Chicken Tortilla Soup
A smoky, comforting chicken tortilla soup with fire-roasted tomatoes, chipotle, black beans, corn, and shredded chicken, topped with crispy tortilla strips, avocado, cheese, and lime.
Servings: 4 people
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper stem and seeds removed and roughly chopped
- kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
- 1 14- ounce can fire roasted tomatoes and green chiles
- 3 cups chicken stock
- ¾ cup black beans
- ¾ cup frozen corn
- 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
Toppings:
- shredded cheese - Colby Jack / Monterey Jack / Pepper Jack your choice
- quartered limes
- cubed avocado
- cilantro
- sliced green onions
- 2 small corn tortillas cut into thin strips
- sliced jalapenos
Instructions
- Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, onion, garlic, and jalapeño, and sauté until the onion is translucent and the jalapeño softens. Season with the salt, pepper, dried oregano, cumin, and chipotle pepper. Stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes until the spices toast.
- Add the fire-roasted tomatoes and the chicken stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Add the black beans, corn, and shredded chicken, and continue cooking until everything is heated through.
- Divide the soup into 4 bowls and top with cheese, avocado, cilantro, and crisp tortilla strips. Add extra lime juice if desired and/or jalapeño slices. Serve immediately.
- To make the tortilla strips: In a small skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the tortilla strips in a single layer, frying quickly for about 30-45 seconds, flipping them once to ensure both sides get crisp. Remove the tortillas once crisp with a pair of tongs and transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to dry.
Video
Notes
- Soften the aromatics first. Cook the onion, garlic, and jalapeño until the onion is translucent and the pepper has softened before adding the seasonings.
- Give the spices time to develop. Stir in the oregano, cumin, and chipotle and cook for another 1–2 minutes, as directed, before adding the tomatoes and stock.
- Simmer before blending. Let the tomato and stock mixture simmer for 30 minutes, then use an immersion blender to create the smooth, smoky broth.
- Add the chicken, beans, and corn after blending. This keeps the broth smooth while leaving plenty of hearty texture in the finished soup. Heat everything through before serving.
- Use cooked chicken for convenience. Rotisserie chicken or leftover shredded chicken makes this an easy weeknight dinner without cooking the chicken separately.
- Fry tortilla strips until crisp. Work in a single layer and transfer the strips to a paper towel-lined plate after frying. Add them just before serving so they stay crunchy.
- Finish each bowl individually. Add cheese, avocado, cilantro, lime, jalapeño, and tortilla strips at the table. Keep toppings separate when storing leftovers
Nutrition (estimated)
Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 554mg | Potassium: 589mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 557IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2mg