Chicken Tortilla Soup
Equipment
- 1 Medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Diced Onion
- 6 oz Chicken Breast
- 1 clove Minced Garlic
- 1 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
- 1/4 cup Instant Rice
- 3/4 cup Diced Tomatoes
- 1 tsp Lime Juice
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Paprika
- 1 dash Cayenne Pepper Optional
Instructions
- Saute onion and chicken in hot olive oil
- Add garlic
- Remove chicken, shred it, and return it to the pot
- Add all the rest of the ingredients in order
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes
Notes
- You can use regular rice instead of instant. Start cooking the rice first in 1/2 cup of chicken broth and add to soup when it’s ready.
- Add more cayenne pepper or skip it entirely depending on your heat preference.
- You can really dress this recipe up with cheese, avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc. to make it exactly how you like it.
- Sometimes, I use a half cup of black beans for my protein instead of chicken.
This chicken tortilla soup recipe is my go to for a hot, healthy, delicious, feel good lunch. The best thing about this recipe is that I always have the ingredients on hand in my fridge and pantry. Onion, garlic, chicken, and rice. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.
The real stars here are the perfect mix of traditional Mexican spices. To be clear, I don’t actually know if these are traditional spices in Mexico. I only know that it’s what we call Mexican spices in my totally-not-Mexican family. We start with a ton of chili powder, add about half as much cumin, then half as much again paprika. Add a shake of salt and pepper and cayenne (if you’re into that sort of thing), and voila! A perfectly spiced soup!
I usually skip the cheese, but you can sprinkle a bit of shredded cheddar or colby jack on top. My preference is to dice up a quarter of an avocado to dump into my soup bowl. This soup is just full of healthy, feel good foods. I love to ruin that by eating the whole thing with a ton of tortilla chips instead of a spoon. I mean, can you even call it chicken tortilla soup if there’s no tortilla strips or chips? I’ve also eaten it with a wedge of corn bread too, which is perfect for soaking up all of those delicious juices.
The hardest part of this chicken tortilla soup recipe is waiting for it to cool down enough to eat. I inevitably burn my mouth by being impatient instead of simply waiting five minutes. The trick grandma always used to cool down soup was to add an ice cube or two to your bowl, mixing it in to melt down and cool down your soup along the way. It’s the best way to get to enjoying this chicken tortilla soup recipe as quick as possible.