Keto Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

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If you love Mexican flavors and easy recipes, you’re sure to love this easy low carb keto chicken tortilla soup recipe! This healthy soup is made with vegetables and chicken, and then everyone can add their own toppings. And who doesn’t love toppings?! (You can also use the same toppings for taco soup, which has similar flavors but is made with beef.)

If you’re putting out a Mexican spread, be sure to also include queso dip, avocado salsa (or guacamole), 7 layer taco dip, and fresh tomato salsa. And of course, don’t forget the skinny margaritas!

Why You’ll Love This Keto Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Classic Mexican flavor
Filling and hearty soup
Made in a few simple steps
Low carb and gluten-free
Paleo and whole30 if you omit the dairy toppings

Bowl of low carb chicken tortilla soup with toppings

Ingredients You’ll Need

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for keto diet chicken tortilla soup, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

Olive Oil – For sauteing. Avocado oil will also work.
Garlic – Use fresh garlic for the most potent flavor, or jarred for convenience.
Onion – I used white onion, but you could also use yellow onion.
Bell Peppers – Pick any color you like! I opted for a mix of yellow, green, and red bell pepper for color and flavor dimension.
Jalapeno – This adds some heat to the soup. Feel free to omit it if you don’t like spice. You could also use green chiles for a milder heat.
Chicken Broth – Chicken broth is best for any chicken soup, including this one, but technically any broth (beef or vegetable) would also work. For richer flavor and a nutrient boost, use homemade bone broth instead.
Diced Tomatoes – I like using fire roasted tomatoes in this Mexican-style soup, but you can use any canned diced tomatoes.
Chicken Breast – I prefer to use organic chicken for best flavor and nutrition (get them delivered right to your door), but any chicken breast will work. You could also use chicken thighs, but they may take a little longer to cook. If you have some already cooked shredded chicken to use up, you can also use that instead of raw chicken.
Spices – The basics are cumin, chili powder, sea salt, and black pepper. If you like, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper also make nice additions.

And don’t forget about the add-ins after you cook the soup — see the best keto tortilla soup toppings below!

Ingredients to make chicken tortilla soup

How To Make Keto Chicken Tortilla Soup

This section shows how to make keto tortilla soup, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full instructions, see the recipe card below.

Saute veggies. Heat oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, and bell peppers. Saute the veggies until the onion is translucent and bell peppers have softened.

Sauteed onion peppers and garlic in dutch oven

Cook chicken. Add diced jalapeno, chicken broth, fire roasted tomatoes, chicken breast, sea salt, black pepper, cumin, and chili powder. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through.

Low carb chicken tortilla soup ingredients in dutch oven

Shred chicken. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it with two forks. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup and simmer for a few minutes.

Shredded chicken back in keto tortilla soup

Serve. Your easy keto chicken tortilla soup is ready! Ladle it into bowls and add toppings as desired.

Low Carb Toppings To Add

Keto Tortilla Chips – These add crunch and the “tortilla” piece of this low carb tortilla soup.
Shredded Cheese – I used Monterey jack cheese, but you could also use sharp cheddar or a Mexican blend.
Avocado – Slice the avocado like I have or dice.
Sour Cream – Be sure to use full fat. (Yes, sour cream is keto!)
Cilantro – Roughly chop fresh cilantro. Feel free to omit if you’re not a fan.
Lime – A squeeze of fresh lime juice brightens up the flavor of the soup when serving.

Low carb chicken tortilla soup in bowls with ingredients scattered

Frequently Asked Questions

Is chicken tortilla soup keto?

Traditional chicken tortilla soup is not keto friendly, as it contains corn and black beans, and is topped with tortilla strips. To make this recipe keto friendly, we’re skipping the corn and beans, and using keto tortilla chips as a crunchy topping.

How many carbs are in chicken tortilla soup?

The carbs in chicken tortilla soup will vary, based on recipe and ingredients. Traditional tortilla soup can have 40 grams of carbohydrates! This version has just 10 grams net carbs per serving — WITH toppings included — and is filling enough to be a meal.

Is chicken tortilla soup spicy?

This chicken tortilla soup has a mild heat, but you can add more jalapeno and/or more chili powder for more spice. If you want it less spicy, omit the jalapeno.

Can you make it in the Crock Pot or Instant Pot?

Yes, both will work!

Slow cooker instructions: Feel free to take a shortcut by just dumping all the ingredients (not including toppings, of course) into your Crock Pot and cook for 5-6 hours on Low or 2.5-3 hours on High, until the chicken shreds easily. However, it will taste better if you still take the time to saute the veggies before adding to the slow cooker.
Pressure cooker instructions: Cook the veggies in the Instant Pot using the Saute setting. Add remaining ingredients and cook on High pressure for 10 minutes. Release the pressure, shred the chicken, and proceed with toppings as usual.

Storage Instructions

Store: Keep leftover soup without toppings in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheat: Reheat soup gently in a saucepan on the stove or in the microwave.
Freeze: Cool completely, then store without toppings in an airtight container in the freezer for 2-3 months. Thaw before reheating.

More Keto Soup Recipes

If you like this easy low carb chicken tortilla soup, you might also like some of these other easy keto soup recipes:

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Ingredients

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Chicken Tortilla Soup:

Optional Toppings:

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

Heat the olive in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, and bell peppers and saute for 3-5 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the bell peppers have softened.
Add the diced jalapeno, chicken broth, fire roasted tomatoes, chicken breast, and the remaining spices and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, until the chicken breast is cooked through.
Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it using two forks. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat. Add one cup of soup to a bowl and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese,1/6 of an avocado, 1 tablespoon sour cream and a lime wedge. Serve with 5 low carb tortilla chips.

Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 cup soup + toppings

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 374

Fat 25.7g

Protein 30.9g

Total Carbs 16.4g

Net Carbs 10g

Fiber 6.4g

Sugar 2.5g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

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