Mexican inspired soups are some of our favorites, layered with crave worthy Tex-Mex flavors and textures! If you’re a fan like us, don’t miss Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken Tortilla Soup, Cheesy Taco Soup, Chicken Fajita Soup, Albondigas SoupChicken Enchilada Soup and Caldo de Pollo.
HOW TO MAKE Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup VIDEo
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients
This recipe is made with the same ingredients as classic Chicken Tortilla Soup but with the addition of cornstarch, cream cheese and cheddar. The cream cheese makes the broth silky smooth and adds a subtle tanginess that pairs beautifully with the earthy Tex-Mex seasonings. Let’s review the ingredients you’ll need to make the soup (measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):
How to make Chicken Tortilla Soup with Cream Cheese
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup is quick and easy to prepare, especially if you’re using leftover or rotisserie chicken! Detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post, but here’s an overview of how to make the recipe with step-by-step photos:
Step 1: Sear the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat some oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven. Once hot, add the chicken and sear until golden. It will not be cooked through at this point, but that’s what you want! Remove the chicken to a plate but leave the drippings. (Drippings = FLAVOR!)
Step 2: Sauté the veggies. Melt the Danish Creamery Butter in the same pot, then sauté the onions, poblano pepper and red bell pepper until the onions are softened. Sauté the garlic for 30 seconds.
Step 3: Simmer the soup. Add the chicken back to the pot, followed by all of the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the cheese, cream cheese, cilantro and lime juice. Simmer the soup, partially covered, until the chicken is cooked through and tender enough to shred.
Step 4: Add the cheeses. Stir in the cream cheese until melted, followed by the shredded cheddar until melted. Lastly, finish with fresh cilantro and a couple tablespoons of lime juice.
Step 5: Garnish and serve. I’ve shared my favorite toppings below. I’ve also given instructions on how to make homemade tortilla strips – SO good!
HOW DO YOU MAKE TORTILLA STRIPS?
Making your own tortilla strips is SO easy and healthier because they are BAKED, not fried. To make tortilla strips, all you need are corn tortillas, oil and salt to achieve crunchy, salty, tortilla chip results. They also don’t add any prep time to the recipe because you make them while the soup simmers.
How To make tortilla strips:
Step 1: Prepare the baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly spray a large baking sheet/jelly roll pan with cooking spray or use two half sheets. Step 2: Cut tortillas into ½ inch strips. I have found the easiest way to do this is to stack the tortillas together, then use a pizza cutter to cut them all at once. It literally takes 1-2 minutes to cut them all.
Step 3: Season the tortilla strips. Add the tortilla strips to the baking sheet(s) and toss with 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil. Arrange the strips in a single layer so they aren’t touching and season with freshly cracked salt.
Step 4: Bake. Bake the tortilla strips at 425 degrees F for about 12 minutes or until light golden brown and crunchy.
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