Chicken Tortilla Soup (with Chicken Thighs)
With this shortcut recipe, you can expect to enjoy a delicious Chicken Tortilla Soup in just 30 minutes by skipping the veggie roasting to save time. And don’t forget to serve it with homemade fried corn tortilla strips.
Servings: 12 cups
Calories: 162kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable or canola oil
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 large yellow or white onion roughly chopped
- 3-4 large garlic cloves peeled
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Mexican oregano
- 1 ½ pounds chicken thighs boneless skinless (or 4 large thighs)
- 1 10-ounce can Rotel fire roasted
- 1 jalapeno seeded and pith removed
- 1 chipotle en adobo pepper or ½ pepper or 1 tablespoon of the sauce they come in for less spice
- lime wedges optional
- tortilla strips optional
Instructions
- *Note: If you’re making these amazing homemade fried tortilla strips ahead of this recipe, go ahead and use 2 tablespoons of leftover oil.
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, bring 2 tablespoons of oil to a shimmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, add onion, garlic cloves, oregano, jalapeno and chipotle en adobo pepper (or sauce) into a blender, along with a splash of chicken broth to help move things along. Blend until smoothish, around 45 seconds. The result will be a chunky, thickish liquid mixture.2 tablespoons peanut oil, 1 large yellow or white onion, 3-4 large garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 jalapeno, 1 chipotle en adobo pepper
- Add blender mixture to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, for around 2-3 minutes.
- Add Rotel to the blender and blend until smooth. Add to pot. Add chicken broth to blender and stir, then pour into pot. This helps clean up the blender and get the remaining bits of goodness out and into the soup.1 10-ounce can Rotel, 8 cups chicken broth
- Bring to a simmer, then add chicken thighs. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, covered.1 ½ pounds chicken thighs
- Remove chicken thighs from soup and let cool for 5 minutes. Shred with two forks or dice into desired sized pieces.
- Add chicken back to soup. Taste and adjust seasonings. And definitely finish with a squeeze of fresh lime before serving.lime wedges
- Top with fried tortilla strips and whatever other garnishes you might like.tortilla strips
Notes
Use rotisserie chicken to shave off 15 minutes of cooking time, simply adding the cooked, shredded chicken to the pot near the end of the recipe.
If you prefer a thicker soup, try a cornstarch slurry, a slurry with masa harina, or finely crushed tortilla chips. Both masa harina and tortilla chips will lend a toasted corn flavor that complements the soup, whereas cornstarch imparts no flavor.
*Nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using an online nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 626mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 63IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg