I have no idea what to write about this recipe except that it’s the best in the world and you must believe me. Please, do not turn your ear away from the apparent arrogance in my self-serving claim of it being the best chicken tortilla soup recipe in the world and just listen to this story that will prove it:
When I was vegetarian, I used to make this without the chicken and it was still good.
Really. I took out the number one ingredient – the ingredient for which the recipe is named – and it was still delightful.
I think that is pretty significant.
I have a shortcut here with the broth that gives a rich flavor without requiring a million hours of simmering and straining. To try it is to love it.
Recipe: Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 1 fresh tomato, chopped
- 1 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 a large onion)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 guajillo chile
- 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken (or turkey)
- 1 cup sliced carrots and celery, each
- 1 zucchini, cut into thick half-circles
- 1/2 cup poblano pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- For serving: tortilla strips, avocado, cheese, sour cream, diced onion, Spanish rice, lime wedges
Instructions
- Toast the guajillo pepper over a flame or a dry skillet for a few seconds. (Substitute an ancho chile or 1 teaspoon of chile powder.)
- Combine tomato, onion, garlic, spices, chile in a blender with a little water – maybe 1/2 cup – to make a smooth paste.
- Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large stockpot over medium heat and add tomato sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes, until it turns a darker shade of red.
- Add chicken stock, salt, chicken, and vegetables through poblano.
- Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- Add a handful of tortillas strips and simmer a minute longer to thicken the soup.
- Add cilantro.
- Serve topped with tortilla strips and whatever other garnishes you like. (But lime wedges are very important!)
Quick notes
To make fat-free tortilla strips in the oven, slice corn tortillas into 1/4″ strips and put in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees F for about 15 minutes, shaking every 5 minutes, until dry and crispy.
Variations
To make this recipe with fresh chicken, poach two boneless, skinless chicken breast halves in the broth mixture for 10 minutes before adding vegetables. Remove and let cool, then shred. Recombine in the pot with the vegetables and continue as directed.
To make vegetarian tortilla soup, substitute a cup or two of cooked black or pinto beans for the chicken.
Other vegetables you might like in this are green beans, cabbage, and corn.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 20 minute(s)
Diet tags: Reduced fat, Gluten free
Number of servings (yield): 4-6
P.S. Here’s a recipe for Spanish rice if you don’t have one. It really is nice served under the soup, especially if you’ve made the soup without the chicken: Spanish Rice
And also, How to Make Chicken Stock is at the bottom of this post: How to Roast a Chicken
I create short-form, educational, and occasionally hilarious cooking videos geared towards beginner and intermediate cooks, as well as people who are just looking for simple, low-cost recipes. Everything is made from scratch, people! 
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m SOLD.
I thought you would be.
I’m totally printing this recipe and I will totally make this soup… btw, you and PW are going back and forth at the top of my list of internet cooks whose recipes I actually make and love. I made her Tuscan Bean soup with Kale and Shrimp over the weekend, omg nom! I am pretty sure I will feel the same way about this one here. Thanks!!
Awesome, Rachael! So glad you like my recipes! Who is PW? sounds like I need to check that out.
Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman. I chose the recipe I mentioned in my first comment just for grins but do browse through her stuff. I love her and you will too!!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/01/tuscan-bean-soup-with-shrimp/
Oh, of course! Her recipes are great. I love her writing, too.
I can’t make and eat these things as quick as you are putting out videos…
Ha! Sorry about that, Mazz.
I’m glad to know you are trying all of the recipes, though!
What’s your chicken stock recipe?
Whoops! I added a link at the bottom of this post.
But in a nutshell, I just cover the carcass with water and cook it an hour at a strong simmer. Sometimes I add more vegetables or herbs like thyme and a bay leaf, but usually I just make it with the chicken so I don’t have to worry about any flavors interfering with whatever dish I might use it for.
Also, a lot of times I’ll use my pressure cooker. Bring to full pressure and let it go for just 15 minutes.
And I usually leave most of the fat in the stock, instead of removing it after cooling. But that’s just my preference.
Thanks for the stock link! Your technique at the start of the recipe is similar to the “pestata” technique I used this week to start a Lydia Bastianich meatballs recipe (chopped carrot, onion, and celery in a food processor, then mixed in the meat).
It’s January, so Happy National Soup Month!
Yay!!
I want the vegetarian (or seafood) version of this RIGHT NOW!!!! I think it would cure my cedar allergies. Will you bring me some?
Ooh, seafood version?! You’ve got my brain ticking. Hope your allergies are better!
Hey! I’m a guy and I loves me some Tortilla Soup. Wait… does that say something about me? I swear I’m not old! This looks really great, gonna try it.
Hey John! I should have said “chicks and old people and AWESOME people”. Excuse me!
Hope you try it!
Well, I can certainly personally verify the old demographic’s love of chicken tortilla soup. I love your idea of adding vegetables and can’t wait to try this recipe. Also, poaching the chicken in the broth is genius!
Lately, I’ve started making stock again. For quite a while, I felt like it was more trouble than it was worth. Anything that essentially chained me to home for several hours got to be intolerable. Thanks to Chow.com, I found a technique that suits me. Bring the stock to a simmer on the stovetop, skim off the scum and then put the stock pot into the oven at 200 degrees for 8 to 12 hours. Besides be convenient (in that you can start it in the evening and forget about it until you get up the next morning), it results in a very rich stock with very, very little loss from evaporation. I also save time by not putting anything in it except the bones and water. I add herbs and seasoning when I use the stock according to whatever’s appropriate for the dish. It takes less active time on my part to make the stock than it does to go shopping for the chicken backs and feet.
Oh man, I love the oven idea. Kind of like a crock pot.
I’m with you on just doing bones and water, too. The couple times I’ve gotten “creative” with flavoring my stock, it’s ended up interfering with whatever other spices I want to use later.