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Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Creamy chicken tortilla soup with a rich orange-cream broth made from Rotel, melted cream cheese, and heavy cream. This Tex-Mex soup stays thick and comforting, finished with shredded chicken, beans, corn, and crisp tortilla strips.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken soup base
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast Cooked and shredded
  • 15 can (15 oz) black beans Drained
  • 15 can (15 oz) corn Drained
  • 10 can (10 oz) Rotel tomatoes
  • 14 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 1 onion Diced
  • 4 cloves garlic Minced
  • 4 cup chicken broth
  • 8 oz cream cheese Cubed
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 salt To taste
  • 1 pepper To taste
Toppings
  • 1 sour cream
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar
  • 1 tortilla strips
  • 1 cilantro
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 lime

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté aromatics
  1. In a large pot, sauté diced onion for 4 minutes until softened and translucent, stirring occasionally (about medium heat). Add minced garlic and taco seasoning and cook 2 minutes, until fragrant with a toasted aroma.
Build the broth
  1. Add Rotel tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, black beans, corn, and cumin to the pot and bring to a boil. Let it boil briefly until the mixture looks evenly combined.
Make it creamy
  1. Reduce heat and stir in cubed cream cheese until completely melted and the soup looks smooth and creamy with no visible lumps (about medium-low heat).
Finish with chicken
  1. Add shredded chicken and heavy cream, then simmer for 10 minutes until the soup thickens slightly and the chicken is heated through (keep it at a gentle simmer with small bubbles).
Season and serve
  1. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then ladle into bowls and serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar, tortilla strips, cilantro, avocado, and lime.

Notes

For the smoothest texture, reduce the heat before adding the cubed cream cheese so it melts without clumping. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freeze for up to 2 months (for best results, thaw and reheat gently, as cream-based soup can thicken). For a lighter option, use reduced-fat cream cheese and half-and-half in place of heavy cream.