This Mexican chicken tortilla soup has the perfect blend of spices and ingredients it will become your next favorite soup.
It’s officially soup season and I love having a good filling soup on those cold days. This Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup is literally one of my favorites. A broth based soup filled with chicken and spices it couldn’t get better.
Why this recipe works
- It is a pretty easy recipe to make. You can make it in one pot to make it even easier.
- Make it as a meal or as a side to some other great Mexican food such as these Chipotle Corn and Black Bean Quesadillas
- This is freezer friendly. Just let it completely cool and then store in a freezer bag and freeze. Just leave out the avocados and tortillas strips.
Ingredients for Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chicken– of course! I love using shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken, but have also cooked a couple large chicken breast and shred them for this recipe.
- Corn Tortillas– you need about 6 or 7 for this recipe
- Chicken Broth– Your soup base
- Onions and Garlic– using fresh chopped onions and garlic for this recipe really boost the flavor
- Spices– coriander, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and salt you will all need for this recipe
- Limes– fresh lime juice is best, but bottled lime juice works as well
- Butter– for sauteing the onions and garlic
- Fresh Cilantro– to top of the soup right at the end
- Avocado– this is optional but I think it is mandatory for this recipe
Preparing the Tortilla Strips
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take 6 or so corn tortillas and lay them on a cutting board (Photo 1) and cut into thin strips (Photo 2) and cut in half to be more bite sized (Photo 3)
Get a baking dish a spray with cooking oil (Photo 4) Lay out the tortilla strips on the baking dish in an even layer (Photo 5) and then spray them with cooking oil (Photo 6) and cook (Photo 7) for about 12 minutes until golden brown.
Sauteing the Onions and Garlic
Take a pan and put it over medium/high heat and add your butter to the pan (Photo 8) Once the butter is melted add your chopped onions (Photo 9) and fresh minced garlic (Photo 10) to the pan.
Stir the onions and garlic around (Photo 11) for about 10 minutes until the onions have a translucent golden color (Photo 12) and set the pan aside.
Preparing the Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup
Take a large pot and set it to high heat and add the chicken broth to it (Photo 13). Add the cumin (Photo 14), coriander (Photo 15), paprika (Photo 16), cayenne pepper (Photo 17), salt (Photo 18), and chili powder (Photo 19) to the pot.
Take your limes (Photo 20) and squeeze the juice out into the pot (Photo 21) Next add your shredded chicken (Photo 22) and then your sauteed onions and garlic (Photo 23) to the pot.
Stir everything together (Photo 24) and bring to boil and reduce heat to a shimmer for about 20 minutes. Right before finish cooking take the chopped cilantro and add it to the pot (Photo 25) and stir for a minute (Photo 26) and then serve (Photo 27)
Top with your tortilla strips and avocado or cheese if you prefer.
Tips and Tricks
- I prefer to use shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken but you can cook 3 chicken breasts in the oven and then shred those to go in the soup.
- If you are worried about the sodium get the reduce sodium chicken broth and the added salt should still make this recipe taste great.
- You can actually use the same pot to saute the onions and garlic that you use for the soup if you rather make as least mess as possible.
- I used 3 limes for this recipe, but they were baby limes. If you’re not the biggest lime fan start by adding the juice of one and you can always add more later.
- You don’t necessarily have to make your own tortillas strips. Grocery stores sale tortilla strips already premade in the salad dressing aisle if you want to make life a little easier.
- If you do make your own tortilla strips, whatever tortillas you don’t use you can freeze for later use. Just put a piece of parchment paper in between each tortilla so they don’t stick together. Then put in a freezer bag and stick in the freezer for later.
- If you want to make this meal even more filling add some black beans and corn to it.
Want More Soup Recipes?
Ham and Bean Soup
Tom Kha Gai
Chicken Noodle Soup
Spicy Asian Chicken Noddle Soup
Or wanting more Mexican recipes check out my Cinco de Mayo section!
Did you make this recipe? Then give a star rating below and tag your picture on Instagram with #glitterandgraze
Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded chicken 3 large chicken breasts
- 10 cups chicken broth
- 1 cups chopped onions
- 6 corn tortillas
- 2 TSP minced garlic
- 2 Limes
- 1 TBSP butter
- 2 TSP coriander powder
- 2 TSP cumin
- 2 TSP paprika
- 1/2 TSP cayenne
- 2 TSP salt
- 1 TSP chili powder
- 1/2 cup cilantro (packed)
Garnish
- 1 avocado
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Cut tortilla into small strips spray with cooking oil and lay on a baking sheet and cook for approximately 12 minutes or until crispy, flipping half way through cook time
- Take butter and melt over medium/high heat in a pan and add onions and minced garlic and cook for 10 minutes until soft
- Add chicken broth, chicken, cooked onions and garlic, lime juice and all spices in a big pot and shimmer for 20 minutes
- Right before done cooking add cilantro and stir or one minute and serve with tortilla strips and avocado if desired
Notes
- I prefer to use shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken but you can cook 3 chicken breasts in the oven and then shred those to go in the soup.
- If you are worried about the sodium get the reduce sodium chicken broth and the added salt should still make this recipe taste great.
- You can actually use the same pot to saute the onions and garlic that you use for the soup if you rather make as least mess as possible.
- I used 3 limes for this recipe, but they were baby limes. If you’re not the biggest lime fan start by adding the juice of one and you can always add more later.
- You don’t necessarily have to make your own tortillas strips. Grocery stores sale tortilla strips already premade in the salad dressing aisle if you want to make life a little easier.
- If you do make your own tortilla strips, whatever tortillas you don’t use you can freeze for later use. Just put a piece of parchment paper in between each tortilla so they don’t stick together. Then put in a freezer bag and stick in the freezer for later.
- If you want to make this meal even more filling add some black beans and corn to it.
Nutrition
Update Notes; This recipe was originally posted in October of 2016, but was republished with new photos, cooking tips, recipe tweeks, and step by step picture instructions in November 2019
Looks yummy.Think I’ll make this tonight.
It is. And if you don’t want to make the tortilla strips just crush up some tortilla chips instead. I sometimes do that as well.