Next Post
Skillet Creamy Chicken and Parmesan Gnocchi.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
This simple one-pot soup is the perfect bowl to warm up to on a chilly night. Made with salsa verde, poblano peppers, jalapeños (for just the right amount of heat), and shredded chicken. Add taco seasoning and ground cumin for amazing flavor. Then cream cheese for creaminess. This soup is spicy, creamy, and so delicious. Top each bowl of creamy soup with avocado, plenty of fresh cilantro, sour cream, and lots of salty tortilla chips. I even added a little bit of lime zest too!
It’s soup season! We’ve had some seriously cold temperatures, single digit, temps this week. It’s COLD. I made this over the weekend, and it was so perfect. It really hit the spot.
All of my brothers were in town. And even though they claim not to enjoy soup, they said the taste was awesome. They loved that it was a bit spicy yet creamy and cheesy too. With the broth being a bit thicker, it makes the soup a little heartier. It’s a great comfort food recipe for this time of year!
Originally, I wanted to make a more traditional variation on tortilla soup using diced tomatoes and red enchilada sauce. I’m sure it would have been delicious, but when I didn’t have any red enchilada sauce on hand, I reached for what I did have: salsa verde.
I used two full jars of my favorite salsa verde from Whole Foods, two cans of diced green chilies, a poblano pepper, and some jalapeños.
Onto details
Step 1: cook the onion and peppers
Use a little olive oil or butter and start cooking the onion. Then add the poblanos, jalapeños, cumin, and a few teaspoons of taco seasoning for a truly yummy mix. Let this cook for a few minutes to bring out the flavor in the dry spices.
Step 2: cook the chicken
Next, add the chicken. I like to toss it up with all those spices.
Then pour over the salsa verde, add the diced-up green chilies, and then the broth. Let the chicken simmer away in the broth until it’s cooked through. This will take 15 or 20 minutes.
Step 3: shred the chicken
I like to pull the chicken out of the soup and shred it. Then mix in the cream cheese. If you want to make the soup even creamier, add a 1/2 cup or so of heavy cream.
To finish this off, mix in a big handful of white cheddar cheese and let it melt into the soup.
You can make this in the Dutch oven or crockpot if it’s easier for you. I added directions for both.
Step 4: serve, top, and enjoy
I layer a thick dollop of Greek yogurt with sliced avocado on top. Then a big handful of crushed tortilla chips and lots of fresh cilantro and green onions, some jalapeño pepper would be good to. It’s so delicious!
A wonderful chicken tortilla soup recipe to warm up with!
Make-Ahead, Storage & Reheat
- Make-ahead: soup improves by day 2; keep toppings separate.
- Fridge: store in airtight containers 3–4 days.
- Freeze: up to 2–3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge (dairy may look slightly separated—whisk as it reheats).
- Reheat: warm gently on the stove over low, stirring often; splash in broth/water to loosen as needed.
- Tortilla chips: keep in a bag/container at room temp and add just before serving for crunch.
Looking for other warming winter dinners? Here are a few ideas:
Crockpot Chili Meatballs and Spaghetti
30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken
Coconut Sweet Potato Lentil Soup with Rice
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Green Chili Tortilla Soup
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 331 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 poblano, chopped
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2-3 teaspoons taco seasoning
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 3 cups salsa verde
- 2 cans (4 ounce) diced green chiles
- 3-4 cups chicken broth
- 6 ounces cream cheese, melted
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- lime zest and juice
- lots of salted tortilla chips
- yogurt, avocado, and green onion, for serving
Instructions
Stove
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the poblano, jalapeños, cumin, taco seasoning, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until very fragrant. Add the chicken, salsa verde, canned chiles, and 4 cups of broth. Season with salt and pepper. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.2. Melt the cream cheese in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.3. Pull the chicken out and shred using two forks. Stir in the cream cheese until smooth, then stir in the shredded chicken and cheddar cheese. Cook for 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro and lime juice.4. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with tortilla chips. Then finish as desired with a dollop of yogurt, avocado, green onions, and cilantro. Enjoy!
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, layer the onion, poblano, and jalapeños. Add the chicken, cumin, taco seasoning, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Pour over the salsa verde, canned chiles, and 3 cups of broth. 2. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Shred the chicken using two forks. Stir in the cream cheese, whisking until mixed. Then add the cheddar cheese, cilantro, and lime juice. 3. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with tortilla chips. Then finish as desired with a dollop of yogurt, avocado, green onions, and cilantro. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on November 29, 2023
Omg so yummy!!
Thanks so much Lisa! xT
I won’t rate yet but have the ingredients all pulled together to make it. Question, does it refrigerate and reheat well?
Yes, I reheated it for lunch yesterday and it was excellent.
Yes, this will definitely reheat well! 🙂 xT
I made this last night and it was just absolute PERFECTION! I omitted the poblano because my local grocery store didn’t have any, but my the flavor and spice level were just right even without it. You know it’s a keeper recipe when your husband is putting away the leftovers and decides to grab another bowl! Thanks Tieghan for making cooking enjoyable again!
Thank you so much Katie! xT
Delicious! Thank you! 😁
Thanks so much! 🙂 xT
Yum. Made as written. My husband isn’t a soup fan. Basically he wants a thick chili or stew. He did like it, any suggestion on thickening it up?
Hi! I would use less chicken broth if you want it thicker! 🙂 xT
Can you make this and let it simmer on the stovetop for a couple of hours? (Sports have my family eating at different times)
Hi Regina! Yes, of course that would be fine! xT
This looks delicious. Can’t wait to try it on a snowy, cold weekend!!
Where are the soup bowls from?
Thanks so much Penny!! The bowls are from Anthropologie, here is the link for the collection:
https://shopstyle.it/l/b3CRp
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Great as is. Happened to have a bag of frozen roasted corn so threw that in too. My peppers weren’t too hot, so I could have maybe added an extra jalapeño. Definitely will make again-it’s a good base for many soups/chilis!
Hey Kim,
Perfect!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So glad it turned out well for you:) xT
Made this with leftover rotisserie chicken, super easy! I used Trader Joe’s Hatch Chili salsa (two jars). I couldn’t find a poblano but used a red bell pepper. This is a keeper!
Love to hear this, Lorraine!! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and sharing your feedback! xT
Made this today and it’s just as perfect as all her other recipes!
Hey Melissa,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it:) xT
Very close to my tomato-based Chicken Tortilla Soup! Like your title says… Creamy Green Chili (chile?). So salsa verde and diced green chilies where I use canned tomatoes and Ro-Tel, and cream cheese with the cheddar where I have colby jack with cheddar. I look forward to trying this.
One option to consider is to add about 8 to 10 corn tortillas, cut into 1/2″ x 1 1/4″ strips and just add your tortilla chips to the garnish list. Add the corn strips when the chicken goes in. They almost act like a noodle, and they add body.
my recipe is 10 tortilla and 4 quarts of soup. Looks like yours is about 2 quarts… so maby 4-5 tortillas, not 8-10.
Thanks so much for sharing, Steve! I hope you love this recipe:) xx
It would be so helpful if you would list nutrion info as many of us could be on restricted diets even if it is estimated.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Diann!!
Probably a dumb question but could this be made with any non-dairy products for we lactose intolerant people?
Hey Jeanne,
Not dumb at all! I haven’t tried this, but you could certainly use your favorite dairy free swaps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Any suggestions for cream cheese or cream substitutions in this recipe that could make it a bit healthier/lower calorie but still have some creaminess?
Mindy,
I’ve used Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese (if you can find it); it’s higher in protein and lower in fat – tastes great.
Hi Mindy,
So sorry, I didn’t test this recipe without the cream cheese and cream so I am not sure what the results would be with other ingredients. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
Do you have a homemade Taco Seasoning recipe?
Hi Christy,
So sorry, I don’t, I just use store bought. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Yes, she does. It’s listed in the notes to this recipe: https://fett-weg.today/cheesy-taco-rice-casserole/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Thanks Allison!! That is a chipotle taco seasoning, but I suppose you could use that here:)