Chicken Tortilla Soup
This Chicken Tortilla Soup is made with tender shredded chicken, a rich and savory tomato broth, warm spices, and topped with crispy tortilla strips. Everything cooks in one pot, the ingredients are simple and easy to find, and the flavors taste like they’ve been simmering all day.
Ingredients
Chicken Tortilla Soup
- 1 lb chicken (5-6 chicken thighs or 2 chicken breasts)
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1 white or yellow onion, cut in half
- 3 Roma tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 jalapeño, cut in half (Seeds and stems removed)
- 4 whole garlic cloves
- 3 dry chiles (Seeds removed*)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp dry Mexican or regular oregano
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 chicken bouillon (Optional)
- 6 cups (1.5 liters) low-sodium chicken stock or broth**
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 1-2 medium-sized corn tortillas (Optional)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 (15 oz) can fire-roasted corn, drained
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
Tortilla Strips
- ¼ cup (59 ml) Oil for frying
- 8 medium-sized corn tortillas
Toppings
- Avocados, diced
- Your favorite cheese (Mexican Blend shredded cheese, crumbled cotija, or queso fresco)
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Sour cream
- Jalapeño slices
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Make the tortilla strips:
- Heat the oil for frying in a pan over medium-high heat. Cut the corn tortillas into thin strips and fry them in batches until they are golden brown. Remove them from the oil and drain them on paper towels.
Make the chicken tortilla soup:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and sear until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
- Add the onion, Roma tomatoes, jalapeño, garlic, and dry chiles to the pot. Stir in the ground cumin, oregano, chili powder, paprika, and chicken bouillon. Sauté for a few minutes until the vegetables begin to soften and brown in spots.
- Pour the chicken broth into the pot and add the bay leaves and the seared chicken. Cover, bring to a boil, then simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and shred using your hands, two forks, or a hand mixer.
- Place a strainer or sieve over a separate pot, then slowly pour the broth into the clean pot***. Discard the bay leaves and blend the rest of the vegetables with a small amount of broth, along with 1-2 corn tortillas, until smooth (This will help thicken the soup). Strain this mixture into the rest of the broth, and season with salt to taste.
- Add the fire-roasted corn, black beans, and shredded chicken to the soup and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Serve the soup with a handful of tortilla strips and your favorite toppings.
Notes
- * Use any type of dry chiles like ancho, guajillo, pasilla, or chiles de ristra. To remove the seeds, just cut off the tops with a knife or kitchen scissors and then shake off the chiles until all seeds are removed.
- ** I usually use low-sodium chicken broth or stock, but regular chicken broth or stock can be used instead. You can also make this soup with just water, but the flavor won’t be as rich.
- *** I find that this is the easiest way to strain any broth. Another way would be to remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon, but I find that this is not as effective.
- You can use fresh corn kernels, canned, or frozen.
Nutritional values are approximate and calculated per serving.
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