Chicken Tortilla Soup
Last updated on January 11th, 2025 at 03:08 pm
The soup has slightly spicy broth with tender chicken, corn, black beans, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado, and addictively good tortilla strips. It’s ready in 30 minutes, easy, hearty, comforting, and better than restaurant versions.
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Ingredients
Tortilla Strips
- 10ย smallย corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch wide strips or you may purchase them in bag.
- 2ย tablespoonsย olive oil
- 1ย teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Soup
- 2ย tablespoonsย olive oil
- 1ย cupย sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, peeled and diced small (about 1 medium onion)
- 1ย largeย jalapenoย pepper diced very small ย (the seeds are where the heat is concentrated; included or discard them based on preference)
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
- 32ย ouncesย (4 cups) low-sodium chicken broth
- two 14.5- ounceย cans diced tomatoes and juiceย ย (I used petite diced, no-salt-added)
- one 15 ounceย can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2ย cupsย shredded cooked chicken (use store bought rotisserie chicken to save time; or roast or cook your own chicken in a skillet)
- 1 1/2 cupsย cornย ย (I used fresh)
- 2ย tablespoonsย lime juice
- 1ย tablespoonย chili powder
- 2ย teaspoonsย cumin
- 2ย teaspoonsย salt, or to taste
- 1ย teaspoonย ย black pepper
- 1ย teaspoonย smoked paprika ย (regular paprika may be substituted)
- 1/4 teaspoonย cayenne pepper, optional and to taste
- 1/3ย cupย fresh cilantro leaves, finely minced
Toppings:
- Diced avocado for serving
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Tortilla Strips – Preheat oven to 375F, line a baking sheet with aย Silpatย or foil to save cleanup time, loosely scatter the tortilla strips, evenly drizzle with olive oil, evenly sprinkle with kosher salt, toss with hands to coat evenly, and bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until crisp and lightly golden brown; set aside. While strips bake, begin making the soup.
- Soupย – To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat over medium-high heat to warm.
- Add the onion, jalapeno, and sautรฉ for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir intermittently.
- Add the garlic and sautรฉ for 1 to 2 minutes.ย Stir intermittently.
- Add the chicken broth, tomatoes and juice, black beans, chicken, corn, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt, pepper, smoked paprika, optional cayenne pepper, and bring to a boil. Allow mixture to boil gently for about 5 to 7ย minutes. If at any point the overall liquid level looks low or you prefer your soup to have more broth, add 1 to 2 cups of water; you'll adjust the salt and seasoning levels at the end.
- Taste soup and add salt to taste. This will vary based on how salty the chicken broth, tomatoes, black beans, and rotisserie chicken are, and personal preference. Make any necessary seasoning adjustments (i.e. more salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, etc.).
- Ladle soup into bowls, top with tortilla strips to taste, optionally garnish with avocado, cheese and/or sour cream and cilantro; serve immediately. Soup will keep airtight in the fridge for 5 to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Extra tortilla strips will keep in airtight at room temp for up to 5 days.
Have you made this recipe?I’d love to know! Leave a comment or recipe rating and tag me @amenuforyou on social media!