Chicken Tortilla Soup – scrumptious, spicy, hearty soup loaded with all the goodness from the chicken, veggies, topped with layers of avocado, cilantro, cheese, and crispy tortilla strips. A full-on comfort food!
What makes fall season or crisper nights so lovely is when you treat yourself to a warm and hearty bowl of soup. And with these cold nights also comes flu season and, unfortunately, I got hit with it for a few days. All I could think of then was a big bowl of this hearty and warm chicken tortilla soup. And you know how soups are good for cold/flu, right?
What is chicken tortilla soup?
Think about a deliciously seasoned chicken broth with plenty of chicken chunks, beans, corn kernels, bell peppers, topped with crispy tortilla strips, avocado, and cheese. Ahhh..what a filling soup!
I should probably add that this is one of my top fave Mexican dishes.
Tortilla soup is said to have originated in Mexico City traditionally made with chicken broth combined with roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, chiles, and tortilla strips. Other versions of this soup would feature a ground tortilla tomato-based soup or a bean-based soup.
What spices go in a chicken tortilla soup recipe?
This is not to scare you off, but the list of ingredients isn’t that short for this chicken tortilla soup. Don’t let this put you off though, cause as we all know, delicious soups are pretty loaded with spices and ingredients, right? It definitely delivers!
So what spices go into this soup?
It has sauteed chunks of chicken thighs (the mother of all chicken cut), roasted tomatoes and bell pepper, black beans, corn kernels in a highly-seasoned chicken broth.
If you’re health-conscious, go with low-sodium chicken broth. I prefer to add some beans and corns to this soup to add more texture and bite.
What makes this recipe even more lip-smacking is the combination of earthy spices like paprika, cumin, chili powder, and dried oregano. Top it all off with wedges of lime for a bit of tang.
And of course, how can we forget the toppings made of crispy tortilla strips and avocado. If you want to go a little further, you may top it with cheese or sour cream. Voila!!
How do I make chicken tortilla soup thicker?
For a thicker soup, you can add flour or cornstarch into the mix and adjust depending on your preference. Others would also swear by thickening it with finely crushed/ground-up tortilla strips. Let it simmer for a while stirring constantly. Tortilla strips as a thickener definitely add up a dimension of flavor in this dish.
Don’t wait for winter to make this chicken tortilla soup. I bet it’ll be worth all the money!
This is also great to serve to your guests as a comforting meal. Want more hearty soups? Check out the rest of my soup recipes.
Enjoy!
Tips and Notes
- Fresh or frozen corn works just fine. If desired, you can pan fry corn for a few minutes before adding it to the soup.
- Bone-in chicken also works in this recipe.
- Canned roast or plain diced tomatoes works too!
Watch How to Make It
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Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 -1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 5-6 cups or more chicken stock (adjust to desired consistency)
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans , drained and rinsed
- 2 medium corn roasted (about 2 cups kernels)
- 1 bell pepper , roasted , diced
- 2 medium tomatoes , roasted , diced
- 1 Jalapeno pepper roasted , finely diced
- 2 limes, juiced , plus wedges for garnish
- 1 avocado , pitted, sliced for serving
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
- Monterey cheese (optional)
- tortillas strips (about 3, 8 inch tortilla sliced ))
- juice of 1 lime
Instructions
Baked Tortillas Chips
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cut tortillas into strips and lay them on a baking sheet.
- Bake for approximately 8-12 minutes depending on your oven until tortillas are crispy and lightly golden brown. You may have to wash them very closely. Remove from the oven, let cool.
Fried Tortillas Chips
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Test if oil is ready by carefully trying out a tortilla chip. Oil should bubble before proceeding with the rest. If not, wait another minute or two. If oil is too hot, turn off gas and wait for about 2 minutes before proceeding.
- Fry in batches, turning once, until tortillas has reached desired color – about 1 minute or less.
Roasting Bell Pepper, Tomatoes Jalapenos Pepper and Corn
- Stove Top. Place bell pepper directly on burner of a gas stove. Using tongs turn bell pepper around, until completely charred or black. If desired, place roasted peppers in a paper bag to steam for about 8-10 minutes. This helps loosen the skin. If you can easily peel off the skin, this step is not necessary. Just let it cool and you peel it off with hands.
- Oven Method. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place peppers on baking pan or sheet. Then let the peppers roast until blisters form on the skin and it’s charred. Remove from oven and cover with plastic, or a tea towel, or place in a paper bag until cool. This helps loosen the skin and makes it easy to peel off .
For the Corn. Grill corn for about 3-4 minutes on each side, turning occasional until corn is cooked. Using a sharp knife, cut kernels off the cob and place them in a bowl.
Chicken Tortillas Soup
- Season chicken with salt and pepper or use your favorite spice mix. Let it sit until ready to use.
- Heat up a dutch oven or medium pot over medium high heat . Add about oil to the pot.
- Then add chicken, saute chicken for about 3-5 minutes stirring frequently any browned bits off the bottom of the pot, until slightly brown.
- Add onions, garlic, and saute for about 3-4 minutes until onions are wilted.
- Throw in cumin, oregano, chili powder and paprika . Continue cooking or about 1-2 minutes .
- Pour in chicken stock, start with 5 cups and add more as needed. Next, add drained beans, corn, diced bell pepper, tomatoes and jalapeno pepper.
- Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or more until sauce has slightly thicken. Cook more if desired . Adjust seasonings more spice if needed and/or salt and pepper.
- Serve warm with tortillas and avocado on the side.
Tips & Notes:
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
Stove Top. Place bell pepper directly on burner of a gas stove. Using tongs turn bell pepper around , until completely charred or black. If desired place roasted peppers in a paper bag to steam for about 8-10 minutes. This helps loosen the skin. If you can easily peel off the skin , this step is not necessary. Just let it cool and you peel it off with hands.
Oven Method. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place peppers on baking pan or sheet . Then let the peppers roast until blisters form on the skin and it’s charred .Remove from oven and cover with plastic, or a tea towel, or place in a paper bag until cool. This helps loosen the skin and makes it easy to peel off .
For the Corn. Grill corn for about 3-4 minutes on each side, turning occasional until corn is cooked. Using a sharp knife, cut kernels off the cob and place them in a bowl.
Season chicken with salt and pepper or use your favorite spice mix. Let it sit until ready to use. Heat up a dutch oven or medium pot over medium high heat. Add about oil to the pot. Then add chicken, saute chicken for about 3-5 minutes; stirring frequently any browned bits off the bottom of the pot, until slightly brown.
Add onions, garlic, and saute for about 3-4 minutes until onions are wilted.
Throw in cumin, oregano, chili powder and paprika.
Continue cooking or about 1-2 minutes.
Pour in chicken stock, start with 5 cups and add more as needed.
Next, add drained beans, corn, diced bell pepper, tomatoes and jalapeno pepper.
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or more until sauce has slightly thicken. Cook more, if desired. Adjust seasonings, more spice if needed and/or salt and pepper. Serve warm with tortillas (see recipe box for instructions) and avocado on the side.
The Book of Food says
Never had this before but it sure looks comforting !