If you’re wondering what to serve with your chicken tortilla soup, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, I list 51 of the most popular side dishes for chicken tortilla soup.
In a rush? Here’s the short answer.
The best dishes to serve with chicken tortilla soup are corn muffins, quesadillas, Mexican quinoa salad, and avocado fries. For healthier options, try cucumber jicama slaw or pineapple mango salsa. For more fun and tasty choices, give taquitos, chiles relleno, polenta fries, or fish tacos a try.
Ready? Let’s jump right in.
Breads and dippers
You can’t serve soup without also serving something you can dip into the soup on the side – it’s a must-have pairing.
Bread is a classic dipper, but you can also be creative with things like veggie fries.
Honey corn muffins
These honey corn muffins are an excellent accompaniment to your chicken tortilla soup.
They have a moist crumb with just the right level of sweetness. And of course they’re loaded with creamy corn – who can resist?
Their sweetness is the perfect contrast to your soup’s spice and heat.
And they keep well for five days, so you can make them in advance (although they wouldn’t last more than a day in my house).
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Honey corn muffins
Make a classic
Southern cornbread
Ditch the cornbread
Hot water cornbread
Air fryer avocado fries
Chicken tortilla soup is usually served with avocado slices on top.
But if you want to add more crunch to your soup, give these air-fryer avocado fries a try.
Pain avocado slices are breaded with panko bread crumbs, giving them an irresistibly crispy crust.
And for a bit of variety, you can also serve these fries alongside your favorite dipping sauce (my go to is chipotle aioli!).
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Air fryer avocado fries
Fire up the grill
Grilled avocado
Keep it fresh
Classic guacamole
Baked tortilla chips
These tortilla chips are far superior to store-bought tortilla chips because you can flavor them with whatever you like (I like a traditional Mexican spice blend).
Plus, they’re healthier because they’re baked instead of fried.
Pssst… Don’t forget the guac to go with your chips.
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Baked tortilla chips
Make it low-carb
Keto tortilla chips
Make it cheesy
Baked parmesan crisps
Polenta fries
Chicken tortilla soup already has sweet corn kernels, but if you can’t get enough corn, these polenta fries are perfect for you.
The fries have extra crispy exteriors with a soft and creamy inside. And you can use the soup’s broth as a makeshift dip – delicious.
Give these crispy baked polenta fries a try for dinner tonight. You wont regret it.
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Polenta fries
Skip the oven
Pan-fried polenta slices
Ditch the polenta
Grits fries
Honey beer bread
You can’t have soup without bread… (Well, I can’t anyway!)
So it’s a no-brainer to have this honey beer bread alongside your chicken tortilla soup.
A great thing about this beer bread is that it doesn’t call for yeast.
No yeast = no need to proof. So you can have the bread ready to be served in as little as one hour!
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Honey beer bread
Make it decadent
Bacon cheddar beer bread
Add veg
Savory Italian zucchini bread
Mains
Chicken tortilla makes a great starter for a Mexican feast. Or you can serve portions of it at the same time as serving loads of delicious Mexican snacks.
The beauty of Mexican food is how well it all works together!
Chicken fajita quesadillas
Serving chicken tortilla soup for dinner?
Make it a heartier meal with a serving of these fajita quesadillas.
The tortillas are filled with a delicious chicken fajita mix, then heated until the outside is crispy and the cheese is super gooey.
This dish is ridiculously tasty and easy to make – it’ll only take you 15 minutes to get it cooked and on your plate.
Psst… the best way to reheat leftovers is in the skillet.
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Chicken fajita quesadillas
Back to basics
Cheese quesadillas
Make another favorite
Green chicken quesadillas
Chiles relleno
Thinking of what to serve for your next Mexican feast?
How about this chiles relleno?
If you’re a spicy food fan, you’ll love this dish.
It features roasted poblano chiles filled with your choice of cheese (I prefer Oaxaca) before being dipped in an egg batter and fried.
Want to give it a try?
Tastes Better from Scratch has a fantastic, easy-to-follow recipe that takes the stress out of frying.
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Chiles relleno
Make it fun
Blistered padron peppers
Go sweet
Grilled bell peppers
Fish tacos
Make these fish tacos to go with your chicken tortilla soup for a surf-and-turf-esque meal.
Fish tacos are generally lighter than the usual meaty ones, so they pair superbly with the soup.
And they’re a low fuss dish. The only cooking you’ll be doing is baking the fish and heating up the tortillas.
The rest is about toppings and assembly.
You can make it more fun (and even less work!) by letting your guests assemble these baked fish tacos themselves.
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Fish tacos
Another seafood option
Shrimp tacos
Make it meat-free
Black bean tacos
Spicy bean and cheese taquitos
Make these taquitos to accompany your chicken tortilla soup at your next Mexican party.
They’re ultra crunchy, with a spicy, cheesy bean filling that’s impossible to resist.
Prepare a double batch – they’ll be snapped up before you know it (I know from experience!).
Pssst… they also go great with salsa and guacamole on the side.
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Spicy beans and cheese taquitos
Ditch the heat
Sweet potato and lime taquitos
Make it decadent
Cream cheese and chicken taquitos
Salads
You can never really go wrong with a side salad.
It will add nutrition to your meal and provide you with something extra that
Southwest chipotle salad
Add some freshness to your chicken tortilla soup with this chipotle salad.
It features a mixture of vibrant vegetables that offer a contrasting crisp-tender bite to your soup.
And they’re all tied together with an irresistible smoky chipotle dressing, then topped with tortilla strips for added crunch.
And don’t forget the queso fresco!
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Southwest chipotle salad
Keep it simple
Everyday Mexican salad
Make it Tex-Mex inspired
Mexican street corn kale salad
Cucumber jicama slaw
Add a cool, refreshing bite to your chicken tortilla soup with this no-fuss slaw.
It’s an easy dish to whip up – you only need five ingredients and 15 minutes to get it done. But it still packs a flavorful punch thanks to the lime and cilantro dressing.
Pro tip: can’t find jicama? Substitute it for green apples.
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Cucumber jicama slaw
Add a fruity twist
Jicama pineapple slaw
Make it basic
Apple cider vinegar coleslaw
Mexican quinoa salad
Looking to add more nutrition to your chicken tortilla soup?
This Mexican quinoa salad is exactly what you need. It’s loaded with protein, fibers, vitamins, and nutrients.
But what takes this salad up a notch is its chili lime dressing.
Bookmark this Mexican quinoa salad recipe for when you next need a healthy yet delicious dish.
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Mexican quinoa salad
Keep it simple
Avocado quinoa salad
Skip the quinoa
Tex-Mex pasta salad
Toppers and fillers
Chicken tortilla soup is already a hearty meal, but for days when you’re REALLY hungry you can make it even more filling by adding extras like rice or shrimp.
Or you can go for a topper that’s more light and refreshing like a salsa or something pickled.
Classic Spanish rice
Chicken tortilla soup can be a meal on its own, but if you want to make it heartier, make this Spanish rice to serve with it.
It’s a massive flavor upgrade from your usual steamed white rice.
The secret to this dish? Toasting the rice!
It gives the rice a nutty, toasty aroma that’s further enhanced by adding warming spices like cumin and cinnamon.
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Classic Spanish rice
Make it unique
Avocado rice
Make it low-carb
Mexican cauliflower rice
Mango chile glazed shrimp
Load your chicken tortilla soup with even more protein – courtesy of these glazed shrimp skewers.
Shrimp’s natural sweetness is enhanced by coating them with a mango chile glaze, which gives the shrimp an irresistible sweet and spicy kick.
And if you want to get creative, try putting some veggies on the skewers too.
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Mango chile glazed shrimp recipe
Skip the grill
Cilantro lime shrimp
Make it fresh
Shrimp ceviche
Pineapple mango salsa
Soup and salsa? Hear me out.
If you’re like me you’ll have excess tortilla chips that need to be eaten…
The perfect excuse to brighten up your meal with this pineapple mango salsa.
The natural sweetness of the fruit is offset by the citrusy and acidic flavors of the lime juice, cilantro, and vinegar.
Scoop the salsa up with tortilla chips, or go bold and top your soup with it – the choice is yours.
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Pineapple mango salsa
Preheat the oven
Roasted corn salsa
Make it unique
Cactus salsa
Homemade egg noodles
Want to make your chicken tortilla soup more filling? These egg noodles are a fantastic addition to your soup.
They’re simple to prepare – the four ingredients you need are most likely already in your pantry.
And you don’t need to rest the dough. Once the dough is cut into noodle shapes, simply toss them in your soup.
After five minutes, you’ve got a piping hot and hearty soup with fully cooked noodles.
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Homemade egg noodles
Another Italian favorite
Homemade potato gnocchi
Make it low-carb
Zucchini noodles
Steak fajita skewers
Beef up (sorry) your chicken tortilla soup with these steak fajita skewers.
They’re a fun take on traditional fajitas, with the steak cubes being seasoned with classic fajita spices and paired with peppers, onions and the usual condiments.
These skewers cook quickly over the grill, so keep a close eye on them.
Then I recommend you follow The Recipe Critic’s lead and whip up an avocado chimichurri dip to bring everything together.
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Steak fajita skewers
Skip the skewers
Garlic butter steak bites
Make it meatless
Tofu fajitas
The best side dishes for chicken tortilla soup
- Honey corn muffins
- Southwest chipotle salad
- Air fryer avocado fries
- Chicken fajita quesadillas
- Fish tacos
- Baked tortilla chips
- Polenta fries
- Honey beer bread
- Spicy bean and cheese taquitos
- Cucumber jicama slaw
- Classic Spanish rice
- Chiles relleno
- Mango chile glazed shrimp
- Pineapple mango salsa
- Homemade egg noodles
- Steak fajita skewers
- Mexican quinoa salad
What To Serve With Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- Classic Spanish rice
- Mango salsa
- Fajita skewers
- Cucumber jicama slaw … and more
Instructions
- Prepare your chicken tortilla soup according to your favorite recipe.
- In the meantime, choose one of the following sides to serve alongside it.
- Side dishes include: honey corn muffins, southwest chipotle salad, air fryer avocado fries, chicken fajita quesadillas, fish tacos, baked tortilla chips, polenta fries, honey beer bread, spicy bean and cheese taquitos, cucumber jicama slaw, classic Spanish rice, chiles relleno, mango chile glazed shrimp, pineapple mango salsa, homemade egg noodles, steak fajita skewers, and Mexican quinoa salad.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!