Chicken Tortilla Soup

This extremely comforting soup has been a favorite in our house for many, many years.

The chicken, ancho chiles, and avocado, mixed with the crispy corn tortillas, and the deep flavors of the homemade chicken broth come together to make the most satisfyingly delicious soup. So good!

How To Make Chicken Tortilla Soup

This soup is really not difficult to prepare at all, and much of it can be made in advance.

It can also easily be adapted to your own tastes.

The most important element isn’t tortillas, although it wouldn’t be tortilla soup without them. The real key to making the best chicken tortilla soup recipe is quality chicken broth. More on that later.

Now, as mentioned, there are several components to this soup that can be made in advance.

The tortilla strips add such a wonderful taste and texture to the soup and can be made up to several days in advance.

EXPERT TIP: Frying up the strips is really easy. Simply get yellow or white corn tortillas and use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the strips. Drop them into hot vegetable oil (350°F) until golden and crispy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with a little salt as soon as they come out of the oil. Alternatively, you can bake them in a 350°F oven. Simply brush a little olive oil on the strips and bake them for 10 minutes, toss them around a little, and then bake for another 5 minutes, until golden.

What to Serve with Chicken Tortilla Soup

In addition to the tortilla strips, we love the addition of seared ancho chili bits to deepen the flavor.

Ancho chiles are dried poblanos and pack medium-low heat. They can be found in the Mexican section of many well-stocked supermarkets, Mexican food markets, or ordered online.

Other wonderful garnishes for the soup include avocado, Mexican fresco cheese, Mexican crema (or sour cream), and chopped cilantro.

To prepare the ancho chili, simply cut off the stem, cut the pepper open, lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Then heat a skillet and sear the pepper for about 30 seconds to a minute. Then, use a knife to cut them into small pieces.

Deepening the Flavor Profile

Now, it’s time to start building the basis of authentic tortilla soup.

Roasting the tomatoes concentrates the flavor and adds a depth of flavor that is just amazing.

EXPERT TIP: Do be careful when roasting the tomatoes. We find that 40 minutes softens the tomatoes just perfectly, but keep an eye on them. If your oven runs hot, it could burn the tomatoes. They should be extremely soft and just starting to brown on the edges. A baking sheet lined with foil makes clean-up easy.

White onion and fresh garlic are key ingredients, too.

We peel the onion and then quarter it.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, along with the onion pieces and whole garlic cloves, and cook until starting to brown, about 10 minutes.

Pureé the Roasted Vegetables for Velvety Texture

Carefully transfer the roasted tomatoes, seared onions, and garlic to a blender or food processor.

Pureíng the vegetables will create a smooth base for the soup that adds a depth of flavor and texture that is ideal.

EXPERT TIP: For an almost silky texture, you can strain the liquid through a fine-meshed sieve. While this does make the final soup a bit thinner and very smooth, we like a little texture in the soup, so we don’t strain the pureé, but again, it’s a matter of taste.

Transfer the pureéd vegetables back into the large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until reduced almost to a paste, about 10 minutes.

Now, it’s time to stir in the homemade chicken broth and cilantro and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

It’s almost soup time, folks!

How To Cook the Chicken

You could absolutely use the meat from a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket with no problem for the soup.

But we have a trick that really is just as easy and helps to flavor the soup even more.

EXPERT TIP: Once you start to simmer the soup, simply add in 1 or 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The 30 minutes of simmering will cook the chicken perfectly. Just use a pair of tongs to remove the chicken after 30 minutes of simmering, and then use a couple of forks to shred the chicken. Return the chicken to the soup and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes.

When To Serve Chicken Tortilla Soup

It’s the perfect start to a Mexican-themed dinner party, including:

Chili Rellenos Stuffed with Mexican Queso
Perfect Mexican Rice
Black Beans
Homemade Flour Tortillas

Or, pour yourself a big bowl of the soup for the perfect go-to lunch.

There is something about homemade chicken tortilla soup that just makes you feel good.

Deeply flavorful and warming, it’s one of our favorite soups of all time.

Mmmmmm….and when it’s simmering on the stove, the smell is heavenly.

Ready to make the best soup this side of the Rio Grande? Go for it!

And when you do, be sure to take a photo, post it to Instagram, and tag @howtofeedaloon and #howtofeedaloon!

POST UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in January 2015, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe with new tips and photography, and a fabulous new video in October 2020!