- Salt: Finally, add 1/2 tsp of salt for flavor!
Cooking with Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Noodles
Every time I make this soup, I get asked what’s in it. After many instances of this, I’ve realized that the star ingredient that people are wondering about, the ingredient that makes this soup that good, well… it’s the noodles!
This soup is made with Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Noodles, and in my opinion it’s the best way to make it. These noodles are made with simple, high-quality ingredients. They’re made of 100% Durum wheat and egg, meaning they aren’t filled with artificial colors, flavors, or ingredients that you often see in other noodles.
That’s a healthy win in my book!
Pennsylvania Dutch is a 100 year old company that is known for their high quality noodles and the way that the taste and texture of their noodles is perfect for wholesome, comforting meals. Over the course of those years, they’ve created many different noodle shapes and types, so their products can be added to essentially any recipe!
Pennsylvania Dutch encourages you to get creative with their noodles and dream up some new recipes! You can find them in all major retailers like Walmart, Wegmans, Kroger, Wakefern, Albertsons, Weis, and more.
Tools used to make this recipe
To make creamy chicken tortilla soup, we’re using a number of kitchen tools. I like to grab everything before I begin to make for a faster cooking process! You will need the following:
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Large pot w/ lid
- Stirring utensil
- Plate
- Fork
If making homemade tortilla chips, you will need a cutting board, knife, large mixing bowl, and baking sheet.
Oh, and don’t forget your measuring cups! You will need 1/4 tsp, 1/2 tsp, 1 tsp, 1 tbsp, 1/2 cup, and 1 cup.
How to make this chicken tortilla soup recipe.
Making creamy tortilla soup is a pretty easy process. It’s more or less simply adding the ingredients to a large pot in a particular order! When all is said and done, this recipe yields 12 servings.
Soup
First, place two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot and heat over medium heat.
Add the onions, green pepper, garlic, and cilantro and sauté until fragrant.
Then, add the chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, corn, chilies, and lime juice, and stir.
Add the remaining spices and then the chicken breasts.
Cover the pot and bring everything to a boil.
Once boiling, lower the heat and let simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Remove the chicken breasts from the soup and let them rest for 10 minutes on a plate. Add the cream cheese and milk to the pot, and stir until the cream cheese is melted.
Add the Pennsylvania Dutch Noodles and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Put the shredded chicken back in the soup and let simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
Garnish with whatever you’d like (I recommend avocado, Greek yogurt, hot sauce, and or cilantro), and serve!
Tortilla chips
To make homemade tortilla chips, start by cutting the corn tortillas into thin strips. We like them very thin because it creates extra crisp chips!
Toss the strips with olive oil and salt to coat them.
Bake the strips at 400°F for about 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
How to make chicken tortilla soup crock pot style
To use a crockpot as your cooking method, simply place all of the ingredients in the pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Shred the chicken with a fork and place it back into the crockpot for serving.
Substitution Tip
Substitutions are made easy in this recipe. Since we’re using lots of veggies, any of those can be swapped with similar alternatives. For instance, you can use a red onion in place of the yellow onion, a red bell pepper in place of the green, or pinto beans in place of black beans. You can also use veggie broth if you’re out of chicken broth!
Feel free to get creative with it. This recipe has so many ingredients that a swap or two aren’t likely to cause a flavor change!
If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!
Here are some more options for you to try when you’re craving something cozy.
- Creamy Buffalo Chicken Soup
- Healthy Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup (Dairy-Free)
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup with Egg Noodles
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup is a cozy and delicious must-try for this season, made with cream cheese, garlic, peppers, onions, and Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Noodles.
Ingredients
- 1 12oz bag Pennsylvania Dutch egg noodles
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 large chicken breasts (2 lbs)
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 14.5 oz cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can corn
- 1 can green chilies (optional – or 1 jalapeno diced)
- 1 small lime, juiced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 3 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional for heat)
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 block cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup milk (nut milk will also work)
- Avocado, Greek yogurt, cheese, hot sauce, cilantro for garnish
Homemade tortilla chips:
- 6 small corn tortillas
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat two tablespoons olive oil over medium heat
- Add in onions, green pepper, garlic, and cilantro and saute until fragrant
- Add chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, corn, chilies and lime juice and stir
- Add in remaining spices and then add in chicken breasts.
- Cover and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, lower heat and let simmer over medium for 10 minutes.
- Remove chicken breasts from soup and let rest for 10 minutes on plate. Add in cream cheese and milk. Stir until cream cheese is melted.
- Add in Pennsylvania Dutch Noodles and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Put shredded chicken back in soup and let simmer an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve! Garnish with whatever you like.
Tortilla Chips:
- Cut corn tortillas into thin strips. We like them very thin for extra crisp!
- Toss with olive oil and salt to coat
- Bake in 400F oven for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown
For crockpot: Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Shred chicken with fork and place back into crockpot for serving.
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Theresa says
Hi Erin ! So I am not cooking the chicken separately ? Just goes in the pot raw ?
Erin says
Hi Theresa, yes correct. You add the chicken in step 4 and it cooks then you remove in step 7 and add back in step 9. Let me know how your soup comes out!
Beckie M. says
Delicious and even better the 2nd day. A suggestion though when an ingredient is for canned beans – include a step to drain and rinse (if applicable). I didn’t see that but assumed since that’s how most canned beans are used. Same for the canned corn- at least to drain the excess liquid.
Otherwise this is such a delicious and hearty soup.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Beckie, so happy you loved it and thank you!
Babette says
Love the idea of the recipe, but loaded with salt. Is there a way to reduce 1,500mg of salt?
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Babette, thanks and sure, feel free to make subs where you need to! Let me know how it comes out!
Elita says
So so good! Hearty and delicious.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Elita, so happy you loved it! 🙂
Sydney says
This is such an amazing soup! It comes together so easy and can be manipulated for different audiences (more or less spicey) love all of ELW recipes
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Sydney, so glad you loved it so much!! 🙂
Elizabeth says
I have tried several of Erin’s recipes and they have all been amazing! I halved this recipe and it is so creamy!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Elizabeth, so happy you loved the soup! Thanks for your support!!
Cindy says
My daughter made this for us and it was so good! Do you think it’s okay to freeze?
Cindy
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Cindy, so glad you loved it and yes! Should be fine!
Rachel M says
ERIN!! This soup is a HOME RUN! Holy cow!! Hands down, top 3 dishes. My mom and I love your recipes and I couldn’t text her fast enough after making this soup! The flavor, the noodles! ✨ Well done!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Rachel, so happy you both loved it so much!! Thanks for your support!!
Rachel S says
A+ hearty, filling, easy, delicious soup! Fed me and my husband for 3 nights! Topped with tortilla chips and avocado and it was chefs kiss!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Rachel, so glad you both loved it and great idea!!
Christine says
I love Philadelphia egg noodles! My mom cooks with them all the time. The BEST.
Erin says
Hi Christine, so glad you loved it!
Carolyn says
SO good!!! This soup is delicious and so flavorful. I was short 2 cups of chicken broth but it still came out great and made a huge pot.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Carolyn, so happy you liked it!!
Kate says
So so easy and delicious! I even made sure to get the Pennsylvania Dutch noodles and they were perfect.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kate, so happy you loved the soup!!
Sophie says
This soup is absolutely delicious! Easy to make and the instructions are very clear. Although I made this on the stovetop, I really appreciated the crockpot instructions – you don’t always get find that in recipes!
While this was cooking, my partner couldn’t stop talking about how great it smelled. Even though I was meal prepping it for lunch that week, he insisted on trying a bowl AS SOON as I turned the heat off! He was a huge fan as well!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Sophie, so happy you both loved the soup so much! 🙂
I Nelson says
Easy and delicious! The homemade tortilla strips are so worth it for the crunch and salt.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi, I am so happy you loved it so much!!