I grew up in a household where soups were part of the menu every other day. I love soups and for me it always remains an essential part of my cooking and meal choices. Warm soup is such a comfort food and personally I can enjoy one any time of the year.
Chicken soups are my top choice and I got hooked on chicken tortilla soup ever since I tried at a restaurant. Have been experimenting with different recipes but this simple one is my favorite. I like easy, stress-free meals with less instructions and the ones that you almost put everything at the same time. I am not a chef so I avoid complicated cooking. If you are like me this one is for you. It is the easiest chicken soup ever , literally it can be done for less than 40 minutes from start to serving. But that doesn’t mean it is lacking on flavor.
Most of the soups I cook are from scratch but for this particular one I tend to always use roasted / grilled chicken. It really cuts the cooking time to a minimum and gives a very nice flavor . I have a local store next to me that grills this Mexican style green chili chicken once or twice a week. If I am lucky enough to stop by on a day that they make it I always make sure to grab one. But any store bought grilled chicken will work too.
Or if you feel a bit extra you can always grill or bake your own chicken but because I am all about the quick meals I prefer using the ready stuff.
And since I am cutting a corner with the chicken I like to make my own tortilla strips. Sounds fancy, but it is a breeze and the taste of them is so good. But I won’t lie, sometimes I just use tortilla chips and it is as delicious .
WHAT YOU NEED
2 cups roasted / grilled chicken , shredded
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 medium carrot, chopped
4 stalks of celery , chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapeño peppers, sliced
1 box chicken stock
1/2 cup tomato sauce
Cilantro
1 Lime
1 Avocado cut into cubes (and a second one if you are okay to eat leftovers)
4 tortillas
Optional: Sour cream and/or Cheese
Spices
1 tspn black pepper
1 tblspn chili powder
2 tspns cumin
2 tspns salt
1/4 tspn cayenne pepper
1 tspn paprika
2 tblspn oil/ for high heat I use sunflower oil
WHAT TO DO
For the tortilla strips
It is your choice to use corn or flour tortilla. I like both but I know a lot of people prefer one and really dislike the other.
1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Cut tortilla into strips & drizzle with oil, salt & cumin
3. Put over pan lined with baking sheet
4. Toast for 5-7 minutes
For the soup
- In a large pot add the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sautee for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes
- Add the carrot and celery and cook for 2-3 minutes
- Add the chicken broth, tomato sauce, chicken, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper
- Boil for 10-15 minutes
- Turn the heat off and add cilantro
You can adjust the seasoning to your taste, more or less salt, and especially the cayenne pepper if you do not really like spicy.
Pour the soup into a bowl. Add avocado, sliced jalapeños, tortilla strips, garnish with cilantro and lime. You can add sour cream and cheese at this point if you would like to. I personally skip those.
Ivelina Angel 