Chicken Tortilla Soup
30-minute lightly spicy Tortilla Soup is perfect for any weeknight with chicken, tomatoes, and black beans. Top with crunchy homemade tortilla strips.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 329kcal
Ingredients
Homemade Tortilla Strips
- 6 Corn Tortillas, cut into strips 6"-8" inch
- 1 Tablespoon oil (more if needed)
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
Chicken Tortilla Soup
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup yellow or sweet Vidalia onion, small dice
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon jalapeno pepper, optional, minced (more/less to taste)
- 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 28 ounces small dice tomatoes with juices (2 cans)
- 1 chipotle chili packed in adobo sauce minced with 2 Tablespoon of adobo sauce
- 8 cups chicken stock or broth
- 2 sprigs fresh oregano, (or 1 tsp dried oregano)
- 1.5 pounds chicken breast, boneless and skinless
- 15 ounces black beans, (1 can) drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Toppings / Garnishes
- 1 avocado sliced or medium dice
- cheddar cheese, shredded
- sour cream
- cilantro leaves
- tortilla strips (homemade recipe above)
- lime wedges (optional)
Instructions
Making Homemade Tortilla Strips
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a sheet pan with foil, parchment paper, or a Silpat mat for easy cleanup.
- Cut tortillas in strips about 1/4-inch wide. Place in a bowl, toss with oil to coat well, and sprinkle with salt.
- Scatter the tortilla strips in on the baking sheet, and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until crispy and crunchy. Remove from tray, set aside and cool. (Makes about 3 cups of strips)
Making Chicken Tortilla Soup
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, on medium heat, add olive oil and heat until it begins to shimmer.
- Add onions and (optional) jalapeno. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are translucent and glazed-looking. Add garlic, smoked paprika, and chili powder and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, chipotle chili with adobo sauce to the pot and cook additional 2 minutes
- Add chicken broth and oregano springs and bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts, reduce to a medium simmer.
- Cook chicken breast for 10-16 minutes (depending on size), and remove from the soup pot. Place chicken on a cutting board and shred.
- Simmer the soup another 10-minutes. Add black beans, corn, lime juice, chopped cilantro, and shredded chicken to the pot and cook for additional 5 minutes.
- Taste, and add salt and pepper to taste, and any other additional spices depending on your preferred spice level. Simmer for a few more minutes to let flavors meld. Remove oregano sprigs.
- Ladle soup into bowls, top with garnishes, and tortilla strips. Serve.
Notes
- The heat in jalapeno is in the seeds so if you want to ramp up the heat include the seeds, if not, discard them.
- In a time crunch? Use store-bought rotisserie chicken and pre-made tortilla strips or just lightly crush some tortilla chips
Nutrition
Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 611mg | Potassium: 1057mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1203IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 4mg