Chicken Tortilla Soup (Print Version)

A warm, zesty Mexican soup featuring tender chicken, fire-roasted tomatoes, corn, and lime, topped with golden tortilla strips.

# What You'll Need:

→ Poultry

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 14 oz)

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
05 - 1 cup frozen or canned corn, drained
06 - 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
07 - 1 lime, juiced
08 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

→ Canned Goods

09 - 1 can (14 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
10 - 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

→ Seasonings

11 - 1 bay leaf
12 - 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
13 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
14 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
15 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
16 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Tortilla Strips

17 - 4 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
18 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

# How to Prepare:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss tortilla strips with olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp. Set aside.
02 - In a large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion, red bell pepper, and jalapeño. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until softened.
03 - Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in chili powder, oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook for 30 seconds.
04 - Add chicken breasts, fire-roasted tomatoes with juice, corn, bay leaf, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
05 - Remove chicken breasts and shred with two forks, then return to the pot. Add lime juice and chopped cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
06 - Discard bay leaf. Ladle soup into bowls and top with crispy tortilla strips and desired garnishes.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The homemade tortilla strips maintain their satisfying crunch even after sitting in the soup for a while, a trick I learned after countless soggy failures.
  • With its vibrant colors and bold flavors, this soup somehow manages to be both comforting and refreshing simultaneously, perfect for any season or mood.
02 -
  • Adding the lime juice too early will cause it to lose its bright flavor during cooking, so always save it for the final minutes.
  • The soup tastes even better the next day, once the flavors have had time to fully marry overnight in the refrigerator.
03 -
  • For maximum flavor, toast whole cumin seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, then grind them fresh before adding to the soup, a technique that unlocked incredible depth I hadnt achieved with pre-ground spices.
  • When cutting corn tortillas, stack several together and slice them all at once with a pizza cutter for perfectly even strips in a fraction of the time.
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