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Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup
Tender chicken in a spicy tomato broth-based soup topped with homemade tortilla strips, fresh avocado, and cilantro. This soup is always a hit!
How to make the BEST EVER Chicken Tortilla Soup with homemade tortilla strips. This is perfect for those chilly Fall and Winter nights. It is hearty, filling, and healthy. This recipe will become a mainstay in your home!
Chicken Tortilla Soup is serious business.
My kids have been eating it for weeks as I have tested out dozens of variations in search of the PERFECT Chicken Tortilla Soup.
I am happy to report we have a winner!
As a Mom, who knows that my kids are going to inhale more candy in one Halloween night than they have eaten all year, I make them eat the biggest bowl of soup before they go out Trick or Treating. In our home, we always serve a big pot of homemade chicken soup (classic chicken soup recipe HERE: Mama’s Best Chicken Soup), a big bowl of hearty chili (our favorite recipe HERE: BEST Chili Recipe), or this Chicken Tortilla Soup. I try to fit their bellies with protein so quite possibly they won’t devour as much candy.
*Wishful thinking.*
Here’s the thing. Before my little blog here, I rarely wrote down my recipes. I would just throw in a bunch of ingredients and spices and call it good. Since Modern Honey, I am a changed woman. For the past few weeks, I have been playing around trying to create the perfect chicken tortilla soup recipe.
I am a ridiculous perfectionist in the kitchen! I keep going until I feel I nailed the recipe. Then I get a lot of taste testers to give me their HONEST feedback. They all gave this a solid 10. Success!
How to make perfect Chicken Tortilla Soup:
A. Tender Chicken. Instead of poaching chicken in water, which can be hit and miss as to whether or not it will come out tough, we saute it with the onions and garlic. It comes out tender every single time. Plus it alleviates a step in the process which is always a win-win!
B. Flavorful Broth. This isn’t some one-note broth. It’s seasoned with onions, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, cumin, green chilies, tomatoes, and cilantro. I think you get the point. It has a serious depth of flavor.
C. Homemade Tortilla Strips. Fry those babies up! Man alive, they are the difference makers in this soup because who doesn’t love crispy fried goodness in your tortilla soup? Click HERE for a perfect strainer for fried foods. I have an option for those who steer away from fried foods. You can bake the corn tortillas instead of frying them. Yes! Place the strips on a sheet pan and drizzle with a small amount of canola oil and salt. Bake at 375 degrees for 5-10 minutes or until crispy.
D. Toppings. Get that avocado in the bowl. Throw in that cheese! Sour cream? Heck yes! Don’t underestimate the power of garnish.
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Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 1-2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
- 1 Large Onion (diced)
- 1 Jalapeno (diced)
- 3 Garlic Cloves (minced or 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder)
- 1 lb. Chicken Breasts or Rotisserie Chicken (cooked, cubed or shredded)
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- (1) 10-ounce can Rotel Tomatoes + Green Chilies
- 1/4 cup Cilantro
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
Corn Tortilla Strips:
- 6-8 Corn Tortillas cut into strips lengthwise
- 1/2- 3/4 cup Canola Oil
- Salt
Toppings:
- 1 Avocado cut into bite size pieces
- 1 cup Mexican Cheese or Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream or Mexican Crema
- Cilantro
- Lime
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add jalapenos and garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken breast. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Add salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin. Stir.
- In a blender or food processor, puree canned tomatoes and cilantro. Add to pot. Stir in chicken broth and cover. Cook for at least 15-20 minutes on low heat. Taste for seasonings.
- In large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Once it starts to sizzle, add corn tortilla strips. Using tongs, flip and stir to fry evenly. Fry for 1-2 minutes or until golden and crispy. Remove from oil and place on paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with salt.
- Ladle soup into bowls. Top with tortilla strips, avocado, and cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
One more week until Halloween, so let the festivities begin! It always starts with soup in our fam. What is your favorite Halloween tradition? Have a fabulous Monday, my friends!
Happy Cooking! xo
I had some crockpot salsa chicken left over that I needed to use. Was craving authentic tortilla soup and this recipe was absoulutly perfect! Family raved about it.
It’s always a win when the family loves it. Thank you so much for making my recipe, Erin!
Have always loved the chicken tortilla soup from our local Mexican restaurant but even for just the 2 individual soups it’s close to $30 and that’s picking up take out.. my partner and I have been trying to get our kids to try more foods (only one currently does) the other two do our one bite minimum rule to try but it’s extremely difficult feeding a family of 5 so recently he brought up that we haven’t gotten the soup in a while…. So I agreed but decided I will try myself – this is very daring of me I’m planning on making it for this Wednesday. I’m trying to start meal planning and your blog is giving me some great ideas so wish me luck. The way you used to do meals is how my grandmother taught me…. There was no actual recipe for all her meals, just a little of this or that, and you taste it. That was how she did everything. Everyone always wanted her stuffing recipe for holidays but they thought it was this guarded secret…. Then she developed dementia, and ultimately it progressed and everyone still think I hold all the secret recipes but they are all the same, meatloaf, meatballs, garbage stew, hotdog stew.. we went through a lot of times on very low income but gram always made the best meals with an open front door so anyone in the family always had a place to come home to with a warm dinner. Thank you for giving me a little something to remember her about. 🥹