Zesty chicken tortilla soup made in the crock pot. This is a great way to enjoy a delicious Mexican meal at home!
It’s a new week and new recipes are about to pop the seams of this blog. We had some serious family time over the last week with both our families and did all kinds of cooking and baking. It was so fun! Now I’m back and ready to share all of the yummy recipes with you. So brace yourselves! It’s about to get good.
One of my favorite things to eat at Applebees is Chicken Tortilla Soup. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, I love a good bowl of that stuff with a half sandwich. I recently went on the hunt for a yummy Chicken Tortilla Soup I can make at home and was thrilled to find a recipe not only for this type of soup, but a crock pot recipe. Oh happy day! A good meal with half the mess and work.
Fall is quickly approaching and soup is one of my favorite things to eat on a fall evening. Enjoy taking a break from preparing a huge meal and give this one a try in your crock pot! It’s so good and will be perfect to make again all fall long.
Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Servings: 4 - 6 servings
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts frozen
- 1 4oz can chopped green chillies, drained
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 15oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 c. chicken broth
- 1 c. half and half OR heavy cream
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. salt
- salt and pepper
- corn tortilla chip strips OR crushed up tortilla chips
- 2 Tbsp cilantro chopped
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in the crock pot. In a separate bowl combine diced tomatoes (including liquid), chillies, garlic, chicken broth, cumin, and salt. Mix together and pour over chicken.
- Cook on low 5-5 1/2 hours, or until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken from the crock pot and shred with two forks; place back in the crock pot.
- Add half and half or heavy cream and stir. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes before serving. Taste it and add more salt and cumin if necessary, to taste.
- Serve with tortilla chip strips or crushed tortilla chips, cheese, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Disney Family
Kitchen tools and gadgets needed for this recipe: 
Looking for more soup recipes? Here are more of our favorites…
Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup
Alli is the food blogger and photographer behind Cupcake Diaries. Nestled in Northern Utah with her four young boys, hubby, and a full pantry, she loves baking all kinds of treats as well as quick and easy meals for her family. What started out as sharing a few recipes with family members here and there soon turned into a full-functioning recipe blog with readers from all around the world! Alli is a full-time mom who enjoys music, holidays, and spending time with her family.
Latest posts by Alli (see all)
- Red, White and Blue Jello Salad - May 22, 2025
- Ghost Krispy Treats - September 1, 2024
- 14 Days of Valentine’s Day with FREE Printable Tags - January 20, 2023
The Allen Family says
Oh YUM! I love Chicken Tortilla Soup (although I’ve never had Applebees – this one sounds delish!) but I hardly ever make it cause it’s so time consuming at dinner time, but this will be awesome. Thanks!! Can’t wait to try it.
jessica {creative index} says
i’ve never had chicken tortilla soup!! this looks and sounds so yummy! will definitely have to make this soon!
I Heart Salt Lake says
This looks delicious. I can’t wait to try it out.
Christie says
Hi there,
Wondering how many people this serves. We make a stove top tortilla soup and it calls for 6 cups of broth, so 1/2 cup seems like a really small amount. I really want to try this recipe today!
Thank you for your clarification!
Christie
Christie says
Sorry I somehow typed the wrong email address in my previous comment!
Alli says
Hi Christie! This recipe serves about 6 people. You put most of the ingredients over chicken in the crock pot, which ends up giving you more liquid than the broth amount. You will also add cream to that. This is one of my favorites! I hope you like it!
Chris says
I have been struggling with new soup ideas recently and these soup recipes have given me great inspiration… : )
Many Thanks
Christopher
Alli says
Wonderful! I’m excited for you to try some of these recipes, Christopher! Thank you for your comment.
Ann says
What is the quantity of Chicken? I stock my freezer full of soups for ski season. I only make recipes doubled or tripled..lol. I am guessing one recipe is about a pound of chicken?
Alli says
Yes, I would say about a pound of chicken. Great question! Thank you!
Mel says
In the crock pot now! Used four chicken breasts and petite diced tomato with garlic and onion. Will likely add beans and corn when I shred the chicken!
Alli says
That sounds great! I’ll have to try it sometime with those additions!
Amy says
I just made this but there is hardly any liquid so it is not really soup? I think the chicken broth is not accurate. More than half a cup
Alli says
Using frozen chicken breasts will add more liquid to the broth. Thanks for the question!
Monica says
I’ve never used cream in a crock pot soup recipe before, will you need to eat it all right away or can it be saved for leftovers? Thanks in advance!
Alli says
Hi Monica! You should be able to save the soup for about a week before it starts to go bad. Great question!
Carla says
Hi
I made this recipe but I think some of the commentors are right, there isn’t enough liquid. It made a tomato paste that burnt to the sides of the crock pot with absolutely no left over liquid to call soup. I used the unbroken chicken just like you recommended but it did not turn out. Just for your information.
Alli says
Hi Carla, I’m so sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you! I’m still trying to figure out what happened that made your batch and Amy’s batch have so much less liquid. The liquid from the frozen chicken breasts plus the chicken broth and cream/half and half has always been enough liquid when I make it. If you decide to try it again (and I hope you will!), maybe add more chicken broth if you think it’s going to be low on liquid. Sorry again that it didn’t work for you!
Lorelei says
This soup was delish! So glad I found this post. Thanks for sharing!
Alli says
Thanks so much, Lorelei! Some people have had problems with the recipe so I appreciate you letting me know that it worked for you. So glad you liked it!
Pamela Hardt says
Hello, I am anxious to make this soup. Since I cook for just my husband and myself, could I freeze some of this soup?
Alli says
Hi Pamela! Yes, this soup freezes really well. Great question!
Jill says
Cans of tomatoes are untrained? Looks delish!
Alli says
Hi Jill! Yes, you can keep all the liquid in the tomatoes.
Sara says
I’ve made this recipe before and it’s always been great, but I definitely recommend adding an 8oz can of corn and beans! You can add at the beginning or end.
Alli says
Ooh that sounds fantastic! Thanks for sharing, I’ll have to try that next time.