Best Ever Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
User Reviews
4.9
Best Ever Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Description
This soup begins by soaking and blending dried Mexican chili peppers with browned onion, garlic, and cumin to create a smoky, richly flavored base. Using a combination of guajillo, pasilla, and ancho peppers provides layered depth without overwhelming heat. The pepper blend is pureed with soaking water and onion mixture, softened with stock if needed for smooth blending.
Bone-in chicken thighs, with skin removed, are simmered gently in this broth with canned diced tomatoes, imparting a robust flavor and tender meat. After cooking, the meat is shredded and returned to the pot along with black beans and corn to complete the hearty chili-style soup.
Thin strips of tortillas are fried until crisp in a small amount of neutral oil, adding texture when garnished on the soup. Optional toppings like sour cream, queso, lime, and cilantro add creaminess, brightness, and freshness, rounding out the dish.
Using dried chilies rather than fresh is emphasized as key to achieving the authentic flavor. Bone-in chicken ensures a richer broth thanks to the marrow and connective tissue during simmering. For spicier results, a chili de arbol can be added to the pepper mix.
Ingredients
- 3 guajillo pepper see notes, dried, Mexican peppers
- 3 pasilla pepper
- 3 ancho pepper
- 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil we like avocado oil, generic cooking oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin ground
- 8 chicken thighs see notes, skinless, bone-in
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon salt sea salt
- 15 ounce diced tomatoes canned
- 15 ounce black beans drained and rinsed, canned
- 2 cups corn frozen
- sour cream optional toppings
- Queso
- lime
- cilantro
The Crispy Tortillas
- 1 teaspoon neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
- 4 large tortilla use gluten-free, if needed, cut into thin strips
Instructions
- Place the dried peppers in a bowl and cover them with about a cup of hot tap water.
- Heat the tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it is well browned, about 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and cook for 1 minute more.
- Pull the stems off of the peppers. Add the peppers and the soaking water into your blender. Add the cooked onion and blend until smooth. If it is too thick to blend properly, add some of the stock. Pour this liquid into your crockpot or a large soup pot.
- Add the chicken thighs, chicken stock, sea salt, and tomatoes. Set the crockpot to high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. If cooking in a pot, you want the pot to simmer very gently.
- Remove the chicken from the crockpot or pot. Separate the meat from the bones and discard the bones and shred the meat. Return the meat to the pot and add the black beans and corn and let them heat through.
- Serve the chicken tortilla soup with the tortillas on top and any or all of the optional toppings.
The crispy tortillas
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Put the tortilla strips on a baking sheet and toss them with the oil. Spread them out on the baking sheet then put them in your oven. Let them toast for about 10-15 minutes, gently mixing them up twice until they are lightly browned. Remove them from the oven. Note: they will continue to crisp as they cool.
Notes
- Using dried peppers is essential for authentic flavor; fresh peppers will not replicate the taste.
- Add a spicy chili like chili de arbol if a hotter soup is desired.
- Bone-in chicken is recommended as the bones add depth and richness to the broth; remove skin before cooking for less fat.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 511 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 2 ½ cups | |
| Calories | 511kcal | 26% |
| Carbohydrates | 53g | 18% |
| Protein | 43g | 86% |
| Fat | 15g | 23% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 3g | 18% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 139mg | 46% |
| Sodium | 2282mg | 95% |
| Potassium | 1280mg | 27% |
| Fiber | 8g | 32% |
| Sugar | 9g | 18% |
| Vitamin A | 207IU | 4% |
| Vitamin C | 16mg | 18% |
| Calcium | 106mg | 11% |
| Iron | 5mg | 28% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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