There are few soups that are as packed with flavor as this keto Chicken Tortilla Soup. The broth is rich and spicy, the veggies are tender, and the chicken is cooked just right. Topped with a variety of garnishes, this is comfort food in a bowl!
Loaded with big and bold flavors, there are no hard-to-find ingredients in this bowl of low carb chicken tortilla soup. And, it’s a quick and easy fix, perfect for weeknight dinners.
The flavors are also even better the next day! Top it just how you like it and dig into flavor in each and every spoonful!
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Ingredients
- Chicken breast – see notes below
- Chicken broth – make your own chicken bone broth
- Avocado oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Jalapeno
- Crushed tomatoes – one 14.5 ounce can
- Diced green chilis – one 4 ounce can
- Roma tomato – fresh tomatoes add such lovely flavor to this soup
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Chipotle powder
- Lime juice
- Cilantro
- Salt and pepper
Quick and Easy Keto Tortilla Soup
You can speed up the cooking process, cutting it about half the time, if you use already cooked leftover chicken. I love using leftover grilled chicken in this recipe – the grilled chicken adds a bit of smoky flavor to the soup.
Or, use rotisserie chicken. Just skip the first step, where you simmer the chicken, and you’re good to go!
How To Make The Best Keto Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Pop the chicken into a medium-size soup pot and add the chicken broth. Simmer the chicken on low heat for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked.
- Remove the chicken and set it to cool.
- Meanwhile, add the oil to a medium-size skillet and heat the pan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeno and cook until the onions are tender. About 6 minutes.
- Scrape the sauteed veggies into the broth, then add the canned tomatoes, canned chilis, and spices.
- Simmer the broth for 10 minutes while you shred the chicken.
- Using two forks or your favorite meat claws to shred the chicken, discarding the bone or skin if necessary.
- Add the chicken to the soup pot and simmer, covered, an additional 10 minutes.
- Add the lime juice, cilantro, and salt and pepper.
- Serve with your favorite garnishes and enjoy!
Garnishes
This soup is so flavorful that you don’t need garnishes, but they’re all part of the fun! These are some of my favorite garnishes for this easy keto chicken soup:
- Pepper jack or Monterey jack cheese
- Jalapeno slices
- Avocado
- Sour cream
- Toasted low-carb tortillas
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Using leftover rotisserie or grilled chicken is a great time-saver in this keto tortilla soup. Just skip to step #3 and shave about 15 minutes off the prep time.
- Like it spicy? Use a serrano chili instead of a jalapeno
- Fresh tomato adds lovely texture and a bright, fresh flavor to the soup but you can skip it if you don’t have any fresh tomato on hand
- Don’t like cilantro? Skip it!
Make it a Meal
This big and bold flavored soup can stand on its own as a hearty meal, but if you want to pair something with it, opt for something that won’t compete with the flavors.
Chaffles are my favorite soup side dish, and these Crispy Chaffles will work nicely with this. Or, pair the best Chicken Tortilla Soup with a tasty Wedge Salad, cut-up veggies dipped in Creamy Jalapeno Dip, or tasty munchies like these Jalapeno-Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms. A slice of this keto bread with psyllium husk recipe would also be delish, and these Halloumi Fatjias are also a perfect match.
Recommended
Storage
Can you freeze chicken tortilla soup? You bet you can! This soup freezes just fine, making it a great keto freezer soup option. Simply chill the soup thoroughly overnight in the fridge, then package it in air-tight containers for up to 4-5 months.
My favorite way to freeze saucy and soupy recipes is by using Souper Cubes! These amazing freezer-safe cubes are perfect for freezing portions of all my favorite soups, stews, and other saucy meals. I freeze them then pop them out and put the rectangular frozen blocks into a zipper-top freezer bag. It makes storing them SOOOO much easier!
Where can you find these Soup Cubes? You can order them from Souper Cubes – how cool is this?
Keto Chicken Tortilla Soup will also keep in the fridge for up to a week. In fact, I almost like it better the next day after all those flavors have a chance to intensify! Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! It sure can be! This version is made with keto-friendly ingredients, keeping the carb count low. With just 8 net carbs per hearty serving, it’s a delicious and satisfying keto soup recipe!
There are about 5 trillion (slight exaggeration) recipes for chicken tortilla soup, so how do you define what is and isn’t authentic? This recipe calls for authentic spices and has traditional ingredients in it, so yes, I guess it qualifies as an authentic chicken tortilla soup recipe.
Yes! By keto standards and by most other definitions of healthy, this is a healthy chicken tortilla soup recipe.
Keto Chicken Tortilla Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken broth divided
- 1/2 pound chicken breast about 2 breasts
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 jalapeno seeded and diced finely
- 14.5 ounce canned crushed tomatoes
- 4 ounce canned green chilis
- 1 roma tomato diced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Optional garnishes: avocado, sour cream, cheese, jalapenos
Instructions
- Add the chicken to a medium-size soup pot and add 4 cups of chicken broth. Simmer the chicken on low heat for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked.
- Remove the chicken and set it to cool.
- Meanwhile, add the oil to a medium-size skillet and heat the pan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeno and cook until the onions are tender. About 6 minutes.
- Scrape the sauteed veggies into the broth, then add the canned tomatoes, canned chilis, and spices. Add the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth to the pot.
- Simmer the broth over low heat for 10 minutes while you shred the chicken.
- Use two forks or your favorite meat claws to shred the chicken, discarding the bone or skin if necessary.
- Add the chicken to the soup pot and simmer, covered, an additional 10 minutes.
- Add the lime juice, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with your favorite garnishes and enjoy!
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed. Erythritol carbs (sugar substitutes) are not included in the carbohydrate counts as they have been shown not to impact blood sugar, and they have zero calories and zero carbs. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
HUNGRY FOR MORE Easy Keto Recipes?
I’m always messing around in the kitchen creating new recipes, but these are some of my favorite all-time picks that I make again and again:
Chicken tortilla soup is one of my favorite comforting recipes for colder weather. Love how adaptable it is to the keto diet!
Such a yummy change from the soups we normally have! Loved that it was made of simple ingredients I already have!
Chicken tortilla soup is one of my absolute favorites! Love that this is keto friendly.
Such a nice recipe for the upcoming cold days. Thank you for sharing!
This soup has so much flavor and I love that it uses simple ingredients that I almost always have in my kitchen. Just the right amount of spiciness too!
This is delicious and very favorable.