Chicken tortilla soup

January 6, 2022

Chicken Tortilla Soup is the perfect easy weeknight dinner. Full of shredded chicken, corn, beans, and homemade tortilla strips, this soup is a meal in itself. It’s comforting, hearty, and filling.

Summary

  • Prep Time: 20 min
  • Cook Time: 30 min
  • Other: 5 min (shred chicken)
  • Total Time: 55 min
  • Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper , seeded and diced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 lb chicken breasts, (2 medium)
  • 20 oz crushed tomatoes (I use full 28oz can)
  • 32 oz chicken broth 
  • 14 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 14 oz corn, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, divided (reserve 1/4 of it for garnish)
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 tsp salt, or to taste

Homemade Tortilla Strips

  • 1/4 cup olive oil (fry) / 1 tbsp olive oil (oven)
  • 8 corn tortillas (6″ tortillas)

Toppings

  • 1 large avocado, diced
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve

Directions

  • Preheat a pot with oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, garlic and chopped jalapeño and sauté until veggies soften.
  • Add whole chicken, corn, beans, chilli powder, cumin, crushed tomatoes, salt, ¼ cup of cilantro and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and let simmer for at least 25 minutes.
  • Remove chicken from the pot and shred it using 2 forks. Add shredded chicken back to the soup and simmer another 5 minutes then add lime juice.
  • Serve the soup with some tortilla strips, pieces of avocado, fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
  • Tortilla Strips:
    • Pan Frying: Preheat a pan with 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat. Cut 8 (6″) corn tortillas into thin strips and fry them in a couple of batches, adding more oil as needed. Remove from the pot and let drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.
    • To Bake: Toss tortilla strips in a bowl with 2 Tbsp oil until well coated. Bake on a cookie sheet in a single layer at 350˚F for 15 minutes.

Adjustments

  • None

History

  • 2022-01-06 – Made pretty much as shown except cooked initially for 40 minutes and used entire 28oz can of crushed tomatoes. Baked tortilla strips and they came out pretty well. This soup is very good. Even my wife who doesn’t generally go in for this sort of dish had 2 helpings! Prep time took longer than the 15 minutes shown so I changed to 20 and maybe will hit that next time.

References