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Chicken Tortilla Soup: A Quick, Flavor-Packed Comfort Bowl
There’s something incredibly satisfying about a bowl of chicken tortilla soup. It’s warm, hearty, and packed with layers of flavor and texture. And the best part? With a little shortcut—using rotisserie chicken—you can have it on the table in less than an hour.
What makes this soup so special is the depth of flavor developed in such a short time. The smokiness comes naturally from charbroiling the onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers before blending them into the broth. This extra step makes all the difference, giving the soup a rich, slightly smoky base without needing hours of simmering.
The texture is another standout. Sweet corn adds pops of sweetness, while using rotisserie chicken not only cuts down the cooking time but also ensures tender, well-seasoned bites throughout the soup.
But what really makes chicken tortilla soup fun is the toppings. It’s one of those meals that lets everyone customize their bowl exactly how they like it. Crispy tortilla strips bring crunch, guacamole and Mexican crema add richness, a sprinkle of cheese melts beautifully into the broth, and for those who love extra chicken, there’s always room for more.
In under an hour, you have a soup that’s deeply flavorful, incredibly satisfying, and endlessly customizable. Whether it’s for a cozy night in or a gathering with friends and family, this dish always delivers. And with so many topping possibilities? No two bowls are ever the same.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 3 Mexican dried chilis, boil in 1 cup water for 5 minutes, then rough chop and set aside, keep the water
- 4 Roma tomatoes, charbroiled, gently remove as much black skin as possible, rough chop 3 of the tomatoes and put the 4th tomato aside, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, charbroiled, then gently remove as much black skin as possible, remove seeds then rough chop
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, charbroiled, then gently remove as much black skin as possible, remove seeds then rough chop
- ½ onion, charbroiled, rough chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
- 32 oz + 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 ears of corn, cut and remove kernels
- 2 Tbsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 2 chicken breasts, roasted, shredded
Optional garnish:
- corn tortillas, cut into strips and deep fry
- squeeze of lime
- cilantro
- Mexican crema
- guacamole or sliced avocado
- shredded Mexican cheese, or shredded panela queso or shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a pot, add 3 Mexican dried chilis to a cup of water and boil for 5 minutes. Set aside and keep the water.
- Charbroil tomatoes, bell peppers and onion.
- In an electric mixer or blender, add the boiled Mexican dried chilis, water that it was boiled in, the charbroiled tomatoes, bell peppers and onion, plus the garlic cloves and puree.
- In a pot, on medium high heat, add cooking oil and fry the pureed mix for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the rest of the ingredients.
- Then cook it for 30 minutes on medium to medium high heat to reduce the soup.
- When done, ladle soup into a soup bowl and serve with preferred garnish!
Nutrition
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