Chicken tortilla soup in bowl

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Soup may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you envision Chick-fil-A's menu, and we'll go ahead and guess that it's not even the second thing (because that privilege rightly belongs to the chain's waffle fries). As it turns out, however, Chick-fil-A's chicken tortilla soup has quite the fan base, with fans on Reddit (shockingly) claiming that they'd actually choose it over the waffle fries. If there's one downside, it's that the soup is a seasonal offering — so your very next trip through the Chick-fil-A drive-thru could leave you soupless. 

Luckily, there's a solution to this seasonal issue, and it would be to follow developer Julianne De Witt's copycat Chick-fil-A chicken tortilla soup recipe instead. De Witt describes the soup as hearty and delicious — and don't let that semi-long ingredients list fool you — this is an incredibly easy recipe to make, and it basically comes together in one pot in about 30 minutes. "It's a rich, creamy soup made with tender shredded chicken, mild green chiles, black and navy beans, warm spices, and a combination of veggies simmered in chicken stock," De Witt describes. Crispy tortilla strips top off the soup, making for a cozy, comforting bowlful that tastes and feels a whole lot like Chick-fil-A's beloved version.

Gather the ingredients for copycat Chick-fil-A chicken tortilla soup

Ingredients for chicken tortilla soup

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

To begin, you'll need some soup veggie staples like a diced onion, diced celery, minced garlic, and a diced red bell pepper, along with some olive oil to saute them. Next, you'll build the soup with chicken stock, canned diced green chiles, cooked and shredded chicken breast, frozen corn, canned navy beans, canned black beans, masa flour (and a bit of water to make a paste), and heavy cream. As for spices and seasonings, you'll need classic salt and pepper along with chili powder, onion powder, cumin, and oregano. Finally, be sure to have some tortilla strips on hand to top off your soup.

Step 1: Heat the olive oil

Drizzle of oil in soup pot

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot.

Step 2: Saute the veggies

Various diced veggies in soup pot

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Saute the onion, celery, peppers, and garlic until soft.

Step 3: Build the soup

Hand pouring bowl of spices into soup

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Add the chicken stock, green chiles, chili powder, onion powder, cumin, and oregano.

Step 4: Stir in the chicken, corn, and beans

Soup with beans in pot

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Add the shredded chicken, corn, navy beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

Step 5: Add masa flour to soup

Flour and water in bowl next to whisk

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Combine the masa flour and water and whisk until smooth. Add the masa flour paste to the soup and whisk until incorporated. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes until the soup has thickened.

Step 6: Stir in the heavy cream

Hand holding cup of heavy cream over soup

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Stir in the cream, salt, and pepper, and simmer gently until warmed through.

Step 7: Serve the soup with tortilla strips

Bowl of chicken tortilla soup next to bowl of tortilla strips

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with tortilla strips and serve.

What can I serve with tortilla soup?

Copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Crispy tortilla strips top off our copycat chicken tortilla soup, making for a cozy, comforting bowlful that feels a whole lot like Chick-fil-A's version.

Bowl of chicken tortilla soup

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 ribs of celery, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 (14-ounce) can navy beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons masa flour
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Tortilla strips, for garnish
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot.
  2. Saute the onion, celery, peppers, and garlic until soft.
  3. Add the chicken stock, green chiles, chili powder, onion powder, cumin, and oregano.
  4. Add the shredded chicken, corn, navy beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
  5. Combine the masa flour and water and whisk until smooth. Add the masa flour paste to the soup and whisk until incorporated. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes until the soup has thickened.
  6. Stir in the cream, salt, and pepper, and simmer gently until warmed through.
  7. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with tortilla strips and serve.
Calories per Serving 559
Total Fat 22.3 g
Saturated Fat 9.1 g
Trans Fat 0.4 g
Cholesterol 123.3 mg
Total Carbohydrates 47.3 g
Dietary Fiber 10.7 g
Total Sugars 7.2 g
Sodium 1,492.8 mg
Protein 43.4 g

The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

What is tortilla soup?

Bowl of chicken tortilla soup

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

In the vast world of soups, tortilla soup stands out for a few key reasons. For starters, although its exact, precise origins aren't necessarily known (as with so many popular dishes), we do know that tortilla soup hails from Mexico, and as such, it's sometimes called sopa Azteca. The exact ingredients that make up tortilla soup can vary, as proven by Chick-fil-A's take on it, but typically, a tomato or chicken broth, corn, chicken, chiles, and often beans are staple ingredients in the soup.

And, of course, it wouldn't be tortilla soup without the influence of, well, tortillas. Many people associate the "tortilla" aspect of the soup with the crunchy tortilla strips often served as garnish, but this isn't necessarily the only way that such a flavor profile comes into play. "Tortilla soup is sometimes thickened with masa flour, (the same flour used to make tortillas), and this gives the soup even more tortilla flavor," De Witt explains, and she opts to add a masa paste to her recipe. A less-common ingredient in traditional tortilla soup, but one used in this particular recipe, is heavy cream, which makes this a more tried-and-true Chick-fil-A copycat and makes this recipe into a creamy take on a classic.

How can I change-up this recipe?

As this copycat Chick-fil-A chicken tortilla soup recipe already takes some creative liberties with traditional tortilla soup, it only makes sense that you could customize it even further. To start, De Witt recommends introducing some smokiness to the mix by way of a minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (which you can conveniently grab in the same aisle when you shop for the canned green chiles). Another canned ingredient that can add quite a bit of depth would be fire-roasted tomatoes.

If you follow this recipe as-written, there's not a whole lot of heat in the mix, but you can easily change that by adding in a few healthy glugs of your favorite hot sauce, either into the soup pot or into your individual serving. Speaking of individual servings, get creative with how you garnish your bowl — although we recommend keeping the tortilla strips, you can add even more to the mix. "Add some cilantro or green onions at the end for additional flavor," De Witt suggests. Other topping suggestions include diced avocado, shredded cheese, or even pumpkin seeds. 

Finally, a pop of citrus would go a long way in making the flavors of this soup sing. Either add a squeeze of lime juice to your finished pot of soup as a final step before serving, or include lime wedges as part of your toppings spread. 

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