Chicken Tortilla Soup
This easy Chicken Tortilla Soup is creamy, full of spice and can be made on the stovetop or in the crockpot. A great copycat of Max & Erma’s popular soup!
Wayyyyy back in 2012, I decided to set baking and cooking goals for myself, and among them was to make weekly batches of soup during the cold winter months. When I mentioned this, I got a deluge of requests from readers who asked for a copycat recipe of Max & Erma’s chicken tortilla soup.
If you’re not familiar, Max & Erma’s is a restaurant chain based out of Ohio, with many locations in the Pittsburgh area and elsewhere in the Midwest and a few in southern states. One of the hallmarks of their menu is the tortilla soup – it’s thick and cheesy with bits of chicken, it’s spicy, and pretty much tastes like the best taco ever.
There are a ton of copycat recipes online, but just about all of them include multiple cans of “cream of” something, but I really wanted something completely authentic and homemade. I was thrilled to be able to replicate the famous soup from scratch and found that it is every bit as amazing as the original. Actually, it’s even better!
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
This soup comes together really easily, especially if you use leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken purchased from the store. Here’s what’s involved:
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- Saute white onion, Anaheim pepper, and garlic until nice and soft (no crunchy soup here!).
- Whisk cornstarch into chicken broth (this helps to thicken the soup).
- Add the chicken broth along with the chopped chicken, minced corn tortillas (also helps to flavor and thicken!), tomatoes, cheese and spices. Simmer for 20 minutes and serve.
This definitely falls into the camp of a simple and quick weeknight soup that does not require multiple steps or hours of cook time. Win!
Additional Recipe Notes
A few quick notes on the recipe:
- This soup is spicy, so if you’re particularly sensitive to spices, you may want to reduce or omit the amount of cayenne pepper in the recipe. The Anaheim pepper is mild, no need to omit that.
- If you cannot find Anaheim peppers, a good alternative is poblano, although it is not quite as mild as the Anaheim.
- Be sure to use mild cheddar cheese, not sharp, as it can be too overpowering in this recipe. You can also use half mild cheddar and half Monterey Jack for variety, if you’d like.
- This soup is an excellent candidate for the slow cooker! Complete step 1, then transfer all of the ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
- This recipe makes four servings, and three of us polished it off in one sitting, very quickly. If you want leftovers or are serving more than two adults and using this soup as a main course, you’ll probably want to double the recipe.
If Mexican food is your jam and you love a nice hot bowl of soup for lunch or dinner, you’ve landed on the perfect recipe! Top it off with some strips of corn tortillas (or crushed tortilla chips) and more shredded cheese and you’re set.
If You Like This Chicken Tortilla Soup, Try These:
- White Chicken Chili
- Chipotle Chicken and Corn Chowder
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Roasted Corn and Poblano Chowder
One year ago: Peanut Butter Cup Crunch Brownie Bars
Two years ago: Whole Grain Brownies
Three years ago: For the Love of Peanut Butter and Cinnamon
Five years ago: Homemade Soft Pretzels
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¼ cup (40 g) minced white onion
- ¼ cup (14 g) mined Anaheim pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 cups (940 ml) chicken broth
- 1 cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 cooked skinless, boneless chicken thigh, cut into bite-size pieces
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) mild cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3 6-inch corn tortillas, minced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ¼ cup (60 g) canned diced tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Mexican oregano
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- Tortilla strips, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Add the minced onion, pepper, and garlic and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the minced onion begins to turn translucent.
- Whisk the cornstarch into the chicken broth, then add the broth mixture to the pot, along with the chicken, cheddar cheese, minced tortillas, lime juice, diced tomatoes, cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, and salt.
- Increase the heat to medium and stir constantly to help the cheese melt. When the soup begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Serve the soup topped with tortilla strips and extra shredded cheese. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, in a covered container, for up to 4 days.
Notes
- To freeze this soup, allow it to cool completely, then place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then reheat over low heat on the stove, or in the microwave.
- Poblano pepper can be substituted for Anaheim.
- If you cannot find Mexican oregano, you can substitute regular.
- You can use half cheddar cheese and half Monterey Jack for a varied flavor.
- This soup is an excellent candidate for the slow cooker! Complete step 1, then transfer all of the ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in February 2012. It was updated in October 2018 with new photos and additional recipe notes.
[photos by The Almond Eater]
i decided to try this out and it was pretty great!
the only thing was, there was no corn in the recipe, and chicken tortilla soup is not chicken tortilla soup without corn! so i just threw some frozen corn in along with the chicken, cheese, etc. it worked out with no problems.
i suggest a nice dollop of cold sour cream right when serving and some fried tortilla bits on the side.
i will definitely be using this recipe again and again.
simple and delicious.
thanks!
I had the same problem as above, with my cheese sticking to the chicken…and i shredded my own cheese! I would recommend adding the cheese and melting it before adding the chicken. It still tastes amazing! It’s very very close. Good job!
made this tonight and we loved it! full of flavor and i was able to whip it up in about 30 minutes. i love recipes like that after a long day :)
I made this for dinner tonight. We enjoyed it soo much. Thank you so much for a great addition to our recipe repertoire
I made this for dinner last night and it is delicious! It worked out to 3 servings for us. Dinner for husband and me and leftover for my lunch today.
This was really good! I think it’s better than Max & Erma’s because I can control the heat! It’s a keeper!
This is one of my favorite kinds of soup! Healthy and filling, just how soup should be
Swap canola oil for the vegetable oil for extra nutrition benefits! :)
I made this soup for dinner tonight and it was very tasty! It wasn’t an exact copy-cat of Max & Erma’s, but it was definitely similar (and probably better because I’d venture to guess their soup is probably just some mix and this is made with fresh ingredients!) and very good! I followed the recipe as written, the only change I made was to just use chicken breast instead of the breast and thigh called for (only because I already had a large chicken breast on hand!). We ate it topped with some crushed up tortilla chips and both my husband and I really liked it! Thanks for another great recipe!
Yummy!! I can not wait to try this one!!
Oh I love chicken tortilla soup! I’ll have to try this soon :)
We live very close to the original Max and Erma’s in Columbus and we go there often to watch games. I always get the tortilla soup. So good. And I’m so excited to be able to make it at home!
This soup was SO good! I made it for my husband and two young boys today and they all loved it! Thanks for another keeper!
I made this soup,it was GREAT. I’ve also made,chocolate mocha cupcakes, wendy’s copycat chile, and I only use your taco seasoning now. All very good. Your photos are wonderful~really enjoy your site. Thank you for sharing!
I love a good Tortilla Soup. My son is not a fan so I never make it. I do eat it at restaurants though. This looks so good.
Chicken tortilla soup is my 16-year-old son’s all-time favorite, so when I suggested that we make some for lunch, he jumped right in to help with the mincing!! I added just a bit more chicken, used salsa instead of the diced tomatoes, and skipped the cayenne pepper to tone down the heat — my husband & son LOVED it!! Thanks so much for the recipe!
My Gosh, love your presentation and those pots are so cute! Love soup as this seems extra tasty:)
It’s raining all day here in Louisiana & a perfect day to make this soup.
I did 2 things different. I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned. I put my salt, cumin, cayenne & oregano in after sautéing the veggies & sautéed for a few more minutes.
It was so good. I doubled the recipe so I can freeze some. My picky 3 year old niece LOVED it! Thanks for sharing!
I made this and was wondering if anyone else who made this had the same problem – when I added the cheese, chicken etc… to the broth my cheese ended up sticking and clumping to all the other items, i.e. the chicken! Should I have added the cheese a little at time until it melted? I’ve made numerous cheese sauces before and never had this problem. Any tips/suggestions are welcome!
P.S. It still tasted delicious!
Hi Stephanie, I’m wondering if you used shredded cheese in a bag (already shredded) or if you shredded a block of cheese yourself? I ask because pre-shredded cheese is dusted with an anti-caking agent that actually makes it more difficult to melt; this could be the problem. I usually always buy a block of cheese and shred myself; it takes a little more time but the result is so much creamier and delicious.
You know, that is exactly what I did, I used a bag of pre-shredded cheese. Next time I will do the little extra work and shred a block myself. Thank you!
I’m making it myself right now and I did shred my own block. It’s only been simmering about 10 minutes, but so far the cheese is clumpy. I wonder as it sits if it will improve. :) The tastes that I’ve sneaked are so yummy!
I’ve never had chicken tortilla soup, (I swear I’m from Earth!) but I’ve always wanted to try it. This looks and sounds delicious! Definitely going to try it out!
I made this last night for dinner. It was fabulous! I have no idea what the restaurant’s soup would have tasted like I live in Canada I don’t think there’s a Max and Emma’s here. I didn’t have tomatoes or anaheim peppers so I just did regular bell pepper and added a plop or two of salsa. It turned out splendidly. My husband is tremendously picky when it comes to soup and he had two bowls. I also cut up a few corn tortillas into strips, drizzled oil on them and toasted them for some crunchy crouton’s on top. Absolutely the tastiest soup I’ve made in a while! Thanks for the recipe!
Must be the week of the Tortilla Soups :)
I made mine with tuna since I don’t eat chicken and it worked beautifully!
Years ago we had a Max & Erma’s in Kansas City – thanks for this recipe. I’ve made tortilla soup a few times. Once, I wasn’t satisfied with the thickness provided by the tortillas, so I stirred part of a box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix in & it was delicious. Time to start a shopping list for ingredients.
this sounds sooo good! I used to get the best chicken tortilla soup at this cute restaurant when I was in school and I haven’t been able to find another place that makes it so well. I’ll have to give your recipe at try! This is one of my favorite soups :)
I’ll have to go out and get me some anaheim pepper so I can make this. YUM YUM!
I made this tonight…my family loved it. They told me to make it again and Double the recipe!! I didn’t have the Anaheim Pepper – I will definitely use it next time, we like it spicy. Thank you for the yummy recipe.
This is how I like my tortilla soup – with substance. Looks perfect!
This just made my day…I love Max & Erma’s tortilla soup!
I’ve never heard of Max & Erma’s but this soup sounds absolutely fantastic! I love the crocks too – I need to get something cute like that for my soup.
I am making it right now as I type this! I woke up and saw this in my email and knew I was making it for dinner tonight! I added some black beans to mine though because I love black beans so much!
Umm, sounds so good!!!