Warm up with the ultimate comfort food – slow cooker spicy chicken tortilla soup! Chicken, beans and veggies simmer in a tomato broth kicked up with chili peppers and spices. Top with crispy tortilla strips for a fun, flavorful meal.

Why you’ll love this recipe
This recipe for spicy chicken tortilla soup is one of my favorites for a low-effort, high-flavor simple week-night dinner. It is so quick and easy to prepare in the morning before you head off to work, and there is nothing better than coming home to a hot dinner.
Scroll down for the recipe card for this slow cooker spicy chicken tortilla soup, or read on for all the details!
What do you need?
Pantry staples and a chicken breast are all you need for the basic soup:
- Chicken breast – you can also use chicken thighs if that is what you have on hand. Note: please don’t use frozen chicken in this recipe without defrosting it ahead of time. I know some bloggers say it is ok, but USDA advice is clear on this, so I won’t be taking the risk. Check this USDA Food Safety Information leaflet for more info: Slow Cookers and Food Safety.
- Spice/seasoning – use nacho, taco, fajita or other Mexican-style seasoning. The beauty of this is you can make it as spicy (or not) as you like.
- Canned tomatoes – chopped is best, but you can use whole, and break them up with a wooden spoon once finished cooking.
- Canned corn kernels – drain before use.
- Canned beans – black beans, kidney beans, mixed beans, your choice. Drain before use.
- Chicken stock – you could also use broth
- Tortilla chips – crush them and sprinkle on top, or use as a spoon!
I highly recommend also adding a few of these optional extras like sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, chili flakes, fresh cilantro.
How to make spicy chicken tortilla soup in a slow cooker
Being a slow-cooker soup recipe, it is super simple to put together:
- Put all the ingredients into the slow cooker
- Set to cook for 8 hours on low, or 4 hours on high.
- When it’s done, remove the chicken breast, shred with two forks, and place it back into the soup in the slow cooker.
- Serve topped with sour cream, chopped avocado and crushed tortilla chips.
Yes, it really is as simple as that!
Even better, you can prepare all the ingredients the night before, then just toss them all in the slow cooker in the morning before heading off to work. Then you can spend all day looking forward to coming home to a cooked dinner!

Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning or other Mexican-style seasoning
- 14 oz corn kernels 1 can, drained
- 14 oz black beans/ kidney beans 1 can, drained
- 14 oz chopped tomatoes 1 can
- 1 avocado to serve
- 1 pot sour cream to serve
- ½ cup grated cheese to serve
- 4 handfuls tortilla chips crumbled, to serve
- Chili flakes to serve (optional)
- Fresh cilantro to serve (optional)
Directions
- Add the chicken, seasoning, canned ingredients, and stock to slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- When the cooking time is up, remove chicken breasts, shred and place back in the soup.
- Serve with chopped avocado, grated cheese, sour cream, and corn chips on top. Garnish with chili flakes and fresh cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and provided for informational purposes only.
You may also like: