Chicken Tortilla Soup
Weather: 36, cloudy
What I’m listening to: the sound of keys on a keyboard typing these words
If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you are probably asking yourself by now if I’m capable of cooking without cilantro. Approximately… no. I have a serious problem, actually. Send help. I can’t be in the produce section of the store without buying a single bunch of cilantro. We all have our little lists of things we buy out of habit every time we visit the grocery store. You know the ones. Admit it. Yours may not include cilantro, but you have your secret little list.
I’ve been making this handy dandy Chicken Tortilla Soup for about a decade now. It’s a keeper. The corn tortillas act as both a flavoring and a thickener in this amazing onion-garlic-tomato-cumin-cilantro-lime broth. It comes together in under an hour total, but it takes like it’s been on the stove for hours.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 3-4 tablespoons canola oil
- 8 corn tortillas chopped (I used white corn)
- 1 onion peeled and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
- ½ cup chopped cilantro (reserve some for garnish)
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 30 oz. canned diced tomatoes
- 6 cups chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 lime juiced, reserve half for serving
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or chipotle chili powder, optional
For Serving:
- tortilla chips crushed
- grated Colby jack cheese
- sour cream
- avocado slices
- hot sauce I use Tapatio
- chopped cilantro
- lime wedges
Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven heat oil over medium. Add chopped tortillas and stir to coat in oil. Cook 1-2 minutes. Add onions, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and chili powder. Cook, stirring, until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add bay leaves, tomatoes, chicken broth, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-low and add chicken. Simmer covered 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove chicken from pot to cutting board. Remove bay leaves. Shred or chop chicken into bite size pieces. Return chicken to pot. Add lime juice and stir.
- Check seasoning and add cayenne or chipotle for heat, if using, and more salt if needed. Serve topped with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, avocado, hot sauce, lime and cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition
Just wondering…how many calories in a cup?
Maria,
I honestly don’t know for sure. But, I can tell you that the Allrecipes version of this recipe says it’s about 400 calories per serving (just the soup, before the toppings). Hope this helps.
i made this the other night…oh, oh, oh sooo delicious! have you ever tried freezing it? i like to have individual meals in the freezer for my husband to take to work when i’m gone or we haven’t made dinner the night before.
oh and p.s. i just ran across your blog about a week ago while searching for a recipe and i’m now i’ve bookmarked it! 🙂
Happy to hear you enjoyed the Chicken Tortilla Soup! I haven’t tried freezing it that I recall, but I suspect it would do rather well in the freezer. If you try it, please do come back and let me know how it goes! So glad you found me! Come back soon!
Hi Maya- Ok, we all love soup in this house and this is another keeper. Gotta love the chipotle and cumin. I’m looking forward to making this many times this winter.
I added some black beans, whole kernel corn, 1/2 t. of sugar and 6 t. of chickenbase. I also used boneless, skinless thighs instead of breast meat. It’s delicious!
I made this soup as written and it was excellent! The chipotle and the cumin definitely added wonderful flavor. I occasionally make a pot of soup when I am not sure how many of my kids and their friends will show up hungry. I put a stack of bowls and spoons next to the pot and everyone just helps themselves. Thank you so much for this great recipe!
@Karen from SC I’m so pleased that you and your crew enjoy this soup! Thank you for letting me know! 🙂