Shredded Chicken Tortilla Soup

Nothing quite beats homemade soup. As we ease into the fall months and the days start getting shorter, chicken tortilla soup is one of those recipes that’s simultaneously filling as it’s reminiscent of summer passing with fire roasted tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, limes, and avocados. This recipe calls for shredded chicken, so make sure to pre-cook and shred chicken or buy as a rotisserie to have it on hand. If you’d like my super easy crock pot shredded chicken recipe, see here!

What do I serve it with?

Chicken tortilla soup can be served with a variety of toppings depending on preference, such as cilantro, shredded cheese, or sour cream. The most common topping for chicken tortilla soup is definitely the tortilla strips. I love the multi-colored ones, but there are a variety of these available at your local grocery store.

Start by gathering the ingredients, particularly the vegetables and seasonings. This recipe calls for a fair amount of chipotle powder and cumin, which is both delicious and provides a bit of a kick. If you prefer your soup on the milder side, you can reduce the amount of these provided, but I would personally keep it as is. Finely chop the bell pepper, jalapenos, onion, and mince the garlic. In the image above, I doubled the recipe to freeze leftovers.

Heat the bottom of a cooking pot with oil on medium-high heat, and throw in chopped vegetables and garlic. Stir for two minutes, then add in the spices and continue to stir for another minute. This allows the seasonings to fully incorporate their flavors into the vegetables.

Place the tomato paste, corn, and fire roasted tomatoes to the cooking pot. Once the tomato mixture is thoroughly combined, add in the cooked shredded chicken, chicken bouillon, water, and salt. Once the mixture reaches a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for an additional 20 minutes. I personally love chicken bouillon cubes or powdered bouillon that you can purchase from the grocery for it’s economical value, but you can always use chicken broth or stock to substitute this. If you choose to use chicken stock, use four cups of stock and an additional two cups of water.

After simmering the soup for twenty minutes, squeeze lime juice into the soup mixture and serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, sliced avocados, and/or tortilla chips. Cheddar or mexican-blend shredded cheese from your local grocery store work best with this recipe. If you have leftovers or wish to meal prep for the freezer, chill the soup in the fridge before moving to freezer-safe containers. This soup keeps in the freezer for up to three months.

Shredded Chicken Tortilla Soup

Course: SoupsCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 onion diced

• 1 green bell pepper large, diced

• 2 tsp. minced garlic

• 1 Tbsp. cumin

• 1 Tbsp. paprika smoked paprika recommended!

• 2 tsp. chipotle pepper powder

• 1 tsp. chili powder

• 2 tsp. garlic powder

• 2 tsp. onion powder

• 6 oz. can tomato paste

• 1 1/4 cups canned or frozen corn

• 14 1/2 ounces fire roasted tomatoes

• 1 Lb Shredded chicken

• 4 chicken bouillon cubes

• 6 cups water

• 2 tsp lime juice

• salt to taste

• Toppings:

• avocado

• sour cream

• shredded cheese

• tortilla strips

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

• Finely chop onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Heat pot with oil and cook chopped vegetables for 2 minutes.,
• Add cumin, paprika, chipotle powder, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder to pot and cook another minute.
• Add in tomato paste, corn, and fire roasted tomatoes and stir until incorporated.
• Add shredded chicken, chicken bouillion, water and salt and bring to a boil, then reduce a simmer for 20 minutes mostly covered. Stir in lime juice and top with shredded cheese, tortilla strips, sour cream and cilantro to taste.

Notes

• Have leftovers or want to meal prep? Cover and cool in the fridge, then transfer soup to a freezer-safe container or freezer bags and freeze for up to three months. This recipe can easily be doubled to store servings for later.
• Have pre-cooked shredded chicken ready beforehand to reduce your prep time. See the link here for an amazing shredded chicken recipe!

Shredded Chicken Recipes:

• Hawaiian Chicken Salad Sandwiches
• Simple Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
• Spicy Chicken and Egg Bok Choy Ramen

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