This is a thick, creamy, chunky, spicy soup that you really need to try! I first heard about it from my friend Ann, who raved about this soup that Gayla had made for a special luncheon. I had the recipe for awhile, and finally had a chance to try it—it’s a wonderful chicken tortilla soup! It has some peppers, onion, and green chilies in it, along with pinto and northern beans, and flavored rice. And the chicken chili seasoning gives this soup such a great flavor!
I’ve tasted some other yummy things Gayla has made before (she makes the prettiest decorated Christmas cookies!), so I’m not surprised this soup of hers is so yummy, too! Not only is Gayla a great cook and baker, she also creates pretty homespun decor items like rag quilts and burlap Christmas trees. You can take a look at these items, and many other things she’s made, at her site called Jubilee Fabric where she also sells fabric and quilt supplies. If you like crafts with a little more bling, you’ll want to visit her other site, Jubilee Rhinestones, that features supplies and craft ideas for iron-on rhinestones, transfers, and decal stickers.
If you’re not a crafter, you may just be interested in making this soup—and I’m sure you will love it as much as I do! It is a spicy soup, so use the mild Rotel tomatoes and omit the can of green chilies if you’d like it less spicy. I really like the spiciness in this, though! This recipe makes a big potful of soup, about 8 to 10 servings.
Gayla's Chicken Tortilla Soup
GAYLA’S CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP 
Makes 8 to 10 servings
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 (15-ounce) cans chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 (1.25-ounce) packets White Chicken Chili Seasoning (two brands I’ve used are Williams and McCormick)
- 1 rotisserie chicken (about 4 cups of chicken), deboned and shredded (or cook a package of chicken breast tenders and shred them; or cook 4 chicken breasts and shred those)
- 1 (10-ounce) can Rotel diced tomatoes and chilies, drained
- 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can northern beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (6 to 6.9-ounce) package of chicken-flavored rice (the “side dish” kind-I used Rice-A-Roni Chicken flavor)
- 2/3 of a pint of heavy cream (or about 1 1/3 cups)
- For garnish: crushed tortilla chips, grated or shredded cheese, and/or sour cream
In a large stockpot over low heat, melt butter and saute peppers and onion until tender. Add chicken broth and water and bring to a boil. Add seasoning packets and bring to a boil; boil for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the heavy cream. Cook over medium heat for about 20 to 30 minutes or until rice is tender. Just before serving, add cream until the soup is creamy enough for your taste.
This can also be made in the slow cooker on the LOW setting–cook on LOW for several hours. Add the cream the last 30 minutes of cooking.
To serve, top each bowl of soup with crumbled tortilla chips, grated or shredded cheese, and/or a dollop of sour cream.
Recipe from NancyC | nancy-c.com
This is the second chicken tortilla soup recipe I’ve tried this fall. The other is just called Chicken Tortilla Soup, and it’s great, too! What kinds of soups have you been making this season?
Sharing at Silver Pennies Sundays, Thursday Favorite Things, Full Plate Thursday, Tasty Tuesdays, Wonderful Wednesday, Hearth & Soul, Inspire Me Monday, Happiness is Homemade, Weekend Potluck, Meal Plan Monday, Fiesta Friday.
NancyC 
16 responses to “Gayla’s Chicken Tortilla Soup”
I want a big bowl of this! Sounds delicious and comforting. YUM!
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Yes, a nice big bowl of this is great on a chilly day! 🙂
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I love soup so much this time of year. This one looks delish!!
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I’m a big soup eater too, in the fall and winter!
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This is a wonderful soup to have in my repertoire, particularly with the chilly weather finally making its appearance in the south. I love the variety of beans along with all of the seasonings.
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I really like the beans in this too–they taste great, and beans are so healthy!
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I’m a crafter and I love this recipe, so it’s a double hit with me tonight! I’ve seen tortilla soups before, but not with so many ingredients. This would be really hearty on our cold snowy nights!
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What a delicious soup. You always have such a sunny day to take your photos in natural sunlight. I am so jealous as that is a rare thing here in Hong Kong. Your photos are so bright and cheery!
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Thanks! I happen to have a great window where I get lots of natural light, and that really helps!
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I made this recipe yesterday in a crock pot. The only change that I made was to add some carrot sticks. My son thought it was too spicy and that the texture was too soft. He is my picky eater. The rest of us really liked it. I think I would tone down the spices next time somehow…I could use mild Rotel tomatoes or cut down to one package of taco mix. My husband said don’t change a thing! Thanks for sharing.
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Yes, you could use mild Rotel, that would tone down the spiciness! Glad you all liked the soup!
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I have never used Rice-A-Roni. Are you adding only a season pack or rice and all?
Many Thanks.
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Use the rice and the seasoning–the seasoning adds to the flavor!
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[…] Gayla’s Chicken Tortilla Soup by Nancy C […]
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This recipe looks so YUMMY! Could you be more specific (how many cups) for the amount of shredded chicken is needed for this recipe?
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Hi Sally! You should be able to get about 4 cups of shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken, and that would include both light and dark meat. You could also use 4 cooked and shredded chicken breasts—1 chicken breast comes to about 1 cup of shredded chicken. Hope you enjoy the soup! 🙂
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