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4.9 from 333 votes

Chicken Tortilla Soup

The most perfect chicken tortilla soup you'll ever make! Inspired by Cafe Terra Cotta (who used to make the most perfect tortilla soup in Tucson, AZ), you'll never make another recipe ever again!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 277 kcal
Course: Soup , Lunch , Dinner
Cuisine: American , Mexican , Tex-Mex

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

    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno and sauté for until the onion is translucent and the jalapeno 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Add black beans, corn and shredded chicken.
  4. Divide the soup into 4 bowls and top with cheese, avocado, cilantro and crisp tortilla strips. Add extra lime juice if desired and/or jalapeno slices. Serve immediately.
  5. 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.

Notes

  • When you shred your own chicken - use a stand mixer to do it in 15 seconds!! It's my favorite hack!
  • The flavor starts at the very beginning of this recipe - so be sure to sweat the onions and jalapeños to really start developing flavors at the early stages.
  • After step 2, I like to use an immersion blender to blend the base of the soup. A lot of tortilla soups are SUPER chunky but I prefer a blended base and then add some chunks from the chicken, corn and black beans
  • While black beans are traditional in a Chicken Tortilla Soup, you could use Pinto Beans if you prefer!
  • Any sort of shredded poultry works in this. Chicken is my favorite but if you're making this and have leftover turkey - be my guest!!
  • If you want to skip the chicken entirely and make this vegetarian - just use vegetable stock and you're in business.

Nutrition Information

Calories 277kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 36g (12%) Protein 21g (42%) Fat 6g (9%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 3g Trans Fat 0.01g Cholesterol 37mg (12%) Sodium 554mg (23%) Potassium 589mg (17%) Fiber 6g (24%) Sugar 7g (14%) Vitamin A 557IU (11%) Vitamin C 11mg (12%) Calcium 77mg (8%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 277

% Daily Value*

Calories 277kcal 14%
Carbohydrates 36g 12%
Protein 21g 42%
Fat 6g 9%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 0.01g 1%
Cholesterol 37mg 12%
Sodium 554mg 23%
Potassium 589mg 13%
Fiber 6g 24%
Sugar 7g 14%
Vitamin A 557IU 11%
Vitamin C 11mg 12%
Calcium 77mg 8%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.