Chicken Tortilla Soup

There is a small Mexican restaurant that I love to go to because they make the best chicken tortilla soup. I used theirs as a model for my recipe because every time I go there I get a burrito and a bowl of their soup. It’s enough food for about three meals and it doesn’t matter if it is 100°F in the middle of summer, I will wait and take it home to an air-conditioned house to eat it in one sitting. Chicken tortilla soup is comforting and flavorful yet not too heavy.

The lightly spiced broth is topped with a lime squeeze, fresh cilantro, Monterey Jack cheese, avocado and fresh crispy tortilla strips. If you want to skip baking the tortilla strips you can use crushed up tortilla chips in its place.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Chicken breasts – Chicken breasts are seasoned with chili powder before they’re cooked in a pan then chopped and added to the soup. They can be slightly undercooked before they’re added to the soup since they will continue to cook in the broth. The chicken can also be grilled rather than cooked in a pan.
• Diced tomatoes – Canned tomatoes are extremely versatile. They are picked when ripe then cooked and peeled before they are diced then canned and packed in tomato juice or tomato puree. They have a rich tomato flavor perfect for tomato sauces. Diced tomatoes break down more uniformly into this soup.
• Green chilies – Canned mild green chilies are typically made with Anaheim chilies. These popular California peppers have a smokey, sweet and tangy flavor. Anaheim peppers are mild so even if you aren’t a spice fan it provides subtle flavor to this dish. I like to keep a can in the pantry to easily add flavor to soups like this.
• Chicken stock – Chicken stock is typically made from chicken bones as well as aromatics and vegetables while chicken broth is made with the meat. How does that affect their flavor? Chicken stock has a much richer, more robust flavor which comes from the collagen released from the simmering bones. On the other hand, chicken broth is much more mellow in flavor. I typically use chicken stock when cooking. Substitute the chicken stock with water if needed (though it takes away some of the flavor.)

How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup

1. Sauté onion. In a large stock pot heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic and diced onion. Sauté until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Make the broth. Add the cumin, paprika and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, diced tomatoes, with their liquid, the green chilies and 2 cups of water. Let simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Season chicken. While the broth simmers season the chicken breasts on both sides liberally with chili powder. In a sauté pan heat the remaining tablespoon of oil on medium heat.
4. Cook the chicken. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and let cool.
5. Add chicken to broth. Chop the chicken into chunks and stir into the broth. Continue to simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
6. Season soup. Stir in the juice from two of the limes, half of the chopped cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
7. Heat oil. Slice the tortillas in half and then into 2-inch long strips. Fill a large sauté pan with enough oil to reach 1-inch up the side of the pan. Heat oil to 350°F.
8. Fry tortilla strips. When the oil is hot, add some of the tortilla strips to the pan and fry until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Work in batches so the pan is not overcrowded. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
9. Assemble and serve. To serve, scoop the broth into bowls and top with shredded Monterey jack cheese, avocado, the remaining cilantro and tortilla strips. Cut the remaining lime into wedges to serve on the side.

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe

• Toppings definitely add a lot to the chicken tortilla soup so don’t be afraid to go topping crazy.
• The soup requires minimal prep and it simmers for about 40 minutes, which makes it an easy dinner option when entertaining guests.
• I like spreading out the toppings so the guests can go down the line and add their own toppings.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

• Pork Pozole Verde
• Cheesy Chicken and Sweet Corn Enchiladas Verdes
• Cheesy Rice and Bean Bake with Chipotle Adobo Chicken

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Print Pin

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Serves 6

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (4-ounce) can mild green chilies
• 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1½ pounds
• 1½ tablespoons chili powder
• 3 limes, divided
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Kosher salt, as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
• 8 small corn tortillas
• Vegetable oil, as needed, for frying
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 medium haas avocado, pitted and sliced

Instructions:

• In a large stock pot heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic and diced onion. Sauté until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add the cumin, paprika and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, diced tomatoes, with their liquid, the green chilies and 2 cups of water. Let simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While the broth simmers season the chicken breasts on both sides liberally with chili powder. In a sauté pan heat the remaining tablespoon of oil on medium heat.
• Cook the chicken until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and let cool.
• Chop the chicken into chunks and stir into the broth. Continue to simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
• Stir in the juice from two of the limes, half of the chopped cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
• Slice the tortillas in half and then into 2-inch long strips. Fill a large sauté pan with enough oil to reach 1-inch up the side of the pan. Heat oil to 350°F.
• When the oil is hot, add some of the tortilla strips to the pan and fry until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Work in batches so the pan is not overcrowded. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
• To serve, scoop the broth into bowls and top with shredded Monterey jack cheese, avocado, the remaining cilantro and tortilla strips. Cut the remaining lime into wedges to serve on the side.

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