Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup (Printable)

Rich soup with salsa verde, chicken, and peppers topped with avocado and tortilla chips.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
02 - 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

→ Vegetables and Aromatics

03 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
04 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
05 - 2 poblano peppers, seeded and diced
06 - 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Soup Base

08 - 1 1/2 cups salsa verde
09 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
10 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
12 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Creamy Elements

13 - 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed and softened
14 - 1/2 cup heavy cream

→ Toppings

15 - 1 ripe avocado, diced
16 - 1 cup tortilla chips, crushed
17 - 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
18 - 1 lime, cut into wedges

# Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, poblano peppers, and jalapeño. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Add minced garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Pour in chicken broth and salsa verde. Stir in cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and black pepper.
04 - Add chicken breasts to the pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 to 18 minutes until chicken is fully cooked through.
05 - Remove chicken breasts from the pot and shred with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
06 - Reduce heat to low. Add cream cheese, stirring constantly until melted and fully incorporated into the broth.
07 - Stir in heavy cream and simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls. Top each serving with diced avocado, crushed tortilla chips, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The combination of tangy salsa verde and rich cream cheese creates this incredible velvety texture that store bought versions can never quite achieve.
  • Its become my go to one pot wonder for busy weeknights because it delivers massive flavor with minimal effort even when Im too tired to think about dinner.
02 -
  • Adding the cream cheese while the soup is boiling will cause it to separate into tiny curds rather than melt smoothly, so always reduce to low heat first.
  • The soup continues to develop flavor overnight in the refrigerator, making it possibly even better as leftovers than it was freshly made.
03 -
  • For deeper flavor, char the poblanos over an open flame on your gas stove before dicing them your kitchen will smell amazing and the slightly smoky taste transforms the soup completely.
  • If you have an extra ten minutes, blend half the soup with an immersion blender before adding the chicken back in this creates an incredible velvety texture while still maintaining chunky elements.
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