Simple Chicken Tortilla Soup

Last night’s simple chicken tortilla soup was so delicious, I’m sharing the recipe below before I ramble on about it. I used Averie’s recipe as a starting point but made some changes to suit our preferences.

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Chicken Tortilla Soup at Tammy Skipper Pin

Simple Chicken Tortilla Soup

If you enjoy Tex-Mex dishes, you probably have everything on hand to make this simple chicken tortilla soup tonight. Just don't skip the avocado.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 people
Author TammySkipper.com

Ingredients

  • 1-2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp salt, adjust for taste
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 can chopped green chilies, small
  • 1 bag organic frozen corn, small
  • 1 can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 32 oz bone broth
  • juice from half a lime
  • 1 avocado, large
  • shredded cheese
  • fresh cilantro, optional for topping
  • tortilla chips, optional for topping

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil on medium high heat and saute onion and garlic for a couple of minutes. Add spices and stir again. Let this cook for 3-4 minutes, like a roux.

  2. Add the chopped, cooked chicken and stir again so it is coated with the mixture.

  3. Toss in the green chilies, frozen corn and the drained black beans. Top off with the bone broth and stir it all together.

  4. Cover and bring to a boil, then put it on to simmer for at least 30 minutes.

  5. Mine simmered for about 2 hours. I’m sure you could throw all this in a crockpot on low before you leave for the day if you need that option. Someone try it in an InstaPot or other pressure cooker and let me know how it goes.

Serving

  1. Squeeze the juice from half a lime and stir one more time. Top with diced avocado, cheese and fresh cilantro as desired. 

Essentials

Make sure to cook the onion and garlic together first to release all their goodness and then stir in all the spices. This creates a strong flavor base that just pervades the soup so each bite is delicious. The more organic ingredients, the better the flavor.

Options

Some people like sour cream. Whatever makes you happy, but the avocado is actually good for you and makes the soup creamy.

Tortilla chips probably aren’t that good for you but we had them on hand and I confess to crushing a few into my soup. They added saltiness, so consider that when salting during the cook time.

Don’t have the exact ingredients? Give it a try with what you have. You can substitute chicken broth for the bone broth, a fresh jalapeno for the diced chilies, and add tomatoes – more like the original recipe. I think the organic meat and veggies ramp up the flavor and are worth a few pennies more.

Shopping

Usually, our meat is from Butcher Box, but I have been known to supplement our chicken supply with Costco’s organic option. I also like Costco for their salt & pepper grinders, spices and organic bone broth. Ultimately, shop where it makes your life simpler and just enjoy the soup!