Finally, today’s the day that I get to share my chicken tortilla soup recipe with you folks. And I honestly couldn’t be more stoked!
However, at the same time, I’m a little bit embarrassed to admit that I’m new to the scene. Don’t get me wrong, It’s not like I was unaware that chicken tortilla soup existed. It was always on menus growing up. But for some reason, it took me 26 years of life to bite the bullet and try it out. What an absolute shame I tell ya. Thankfully that part of my life is all behind me and I’m glad to say that I’m now a member of the club.
I mean this soup is damn near perfect, easily ranking in my top five of all time. It’s great for when you want something that is both filling, yet light. And the flavors, my god it’s got it all. The tortilla strips bring the salt, the corn brings the sweet, the lime juice brings the sour, and the chipotle peppers bring the heat.
Wait a second did that last sentence just rhyme? Must just be the magic this soup gifts me.
Now, I’m not going to lie to you nice people, making this soup is a process. However, it’s not impossible, and if you follow my instructions then it will be totally worth it in the end.
Tips, Tricks, & Suggestions
- You can easily substitute the chicken with turkey. In fact, I think it is better this way.
- While it’s not necessary, I recommend making and using your own chicken stock. It always tastes better than the store-bought stuff.
- I also recommend making your own tortilla strips. You can use the store-bought ones, however, in my experience, they will quickly turn to mush. The homemade ones, on the other hand, tend to keep their crunchy texture for a lot longer.
- To get the cooked chicken meat I recommend you simply use leftovers from a roasted chicken. Or buy a couple of chicken breasts/thighs and boil them in a separate pot.
Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 2 to 3 hours
Servings: 6 to 8
Ingredients
4 Quarts of chicken stock, preferably homemade
3 Cups of cooked chicken meat (roughly chopped, or shredded)
28 oz Can of crushed fire roasted tomatoes
15 oz Can of corn (drained)
7 oz Can of chipotle peppers in adobo (minced, and deseeded)
1 Large yellow onion (diced)
3 to 4 Cloves of garlic (minced)
Corn tortillas
Neutral flavored oil
Seasoning mixture:
½ Tablespoon of dried oregano
½ Tablespoon of cumin
½ Tablespoon of chili powder
½ Tablespoon of smoked paprika
½ Tablespoon of salt
½ Tablespoon of sugar
Garnishes:
Green onions, sliced
Lime, quarted
Cilantro, finely chopped
Tortilla Strips
Instructions
- Air dry the tortillas: About an hour or two before you start making the soup, you will need to dry out the tortillas. Start by ripping up 4 tortillas into small pieces, and set them aside to be used in step 2. The rest of the tortillas will need to be cut into strips. Start by stacking these tortillas, and cutting them in half. Then take each half and slice them perpendicular into thin strips. Lay these strips out on a baking sheet so that they can air dry a bit.
- Saute the onion, corn, chipotle, tortillas, garlic, and seasoning: Get out a large 6 quart sized pot, and add a tablespoon of oil to it. Place this over medium-high heat. Then toss in the onion, corn, and the 4 ripped tortillas from the previous step. Saute this for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add in the chipotle, garlic, and seasonings. Continue sauteing for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add stock, tomatoes, and chicken: Quickly pour in the chicken stock and stir everything up. Then add in the can of tomatoes, and the cooked chicken pieces.
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Let this simmer for an hour or two.
- Fry the tortilla strips: Get out a medium sized pot, and pour enough oil into it so that it is filled a third of the way up. Then put this over medium-high heat. After a couple of minutes test how hot the oil is by placing a single tortilla strip in it. If it begins to bubble up and make some noise, then it is ready. Once it has reached this point start frying the tortillas in small batches, and setting them aside in a bowl. Once all of the tortilla strips are fried, salt them to taste.
- Serve the soup by ladling it into a bowl. Then garnish with the tortilla strips, cilantro, green onion, and a fresh squeeze of lime juice. Enjoy!
Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Quarts of chicken stock preferably homemade
- 3 Cups of cooked chicken meat roughly chopped, or shredded
- 28 oz Can of crushed fire roasted tomatoes
- 15 oz Can of corn drained
- 7 oz Can of chipotle peppers in adobo minced, and deseeded
- 1 Large yellow onion diced
- 3 to 4 Cloves of garlic minced
- Corn tortillas
- Neutral flavored oil
Seasoning mixture:
- ½ Tablespoon of dried oregano
- ½ Tablespoon of cumin
- ½ Tablespoon of chili powder
- ½ Tablespoon of smoked paprika
- ½ Tablespoon of salt
- ½ Tablespoon of sugar
Garnishes:
- Green onions sliced
- Lime quarted
- Cilantro finely chopped
- Tortilla Strips
Instructions
- Air dry the tortillas: About an hour or two before you start making the soup, you will need to dry out the tortillas. Start by ripping up 4 tortillas into small pieces, and set them aside to be used in step 2. The rest of the tortillas will need to be cut into strips. Start by stacking these tortillas, and cutting them in half. Then take each half and slice them perpendicular into thin strips. Lay these strips out on a baking sheet so that they can air dry a bit.
- Saute the onion, corn, chipotle, tortillas, garlic, and seasoning: Get out a large 6 quart sized pot, and add a tablespoon of oil to it. Place this over a medium high heat. Then toss in the onion, corn, and the 4 ripped tortillas from the previous step. Saute this for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add in the chipotle, garlic, and seasonings. Continue sauteing for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add stock, tomatoes, and chicken: Quickly pour in the chicken stock and stir everything up. Then add in the can of tomatoes, and the cooked chicken pieces.
- Let this simmer for an hour or two.
- Fry the tortilla strips: Get out a medium sized pot, and pour enough oil into it so that it is filled a third of the way up. Then put this over a medium high heat. After a couple minutes test how hot the oil is by placing a single tortilla strip in it. If it begins to bubble up and make some noise, then it is ready. Once it has reached this point start frying the tortillas in small batches, and setting them aside in a bowl. Once all of the tortilla strips are fried, salt them to taste.
- Serve the soup by ladling it into a bowl. Then garnish with the tortilla strips, cilantro, green onion, and a fresh squeeze of lime juice. Enjoy!
Inspiration from other bloggers
Simple Tortilla Soup – By Spend With Pennies
Turkey Tortilla Soup Recipe – By Simply Recipes
