How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: May 6, 2021

Chicken tortilla soup is a great way to use up leftover ingredients, but you can also make it completely from scratch. It can take a bit of preparation, but the results are well worth it. It is also quite easy to make, and makes a perfect comfort food for a gold, winter night. You can even serve it up with extra garnishes for something even more filling!

Ingredients

For the Tortilla Strips

4 corn tortillas
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil

For the Chicken

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon oil
1½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt

For the Soup

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 green or yellow bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 plum tomatoes, diced
4 cups (950 milliliters) chicken broth
1 cup (250 grams) corn kernels
¼ cup (15 grams) fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice from ½ lime
½ teaspoon salt (optional)

Garnishes (Optional)

Diced avocado
Diced red onion
Grated Monterey Jack cheese
Salsa or pico de gallo
Sour cream

Makes 6 servings

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:
Making the Tortilla Strips

1
Divide the tortillas into two stacks. Each stack will get two tortillas. This will make the tortillas faster and easier to cut.
2
Cut the tortillas into quarters, then cut the quarters into ¼-inch (0.63 centimeter) wide strips. You can do this using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife.

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3
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. You can use olive oil or vegetable oil for this; the olive oil will give the tortilla strips a little extra flavor. Once the oil starts to sizzle, you are ready for the next step.
4
Toss the tortilla strips into the saucepan, and cook them until they turn crispy, about 2 minutes. Toss and stir the strips using a rubber spatula so that they cook evenly and don't burn.
5
Turn the strips onto folded paper towels to drain. While the strips are draining, you can start preparing the rest of your soup. Don't put the saucepan away yet. You can use it to cook the soup in; this way, you don't have to dirty up another pan.

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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:
Making the Chicken

1
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
2
Brush some oil onto the chicken pieces using a basting brush. You will need about 1 tablespoon of oil total. You can use either olive oil or vegetable oil; the olive oil will give the chicken more flavor, however.
3
In a small bowl or cup, briskly mix together your spices using a fork. This will be more than enough for your chicken. You can save the rest of the spice mixture for another recipe, or use it in your soup.
4
Rub the spice mixture over the chicken. Be sure to coat both sides of the chicken evenly.
5
Cook the chicken breasts for 20 to 25 minutes. Place the chicken breasts onto a roasting pan or into a casserole dish. Bake the chicken until it is well-done. Do not undercook the chicken breasts; they should not be pink in the center.
6
Cut the baked chicken breasts into diagonal strips, then set them aside. If you'd like, you can cut the strips in half to make them shorter, or pull them apart using two forks.

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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:
Making the Soup

1
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. You can use olive oil or vegetable oil; olive oil will lend the soup extra flavor. Once the oil starts to sizzle, you are ready for the next step.
- You can use the same saucepan that you used for the tortilla strips.
2
Add the minced garlic, onion, cumin, chili powder, and bell peppers. Cook the ingredients over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion, garlic, and bell peppers soften. This will take about 2 to 3 minutes.
3
Add in the chicken, diced tomatoes, and chicken stock. If you can, try to use the reduced-sodium and sodium-free chicken stock. This will reduce the risk of your soup turning out too salty; you can always add more salt later.
4
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 7 minutes. Raise the temperature to medium-high or high heat and wait until the soup starts to boil. As soon as it does, reduce the heat to low, and let the soup simmer for 7 minutes.
5
Add in the corn, and cook for 2 minutes. You can use canned or frozen corn. If you use frozen corn, however, you might want to thaw it first; if you don't, you may have to cook your soup longer.
- If you don't like corn, you can use canned black beans instead; be sure to drain them first, however!
6
Stir in the juice from half of a lime At this point, you can give the soup a taste, and adjust the seasonings as necessary. For example, if it is not salty enough, you can add more salt. If it is too flavorful, you can add a little bit of water.
7
Pour the soup into bowls, and it garnish with the tortilla strips and cilantro. Put a sprinkle of tortilla strips into each bowl, then top it off with some chopped cilantro. Don't stir the soup; let the garnishes rest on top.
8
Serve the soup. You can also add more garnishes as well. A great idea would be to have little bowls filled with optional garnishes, and let the guests serve themselves. Here are some ideas to get you started:^{[1]
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- Diced avocado
- Diced red onion
- Grated Monterey Jack cheese
- Salsa or Pico de Gallo
- Sour cream
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