Chicken Tortilla Soup
Leftover roast chicken makes this soup fast to put together. It’s a meal in a bowl. Have fun customizing your soup with the garnishes. Use leftovers from a whole chicken or chicken breasts. A market roasted chicken will work as well. Don’t let the list of ingredients concern you. A lot of it is spices, garnishes and options.
Servings: 4
Calories: 243kcal
Ingredients
Tortilla Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ medium onion 1 cup chopped
- 1 large carrot ½ cup chopped
- 1 large celery rib ½ cup chopped
- 1 small jalapeño pepper or Anaheim for mild heat
- 3 large garlic cloves chopped fine or zested
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander optional but good
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground chipotle powder optional for spicy soup
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes not drained
- 1 15-ounce can pinto beans rinsed and drained
- 5 cups chicken or turkey broth
- 9 ounces cooked shredded chicken about 2 ¾ cups
Tortilla Strips (optional)
- 8 small corn tortillas for strips, make ahead, directions below
- ½ teaspoon olive oil to make tortilla strips
- salt
More Garnishes (optional)
- 4 ounces grated Jack or Mexican cheese blend
- 1-2 limes quartered
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
- 1 large avocado sliced, diced or mashed
- 2 radishes thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno sliced
Instructions
Crispy Tortilla Strips
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Cut tortillas in half, then crosswise into thin strips. Toss with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil. Bake strips 12-15 minutes or until crisp and golden. Watch so they don’t burn. Timing depends on whether your oven is convection or not; convection is a little faster. Directly after removing from the oven, sprinkle with sea salt. They will crisp a bit more as they cool.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
- If not already done, chop the onion, carrot and celery into small pieces. Slice off the top of the jalapeno, then lengthwise into quarters. Scrap out the seeds and the inner membrane if you want to reduce the heat. Chop the pepper small.
- In a 5 quart pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and jalapeño and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. If they start to brown, turn your heat down. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add the spices, oregano, salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes to release the flavors. Add the tomatoes, beans, broth and chicken and heat through, about 10 minutes. Serve with garnishes on the side or on top.
Notes
Nutrition label is calculated without the optional garnishes.
Be careful when handling and chopping hot peppers. It protects your hands to wear disposable food handling gloves. Do not touch your eyes or face after handling chilies.
Nutrition
Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 431mg | Potassium: 477mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2813IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 3mg