Discover How to Make Martina McBride's Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup at Home Jessica WrubelFebruary 16, 2026 at 12:45 AM 0 In the cold winter months, I love nothing more than channeling my inner George Costanza and going full "soup mode." I love my grandmother's chicken soup, my favorite pho from the takeout place down the street and my mom's split pea with a corn muffin on the side. I don't discriminate when it comes to soup. I love it all.
- - Discover How to Make Martina McBride's Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup at Home
Jessica WrubelFebruary 16, 2026 at 12:45 AM
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In the cold winter months, I love nothing more than channeling my inner George Costanza and going full "soup mode." I love my grandmother's chicken soup, my favorite pho from the takeout place down the street and my mom's split pea with a corn muffin on the side. I don't discriminate when it comes to soup. I love it all. However, when it's time to make a batch, most of my go-to soup recipes fall into one of two camps: either thin and brothy that you can sip like a cup of tea or a hearty stew that's basically a full meal in a mug.So when I came across Martina McBride's Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup, which McBride shared with Parade, I was intrigued. The recipe comes from the country singer's cookbook, Martina's Kitchen Mix, and it promises something a little different. Its creamy texture comes from three different kinds of dairy (four if you top it with cheese) and there are two kinds of beans, plus a kick of heat mixed in with the juicy shredded chicken.McBride knew what she was doing here. This recipe lands squarely in the cozy, comforting territory—it's the kind of soup you want bubbling away on the stove when it's cold and dark and you need dinner to feel like a big hug while you're snuggled under your electric blanket on the couch (just me?).To make sure the recipe was as tasty as it looked online, I headed to the kitchen to give it a try. I had most of the ingredients I needed already, which I took as a sign. Read on to find out exactly how to make the spicy soup, plus the tips you to get it just right.Related: I Tried 9 Canned Beef Stews and the Winner Won by a Landslide
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Ingredients Needed for Martina McBride's Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel (Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel)
For this soup, grab boneless, skinless chicken breasts, kosher salt, black pepper, chicken broth, canola oil, a yellow onion, jalapeño, garlic, chili powder (or chipotle chili powder), cumin, paprika, canned tomatoes with diced green chiles, masa harina or finely ground corn tortillas, milk, black beans, pinto beans, corn, heavy cream and sour cream, along with your favorite garnishes, like diced avocado, cilantro and shredded Mexican cheese.
Related: We Just Discovered the Easiest Way to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
How To Make Martina McBride's Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel (Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel)
McBride starts by cooking the chicken in the oven with broth until tender, then she shreds it and sets it aside. Next, onion, jalapeño and garlic are sautéed in a soup pot until softened. Once the vegetables are soft, the remaining broth, the reserved cooking liquid from the chicken pan, chili powder, cumin, paprika and tomatoes are added to the veggies.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel (Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel)
Masa (or ground corn tortillas) mixed with milk goes in next to thicken the soup, followed by the shredded chicken, beans and corn. She finishes the soup with cream and sour cream, and garnishes the bowl with more avocado, cheese and more sour cream.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel (Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel)
Related: We Tried 10 Canned Chicken Noodle Soups and the Winner Won By a Landslide
My Honest Thoughts About This Soup
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel (Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel)
I love a good chicken soup with all the toppings, and this one hits in the very best way. It's hearty without being too heavy, and just spicy enough that you can enjoy it without needing a glass of milk on the side (after all, this is dinner, not an episode of Hot Ones). I've made countless variations of chicken tortilla soup over the years, but this one genuinely surprised me.
The balance of flavors is truly out of this world. McBride nailed the amounts of everything here. I've never added sour cream, milk and cream to a soup before (usually, for me, it's just finishing with cream, something I'm a huge fan of), but the sour cream adds a subtle tang, which is absolutely delicious with the rest of the bold flavors.
The other unexpected twist (at least to me) was using masa or tortillas to thicken the soup. I went with the corn tortilla option, grinding them up and mixing them with milk, as McBride instructs. I loved the texture and flavor the tortillas brought to the dish.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel (Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel)
I ate two bowls for lunch the day I made the soup and then went back for dinner the next night. And I have to say, like most things, it was even more flavorful the next day after the flavors had time to really get to know each other. This one, for me, is a total keeper.
Related: I Tried 6 Grocery Store Rotisserie Chickens and the Winner Totally Shocked Me
2 Tips for Making This Tortilla Soup1. Work smarter, not harder
Instead of baking the chicken in the oven, I cooked it in the pot I was using for the soup to keep it a mostly one-pot meal. That method was much easier and just as effective (in my opinion). The only adjustment I made was adding a little more broth to the soup because McBride bakes the chicken with broth and then adds that to the dish.
2. Use what you have
I didn't have a bag of masa harina, but I did have my trusty Trader Joe's corn tortillas, so I took about 4 of them and ground them up in the food processor, then whisked with the milk and added to the soup pot. I'm definitely keeping this trick in mind for future soups.
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This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the Food & Drink section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: February 15, 2026 at 05:45PM on Source: PRIME TIME
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