My oh-so-tasty and Best Chicken Tortilla Soup combines common pantry staples for an amazingly flavorful soup that comes together in under an hour! It's one of my most requested soups, a family favorite, and an incredibly easy dinner to make when I haven't planned ahead!
My Best (Ever) Chicken Tortilla Soup is one those things that you could eat all day, every day, and never get tired of it!
Best EVER Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
I am very picky about soup but this is, by far, my best chicken tortilla soup ever! There are a few canned ingredients in this version, but the more fresh ingredients you use the better the results. Absolute deliciousness!!
Fast forward a few years since originally publishing this recipe and my daughter now makes this soup on her own! I'm always so proud of her, but I'm totally loving the fact that she REALLY enjoys being in the kitchen with me!
Back to the soup. No, it's not a 30-minute soup recipe but I think the extra bit of time is what totally makes this soup! The foundation of a lot of great dishes is layering the flavors as you make the recipe.
It's kind of like building a house. Start with a strong foundation!
In this case, when you sear the chicken it leaves tiny bits of seared chicken on the bottom of your pan. This is called 'fond'. You want fond, in fact, I'm really fond of fond 🙂
Fond is what makes the base of really stellar soups and gravies. So grab your ingredients, sear some chicken and make this amazing soup. It's worth every minute of the wait!
How To Make Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Preheat a large stockpot and the first portion of olive oil ( or vegetable oil ) to medium-high temperature. Sear both sides of the chicken thighs ( or chicken breasts ) until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add the second portion of olive oil then cook the onion for about 1 minute before adding the minced garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes until turning translucent.
- Add tomatoes, jalapeno, and green onion. Stir to combine and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add corn, black beans, and the first portion of cilantro. Stir to combine.
- Then add the seasoning ( chili powder, cumin, oregano ). Stir, then add the chicken broth.
- Return the chicken thighs to the stockpot, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the soup, and shred the pieces using a couple of forks. ***Taste the soup after cooking with the chicken and add salt & pepper as needed ( to taste ).
- Add the second portion of cilantro, freshly squeezed lime, and return the shredded chicken to the soup. Stir to combine and turn the heat off of the soup while you pan-fry the tortilla strips.
- Serve the chicken tortilla soup with fried tortilla strips and optional garnish. We used cilantro and green onion reserved from cooking the soup, plus avocado and shredded cheese.
Cooking Your Tortilla Strips
- In a medium frying pan or skillet, heat the third 1 tablespoon portion of olive oil (or vegetable oil) to medium-high heat.
- Add the cut tortilla strips and brown slightly, turning frequently, about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from the frying pan once browned and getting crispy.
- Place on a paper towel-lined plate.
If you only have flour tortillas on hand or you want to make some from scratch, they'll work too. Corn tortillas are my preference and I find that they have a better consistency for using in this appetizing tortilla soup. Depending on their size, you may need to cut the tortillas into thirds or quarters if you have large tortillas.
I like to top my chicken tortilla soup with tortilla strips, cilantro, green onions, avocado, and shredded cheese. My daughter loves a small spoonful of sour cream to make her soup more of a creamy version. Garnish with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Best Chicken Tortilla Soup...ever!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon olive oil (divided - 2 tablespoon & 2, 1 tablespoon portions - or vegetable oil)
- 4 chicken thighs (boneless, skinless - or 2 chicken breasts)
- 1 small white onion (chopped)
- 2 tablespoon garlic (minced)
- 4 medium tomatoes (chopped)
- 1 jalapeno (finely diced, seeds removed)
- 1 red bell pepper (chopped)
- 3 tablespoon green chiles (finely diced, we use a portion of canned green chiles)
- 2 stalks green onion (chopped - reserve some for garnish, if desired)
- 1 10 oz bag sweet corn (frozen - canned or fresh can also be used)
- 1 15 oz can black beans (rinsed and drained)
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped, divided into 2 portions - ½ cup and 2-3 tablespoon depending on if you will use some as garnish)
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 6 cups chicken broth (1 ½ 32 oz cartons)
- 1 lime (fresh squeezed juice)
- 3 corn tortillas (cut in half, then sliced into strips)
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- shredded cheese (optional, garnish)
- avocado (optional, garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat a large stock pot and the first portion of olive oil (or vegetable oil) to medium high temperature. Sear both sides of the chicken thighs (or breasts) until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add second portion of olive oil (or vegetable oil) and cook onion for about 1 minute before adding the minced garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes until turning translucent. Add tomatoes, jalapeno, and green onion. Stir to combine and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add corn, black beans, and the first portion of cilantro. Stir to combine. Then add the seasoning (chili powder, cumin, oregano). Stir, then add the chicken broth. Return the chicken thighs to the stock pot, cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the soup, and shred the pieces using a couple of forks. *Taste the soup after cooking with the chicken and add salt & pepper as needed (to taste).
- Add the second portion of cilantro, fresh squeezed lime, and return the shredded chicken to the soup. Stir to combine and turn the heat off of the soup of while you pan fry the tortilla strips.
- Serve the chicken tortilla soup with fried tortilla strips and optional garnish. We used cilantro and green onion reserved from cooking the soup, plus avocado and shredded cheese.
Cooking Your Tortilla Strips
- In a medium frying pan or skillet, heat the third 1 tablespoon portion of olive oil (or vegetable oil) to medium high heat. Add the cut tortilla strips and brown slightly, turning frequently, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the frying pan once browned and getting crispy. Place on a paper towel lined plate.
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Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
Gloria says
Best chicken tortilla soup ever!! Thank you for a great recipe
Thank you, we think so too! Thanks for sharing your feedback!!