Chicken Tortilla Soup

The calendar may say it’s Spring but the weather outside is still late Winter here– cold with snow– seriously? This soup was the perfect fit into this week’s menu to warm our souls. It is spicy and deep with flavor, but at the same time the broth is light without weighing you down.

There are a few steps in making this soup; roasting the chicken breasts, making the broth, and frying the tortilla strips. However, the end result is worth the time and very rewarding.

To the original recipe I add black beans, corn, and hominy to the broth to give the soup a little more body and flavor. I also roast the chicken instead of poaching it. Lastly, I add a few more herbs and spices to my liking. I like to garnish it with diced avocado, chopped cilantro, diced red onion, diced jalapeño, Cotija cheese, and Mexican crema, but you can use whatever garnish you prefer or have on hand. This is one crowd pleasing bowl of goodness to feed to your family and friends when it is cold outside, when it is raining, or really whenever you’re feeling a bit fiesta-y. That’s not a word.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Prep: 25 minsCook: 40 minsResting Time: 20 minsTotal: 1 hr 25 mins Servings: 6 A simple soup base where you can get creative with garnishes for extra flavor!

Equipment

• High-speed blender
• Large Dutch oven
• Digital thermometer with pot clip for frying

Ingredients 

For the Soup

• 1 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoon Extra-virgin olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 small white onion or half a large, diced
• 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• ½ medium jalapeno chile, seeded and ribs removed, chopped
• 1 chipotle chile en adobo halved and seeded, more or less depending on your taste
• 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce, more or less depending on your taste
• 1 handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dired oregano, preferably Mexican
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 8 cups of chicken broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can of white hominy, drained
• 1 cup frozen corn
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Tortilla Strips

• 12 corn or flour tortillas, cut into ¾-inch wide strips (I prefer the flour with this soup)
• Vegetable oil for frying
• kosher salt

Garnishes:

• Avocado, diced
• Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• Red onion, diced
• Jalapeno, seeded, ribs removed and finely diced
• Mexican Crema or sour cream
• Cotija cheese, crumbled or Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Instructions 

For the Soup

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place the chicken breast skin side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through. Tent the chicken with foil and set aside to rest. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces, discarding skin and bones.
2. While the chicken roasts, place the onion, tomatoes, garlic, chipotle chile, jalapeno chile, 1 teaspoon of the adobo sauce, cilantro, oregano, and cumin in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Heat the canola oil in a large dutch oven over high heat; add the tomato purée and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently until the mixture has darkened in color and thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the broth, black beans, hominy, corn, and shredded chicken and bring to a boil. Simmer until heated through. Taste for seasoning, adding salt, pepper, and adobo sauce if needed.

For the Tortilla Strips

1. While the soup is simmering, heat 1/2-inch of oil in a large fry pot to 350ºF. Add a handful of the tortilla strips to the hot oil. Use metal tongs to keep them from sticking together. Fry until golden and crisp, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined baking sheet and immediately season with kosher salt. Continue with the remaining strips.
2. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, top with tortilla strips, and garnish with the toppings of your choice. Enjoy!

Notes

Any leftover broth can be refrigerated or frozen for another meal. Nutritional values do not include the garnishes.

Nutrition

Calories: 587kcal, Carbohydrates: 63g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 2851mg, Potassium: 773mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 230IU, Vitamin C: 12mg, Calcium: 182mg, Iron: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.