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Sopa de lima - Mexican lime soup

This traditional soup is a delicious combination of lime-flavored broth, chicken and crisp tortilla. It's light, flavorful and perfect any time.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 2 -
Calories: 334 kcal
Course: Appetizer , Lunch
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

For chicken/broth
  • ½ lb chicken breast 1 medium-large piece
  • 2 cups homemade chicken stock or low sodium stock if bought
  • 2 cups water (cold)
  • ¼ red onion
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon Mexican oregano (or Italian, if Mexican not available)
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch pepper
For sofrito
  • ¼ red onion approx 6tbsp once chopped
  • 1 Hungarian wax pepper or banana pepper
  • 1 tomato medium-large (1 tomato giving approx ¾ cup once chopped)
  • 2 cloves garlic (optional)
  • 1 pinch salt, pepper and Mexican oregano
For rest of soup
  • 2 corn tortillas or 3 if smaller
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or other neutral oil for frying, or a little more if needed
  • 2 limes
  • 6 stems cilantro coriander, approx

Instructions

For broth/chicken (and sofrito prep)
    Cup of Yum
  1. Place the chicken in a pot and add the stock, water, onion, bay leaf, garlic (peeled but left whole), oregano and salt and pepper. Cover and place over a medium heat to bring to a simmer. Continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through and tender, around 20 - 30 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables for the sofrito. Mince the onion and pepper and finely chop the tomato and garlic, if using.
  3. Once the chicken has cooked, remove the chicken and let cool a minute or two. Meanwhile, strain the broth and discard the other solids but keep all of the liquid. You can either strain it directly into another pot of around the same size, or into a bowl, clean out the original pot and transfer back.
For tortilla strips
  1. Cut the tortillas into thin strips - if using larger tortillas, cut the bigger strips in half (or you can cut the tortillas in half first then into strips).
  2. Warm the oil in a medium skillet/frying pan over a medium heat. Add the tortilla strips and cook, spreading them out and turning as needed until they are crisp on all sides but not burnt. If you prefer, you can lightly brush/drizzle the tortilla strips with oil and cook in a medium oven for a few minutes instead.
  3. If you have used the skillet for the tortilla strips, once they are cooked, remove them and drain them on kitchen paper. Then you can re-use the skillet for the sofrito.
For sofrito
  1. Warm the skillet with a little extra oil, if needed, over a medium heat and add the onion and pepper. Cook for a minute then add the tomato (and garlic, if using). Add a little salt, pepper and oregano and cook for a few minutes, stirring now and then, until all the vegetables have softened but are not browning. Once softened, remove from the heat.
To finish soup
  1. Add the sofrito to the strained broth and mix through. Shred the chicken and add this as well then cook the soup for a few more minutes to let everything mingle.
  2. Meanwhile, squeeze 1 to 1 ½ of the limes and thinly slice the remaining half lime. Remove the cilantro leaves from the stem and roughly tear or chop.
  3. Add the lime juice to the soup (1 lime or 1 ½ to taste and depending on how juicy the limes are). Mix through then serve the soup in bowls, making sure you distribute the chicken evenly, topped with some of the tortilla strips, some cilantro and a slice or two of lime.

Notes

  • You can make the soup ahead but don't add the tortilla strips and cilantro until right before serving (the tortilla strips soften when added). Everything else can be made and the soup boxed up and refrigerated then re-heated. Store the tortilla chips separately in a container at room temperature. 
  • If you can't find wax peppers or a banana pepper, you can use green pepper plus, if you like, part of a jalapeño for a little bit of a kick. 

Nutrition Information

Calories 334kcal (17%) Carbohydrates 28g (9%) Protein 32g (64%) Fat 12g (18%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 5g Monounsaturated Fat 3g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 73mg (24%) Sodium 258mg (11%) Potassium 963mg (28%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 5g (10%) Vitamin A 791IU (16%) Vitamin C 34mg (38%) Calcium 93mg (9%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 2-

Amount Per Serving

Calories 334

% Daily Value*

Calories 334kcal 17%
Carbohydrates 28g 9%
Protein 32g 64%
Fat 12g 18%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 5g 29%
Monounsaturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 73mg 24%
Sodium 258mg 11%
Potassium 963mg 20%
Fiber 5g 20%
Sugar 5g 10%
Vitamin A 791IU 16%
Vitamin C 34mg 38%
Calcium 93mg 9%
Iron 2mg 11%

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