You know those old Southern ladies who think Crisco is the solution to everything? That’s what tortilla soup is in my family. It’s cold outside? Tortilla soup will warm you up. Someone’s getting sick? Tortilla soup will burn that right out of you. Don’t feel like cooking? Tortilla soup is easy. It’s also one of my mom’s favorite meals, so it’s on our regular rotation. This one is inspired by my mom’s recipe, but with some key changes.
This recipe is all about flavor, so we brown the chicken and use fire-roasted tomatoes and fire-roasted corn. It’s a simple change but it makes SUCH a difference. So does seasoning and browning the chicken. The one thing I don’t like about most tortilla soup is that the chicken is bland. Nothing’s less appetizing than hunks of pale, rubbery chicken bobbing around in my soup like Satan’s Halloween apples.
Tortilla soup is about flavors and cans, and you’ll find no shortage of either here. We start with the chicken, browning it and using the juices to build the flavor of the broth. We add some fresh ingredients, some canned ones, then just let it simmer away. Tortilla soup is also easily customizable and keeps really well.
A few notes:
- Chicken: It’s important to use chicken thigh here. Chicken breast will dry out if you brown it and then simmer it for 20 minutes.
- Taco seasoning: I use a packet for ease, but you can use 2 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning as well.
- Topping options: cheese, sour cream, avocado, more cilantro, tortilla strips or chips, lime wedges, hot sauce
- Storage: Store it tightly covered in the fridge, and it’ll keep for 2 days.
This easy tortilla soup is easy, filling, and even pretty good for you, if you’re into that—but the rest of us can fix that with a handful of cheese and a few dollops of sour cream.
easy tortilla soup
time: ~40 minutes
serves 8
ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 packet (2 tablespoons) taco seasoning, divided
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 large jalapeño, sliced (leave the seeds in if you want it hot)
2 cloves garlic
28 oz diced fire-roasted tomatoes and juices
14 oz fire-roasted corn, drained
15 oz tomato sauce
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
salt and ground pepper, to taste
directions
- Heat a nonstick pot (like a dutch oven) on high heat for 2-3 minutes and add oil. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and 2 teaspoons of taco seasoning while the oil is heating up, then add chicken to the pot and brown it, about 5 minutes per batch. Remove onto another plate. It’s fine if it’s not cooked all the way through at this point, so don’t worry about it.
- Turn the heat down to medium, then add the onion, cilantro, and jalapeño, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and stirring them in. (I’ve found that a wooden spoon works best for this.) Cook until the onions are golden and translucent, then add garlic and cook 2 minutes.
- Add the rest of the taco seasoning, the tomatoes, corn, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and chicken, and simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes.
- Serve with your toppings of choice.