Chicken Tortilla Soup (with Chicken Thighs)

Made with juicy chicken thighs and no veggie roasting required, this Chicken Tortilla Soup is designed to come together quickly - a delicious soup ready in just 30 minutes. You'll definitely need to pair this soup with homemade fried tortilla strips, which can be made in advance.

There are so many delicious chicken tortilla soup recipes out there. But I wanted to create one that was easy to execute and contained minimal ingredients. And was a little unique 😉. More traditional tortilla soup recipes use chicken broth, roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, chiles (pasilla is the most common, but ancho and chile de arbol are also commonly used), and epazote - and of course, tortillas cut into strips and fried.

Pushing the easy button meant a recipe that didn't require roasting and leans on the use of canned or pre-made ingredients like Rotel and chicken broth. Incorporating the use of a blender saves time on veggie prep, and a chipotle en adobo pepper effortlessly brings smoke and a little heat. It's an easy, well-balanced, and delicious soup that you're going to want to make on repeat.

This recipe was inspired by the Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe found in The Best Mexican Recipes by America's Test Kitchen. And if you'd rather bake your corn tortilla strips instead of fry them, they have an incredibly easy recipe that delivers crisp results.

What's Unique About This Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

• Uses chicken thighs - Most chicken tortilla soup recipes call for using chicken breast, but I prefer juicy thighs here.
• No roasting required - Don't get me wrong, I love developing flavors with roasted veggies. But I wanted this to be a quick and easy soup recipe, so no time-consuming roasting required. Instead, Rotel and chipotle en adobo bring roasted, smoky flavors to the resulting soup.

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Ingredients

• Peanut oil (or vegetable or canola oil) - A small amount (2 tablespoons) is needed to cook the pulverized veggies in.
• Chicken broth - I often stock up on chicken broth during winter months so I can make soup whenever. You'll need 8 cups for this recipe.
• Yellow or white onion - Choose a large onion and roughly chop it so it can be easily blended.
• Garlic cloves - All you need to do is peel them. You'll need 3-4 large cloves.
• Dried oregano (or Mexican oregano) - A teaspoon of dried oregano lends earthiness to the soup.
• Chicken thighs, boneless skinless thighs -  You'll need 1.5 pounds (or 4 large thighs) for this recipe. Feel free to add a full 2 pounds of chicken for a protein-heavy soup.
• Rotel (fire roasted) - In lieu of roasting tomatoes, opt for fire-roasted Rotel to deliver that irresistible roasty flavor without all the fuss. One 10-ounce can is all you'll need here.
• Jalapeno (seeded and pith removed) - Using one brings a pleasant heat, but add more if you're craving fire.
• Chipotle en adobo pepper - I think using a whole pepper is the right balance for this soup, but if you're heat-averse, try adding ½ of a pepper or 1 tablespoon of the sauce they come packed in.
• Garnishes - Lime wedges, tortilla strips, and whatever else may strike your fancy.

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below - keep scrolling!

Substitutions & Variations

Less spicy, more mild - Leave the jalapeno out if you'd prefer a milder soup. I recommend ditching the jalapeno first as the chipotle en adobo pepper brings heat and smoke, lending complex flavors. That and a chipotle en adobo pepper is technically a jalapeno, just one that has been smoked, dried, and canned in an adobo sauce that is tangy and tomato-based, punctuated with hints of vinegar, garlic, and spices.

Hotter than Hades - Add a second jalapeno or a second chipotle en adobo pepper to really make this soup hot, hot, hot! Or, Rotel makes a Hot variation (with habaneros), which you could use to amp up the heat.

Rotisserie chicken - A great way to hack this soup even further and cut down on cooking time is to use rotisserie chicken. Shred it until you have around 1.5 pounds of chicken and add it in towards the end of cooking time. Start with the thigh meat, but you may need to steal some of that breast meat too to get to 1.5 pounds.

Creamy - Maybe you want to mix things up and add some dairy, resulting in a creamy chicken tortilla soup situation. I recommend reaching for heavy whipping cream, sour cream, or even cream cheese. Start with small amounts, then add more until you achieve the desired creaminess. Note: Remove a cup or so of broth from the soup and let cool slightly. Add sour cream or cream cheese and whisk until combined before adding it back to the soup.

How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup - Directions

Note: If you're making these amazing homemade fried tortilla strips ahead of this recipe, go ahead and use 2 tablespoons of leftover oil.

1. Step 1: In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, add oil and turn heat to medium. Meanwhile, add onion, garlic cloves, oregano, jalapeno and chipotle en adobo pepper (or sauce) into a blender, along with a splash of chicken broth.

2. Step 2: Blend until smooth-ish, around 45 seconds. It will still be kinda chunky, like a thickish liquid.

3. Step 3: Add blender mixture to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, for around 2-3 minutes.

4. Step 4: Add Rotel to the blender and blend until smooth. Add to pot.

5. Step 5: Add remaining chicken broth to blender, then pour into pot. This helps clean up the blender and get the remaining bits of goodness out and into the soup.

6. Step 6: Bring to a simmer, then add chicken thighs. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, covered.

7. Step 7: Remove chicken thighs from soup and let cool for 5 minutes. Shred with two forks or dice into desired sized pieces.

8. Step 8: Add chicken back to soup. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Note: If it needs more heat, stir in a little more of that chipotle en adobo sauce. A little lacking in the flavor department? Add a pinch of salt, or try adding in ½ teaspoon of garlic powder or onion powder to bring more umami. And definitely finish with a squeeze of fresh lime before serving.

Top with fried tortilla strips and whatever other garnishes you might like.

Toppings and Garnish Ideas

This soup is high on the garnish-ability scale, which is a scale from 1 to 10 (where half points are allowed!). One (1) means a soup is perfect as-is, no garnishes required/a garnish would detract from the soup, and ten (10) means a soup is so basic in flavor profile that you could damn near garnish it with anything (and probably should!). This chicken tortilla soup is a solid 7, in that at a minimum it needs crispy tortilla strips - otherwise the name of the soup would be a real let-down.

• Homemade fried tortilla strips or store-purchased tortilla strips
• Cilantro or parsley
• Lime wedges
• Mexican crema or sour cream
• Cotija cheese
• Avocado
• Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• Pickled red onions
• Fresh or pickled jalapeno slices
• Sliced radishes
• Shredded cabbage

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