This Chick-fil-a chicken tortilla soup is a fantastic blend of shredded chicken, navy and black beans, and veggies with a little spicy kick. And best of all, you can skip the drive-thru line and make it right at home with leftover chicken and simple ingredients from your pantry.
Not much beats a delicious bowl of soup for dinner, especially once the cold weather months hit. This copycat soup recipe is full of smoky warmth and hearty, flavorful, and easy to make.
I also love to use leftover chicken in this recipe. With how expensive groceries have gotten, I always look for ways to save money and get every bit out of rotisserie chicken. And even if you aren’t using up leftovers, making this copycat soup is going to be cheaper than a visit to Chick-fil-a!
In this post, we’ll walk you through a step-by-step guide to whipping up this soup bursting with flavor and warmth. We’ll talk about the ingredients you need and ways to change the recipe to fit your family’s taste.
Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I loved this recipe! I recently introduced my dad to Chick Fil A’s tortilla soup and he fell in love! He likes that it’s creamy and not just acidic. He is sick so I made this recipe today. It’s came out amazing! My whole family had second servings.
— Cali
🍲Ingredient Notes
For exact amounts needed see the recipe card below
The list of ingredients for this Chicken Tortilla soup is quite long, but don’t get overwhelmed. Most of them are pantry staples!
- Butter
- Onion
- Bell pepper
- Garlic
- Tomatoes with green chilies
- Chicken broth
- Navy beans
- Black beans
- Corn
- Shredded chicken: Use leftover air fryer chicken or rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.
- Heavy cream and sour cream: To add creaminess to the soup.
- Lime juice
- Seasoning: The spices used to make this recipe include chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, sugar, and just a little cayenne pepper.
Looking for more copycat recipes? Try my Olive Garden gnocchi soup, Taco Bell Mexican pizza, or a copycat Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich.
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🥣How to Make Chick-Fil-a Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Start by sautéing your onion, red bell pepper, and garlic in butter. You want them to be just translucent, not browned. Make sure you use a large stock pot since this makes a big batch of soup.
- Stir in your tomatoes with green chiles, salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and sugar. Once everything is well combined, add in your chicken broth.
- Rinse and drain the beans and corn and set aside one can of navy beans. Add the other can of navy beans, black beans, and corn to the pot. Finally, stir in the shredded chicken. Bring the soup to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat and let everything simmer together for about 30 minutes.
- While the soup simmers, put the second can of navy beans in a bowl and mash it. Use a fork or a potato masher. This will help thicken the soup.
- After 30 minutes of simmering, add the mashed navy beans and stir. Then put the sour cream in a small bowl and add a few tablespoons of hot soup broth. Whisk this together to prevent the sour cream from curdling when you add it to the soup.
- Stir the sour cream mixture, heavy cream, and the juice of a lime into the soup pot and serve.
🍴Serving Ideas
Since this is tortilla soup, garnishing it with crunchy tortilla strips is a must. Multicolored ones look fabulous on your bowl of soup, but my kids are OK with some crushed-up tortilla chips from the bottom of a bag! Then sprinkle on some cilantro and add sliced jalapenos or lime wedges for a fun presentation.
💭How to Store
This chicken tortilla soup recipe is not just easy to make, but it’s also a cinch to store. It makes a big pot of soup, so leftover soup isn’t unusual. First, let the soup cool before storing it. Then pour it into an airtight container, and you can safely store it in the fridge for up to five days.
This soup also freezes beautifully. Just pour it into a freezer-safe container, leaving a little space at the top for expansion. It’ll keep in your freezer for about two months. Just let it thaw in the fridge overnight and then warm it on the stove to reheat.
⭐Tips
Be sure to check out the step by step instructions
- Get creative with toppings: Don’t limit yourself to serving this soup like Chick-fil-a does. Add your favorite toppings. My kids love a sprinkle of cheese and sour cream on their tortilla soup. I like some black olives, diced avocado, guacamole, and pickled jalapenos.
- Adjust the heat: Not everyone in my family enjoys spicy food, so I usually go easy on the jalapenos and chiles. But if you’re a spice lover, feel free to crank up the heat. Remember, this is your soup, so make it to your liking.
- Use leftovers: This recipe is great for using leftover chicken or turkey. It is a great way to get an extra meal from leftovers and stretch your food budget.
📝FAQ
Absolutely! Just leave the chicken out and make it with vegetable broth. You can add extra beans or not, depending on your preference. Some diced sweet potatoes or butternut squash also make this a delicious soup.
This soup should keep in the fridge for about 4-5 days, making it an excellent meal-prep option for busy weeks. Just remember to store it in an airtight container.
Yes, indeed! This soup freezes beautifully. You can make a double batch and freeze half for those days when you don’t feel like cooking. Just cool it completely before freezing, and it should be good for up to 2 months.
You might have added too much broth if your soup is too thin. If it’s too thick, you might not have added enough. Add a little more broth to make it thinner, or mash up more navy or black beans to thicken it.
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Chick-Fil-a Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow or white onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 can tomatoes with green chiles, Rotel, or a similar brand 10-ounce
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cans navy beans, rinsed and drained, divided 15-ounce each
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 15-ounce
- 1 can yellow corn, rinsed and drained 15-ounce
- 4 cups shredded chicken
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup sour cream
- Juice of one lime
Garnishes
- Cilantro
- Tortilla strips
- Sliced jalapenos
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot over low heat. Melt the butter and saute the onion, red bell pepper, and garlic until translucent, which should take about 5 minutes.2 tablespoons butter, 1 yellow or white onion, 1 red bell pepper, 2 cloves garlic
- Stir in the undrained can of tomatoes with green chiles. Next, add salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, and sugar. Then add in the chicken broth and stir.2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon sugar, 1 can tomatoes with green chiles, Rotel, or a similar brand, 6 cups chicken broth
- Drain and rinse the 2 cans of navy beans, 1 can of black beans, and the canned corn. Set one can of navy beans aside for now. Mix in the other can of navy beans, black beans, and corn and stir.2 cans navy beans, rinsed and drained, divided, 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained, 1 can yellow corn, rinsed and drained
- Add in the leftover shredded chicken and stir everything together.4 cups shredded chicken
- Increase to medium heat and bring the soup to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and let the pot of soup simmer for 30 minutes.
- Put the reserved can of navy beans in a bowl and mash them to make them thick and mushy. A fork or potato masher works great for this.2 cans navy beans, rinsed and drained, divided
- After the simmering time, add the pureed beans to the pot and stir.
- Put the sour cream in a bowl and add some hot soup broth. Whisk to combine. Then add the mixture to the soup pot along with the cream and fresh lime juice.½ cup heavy cream, ¼ cup sour cream, Juice of one lime
- Served garnished with crispy tortilla strips and cilantro. Add some jalapeno slices and lime wedges if you like.Cilantro, Tortilla strips, Sliced jalapenos, lime wedges
Notes
- Add jalapenos to the soup when you add the bell peppers if you like things spicy. Or buy hot diced tomatoes with green chiles for a kick of heat.
- The combo of navy beans and black beans is authentic to the restaurant recipe, but use any kind you like. Pinto beans or chili beans will make a great soup too.
- Serve with your favorite toppings. Cheddar cheese, sour cream, and avocado are some of my favorites.
- This is an excellent recipe for using up leftover chicken or turkey. You can also make it with raw chicken breasts. Add them to the soup pot at the start, simmer the soup for 40 minutes, then pull them out, shred them, and add them back in.
- You can easily make this vegetarian by leaving out the chicken and using vegetable broth.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
I loved this recipe! I recently introduced my dad to Chick Fil A’s tortilla soup and he fell in love! He likes that it’s creamy and not just acidic. He is sick so I made this recipe today. It’s came out amazing! My whole family had second servings. The only thing i’d modify is adding a touch more sour cream or heavy cream. Mine was a tad separated til I added a touch more!