Chicken Tortilla Soup

5 from 2 votes

This delicious and piquant Mexican soup is actually quite easy to make. Baking the chicken skin separately as the soup cooks yields a nice, crispy tortilla substitute. Top with your favorite garnishes such as fresh cilantro, sour cream, avocado, and cheese.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Latin American, Mexican

Keyword Chicken, dairy-free, dinner, egg-free, Latin American, lunch, main, mexican, nut-free, soup

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 313kcal

Author Jenny Ross

Ingredients

Chicken Soup

1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 onion chopped fine
2 jalapeño chiles stemmed, seeded, and minced, or two tablespoons pickled jalapeños
6 garlic cloves minced
14.5 ounce can tomatoes crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon canned chipotle in adobo sauce minced
1 1/4 teaspoons cumin
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon oregano dried
6 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds bone in skin on chicken thighs, skin removed and reserved

For Serving

1 avocado diced
6 tablespoons Monterey Jack cheese omit for dairy-free
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
6 tablespoons sour cream or coconut cream with lemon juice, to taste
1 lime quartered

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Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and jalapeño and cook for about 10 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one more minute. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, chipotle in adobo, cumin, bay leaf, and oregano. Cook, for 5 minutes and then add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add the chicken breasts and cook until they are cooked through, 20-30 minutes.
While the chicken cooks, prepare the “tortilla” chicken skin chips. Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Dry the skins well and then spread them flat onto the prepared baking sheet. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Set onto paper towels to remove excess fat. Break into bite size pieces
Use tongs to remove the chicken and set in a bowl. Using two forks, shred the breast, discarding the bones.
Blend half of the soup if you prefer a bit of body to it, otherwise you can leave it as is. Return the shredded chicken and stir until evenly combined. Serve with chicken chips, cheese, cilantro, sour cream, and lime.

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