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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
It would be helpful if you included measurements for salt/pepper.
It would have been extremely good I think if it was not for the extra sour-ness. I think I either added too much lime juice at the end or it was the salsa verde I had. Pretty easy soup to make though, just not 100% sure what caused that flavor. It seemed to overpower everything else :/ Ill probably try it again though.
Hey Maci! I would use less salsa verde if you feel it’s getting too sour! xT
Forgot to rate this on my comment. 5 star for sure!
Thank you so so much! xT
This soup was so yummy! My husband made it for me and followed the recipe as is. What a wonderful meal on a cold and wintery day! We will be having this again soon! Thanks Tieghan for another amazing recipe!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so so much! xT
Couldn’t complete the recipe due to ads incessantly covering instructions. Do you really need an ad between every step, and covering critical parts of the screen? I’ve never seen such a littered page.
I made this wonderful Green Chili Tortilla Soup tonight. We both LOVED it! Thank you so much!!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so so much! xT
This is super sour, not bad. 7/10
Oh no! Anything I can do to help? xT
Thank you Tieghan. Loved the creamy taco soup…simple and easy one pot. Your recipes are always a hit in my house.
Thank you sooo much! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! xT
I absolutely loved this recipe! I always do the same chicken tortilla soup recipe and this was a nice change up! I loved the heat! Thank you!
Thank you sooo much! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! xT
Made this last night as written. It’s perfect! Also made the chips to with and topped with an avocado. So delish! Thanks for sharing amazing recipes!
Thank you sooo much! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! xT
How would you tone down the astringancy of the salsa verde. I used Hernandez and it made the soup way too sour.
I make a shredded chicken recipe that calls for a lot of Hernandez, but it also calls for a couple tablespoons of honey. I think that reduces the tartness. The first time I tasted Hernandez on its own, it was so sour I thought it was bad, so I know what you mean!
Hi Kevin! I would just add less salsa verde if you don’t enjoy that flavor as much! 🙂 xT
Just finished making this to have during the SEC Championship game . SO GOOD!!! Wonderful depth of flavors and the only changes I made were using leftovers rotisserie chicken. Excellent recipe Tieghan!
Awesome! Love to hear that! Thank you soooo much! 🙂 xT
Easy to make and tastes great! I added a can of black beans.
Thank you so much Lynette! xT
Loved this soup! Didn’t have a poblano or jalapeño so just added some hatch green chili flakes and enjoyed! This is a winner for the crockpot!
Thank you so so much for giving the recipe a try! So glad you enjoyed it! xT
This is really good, however the cream cheese doesn’t exactly melt (and I shot it in the microwave for two 15 second intervals). Once I put it in the pot, I jabbed and swirled it with a whisk and it worked. Whipped cream cheese may melt better, or you may not need to nuke it at all and just put in the soup.
Thanks for the feedback Stacey! xT