Best Chicken Tortilla Soup (Printer-Friendly)

Mexican-inspired soup with tender chicken, fire-roasted tomatoes, corn, and lime, topped with crispy tortilla strips.

# What You'll Need:

→ Poultry

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 14 oz)

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
05 - 1 cup frozen or canned corn, drained
06 - 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
07 - 1 lime, juiced
08 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

→ Canned Goods

09 - 1 can (14 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
10 - 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

→ Seasonings

11 - 1 bay leaf
12 - 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
13 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
14 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
15 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
16 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Tortilla Strips

17 - 4 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
18 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Optional Toppings

19 - Sliced avocado
20 - Shredded cheese
21 - Sour cream
22 - Extra lime wedges

# How to Prepare:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss corn tortilla strips with 1 tablespoon olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp. Set aside.
02 - Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, red bell pepper, and jalapeño. Sauté for 4-5 minutes until vegetables soften.
03 - Add minced garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Stir in chili powder, dried oregano, ground cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 30 seconds to enhance flavors.
05 - Add chicken breasts, fire-roasted tomatoes with juice, corn, bay leaf, and chicken broth to the pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
06 - Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
07 - Remove chicken breasts from the pot and shred using two forks. Return shredded chicken to the soup.
08 - Add lime juice and chopped cilantro to the pot. Remove bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
09 - Ladle soup into bowls and top with crispy tortilla strips and desired optional toppings.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour but tastes like you spent all afternoon on it.
  • The tortilla strips stay crispy if you time it right, and that crunch is genuinely addictive.
  • One pot, easy cleanup, and it reheats beautifully for lunch the next day.
02 -
  • Don't skip shredding the chicken back into the pot because the texture matters, and the little pieces absorb the broth beautifully.
  • The tortilla strips will get soggy if you add them too early, so keep them separate and add them at the table, or your guests can add their own.
03 -
  • If you need to make this faster, use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and shred it instead, cutting your simmering time to just 10 minutes.
  • Make this in a batch on Sunday and portion it into containers without the toppings, then add the tortilla strips and cilantro fresh when you reheat it.
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