So…apparently I like soup now.
After my orzo soup recipe this girl got hooked. Gone are the days where I complained about chicken noodle soup and squished my nose at the idea of anything with a liquid base. I am officially on the soup train you guys, and have a lot of catching up to do.
A few weeks ago I went wine tasting in Paso Robles with my best friends, well technically my best friend and her boyfriend but we are practically thick as thieves at this point. Anywho, it’s hard to just call her my best friend because we practically grew up together and her grandparents took us on our first Europe experience when we were barely 16. That trip holds so many special memories in my heart and is where I first fell into a deep mad love for fresh, authentic, delicious food.
Long story short, her grandparents are my family. I love them dearly but something I love most is Kathleen’s (grandma) home style cooking. She is the spitting image of what you would picture a grandma to be like. Always cooking, always feeding and always looking for ways to spoil her grandkids.
So, it was only natural my heart completely sunk into nostalgia after one bite of her homemade tortilla soup. Yes this was post wine-tasting-munchies but that’s beside the point. I swear grandmas have a way of making any meal taste a zillion times better. It’s got to be the years of love they have stored in them, ready to burst into the flavors of their homemade meals.
This is probably why I only truly love my own grandmas famous carne asada and toasted turkey sandwiches. Seriously, no one makes it better, and no one ever will.
After raving over this tortilla soup recipe, she emailed it to me the next morning and my food-obsessed mind got busy to work. I couldn’t help but make A LOT of tweaks to her recipe, but only with the best intentions. I added beans, diced veggies, fresh chipotle sauce, cheese and baked the tortilla strips with an olive-oil lime marinade (versus frying them).
There were a few things I left out, but a few things I added as well to make this little bowl of comfort unique, and let her recipe be her recipe.
Overall, this is super easy, especially if you buy a roasted chicken already made. Whole Foods has great options for this, with good quality roasted chickens made fresh daily. This is great to prep on a Sunday and have throughout the week for us busy peeps. You can also easily make this vegetarian by leaving out the chicken altogether and adding in more beans.
Coming from a Mexican background, tortilla soup feels extra special to me. In fact, I would love nothing more than to make this for my Mexican grandma. The best way to show appreciation is through home cooked food with lots of lovin. That’s my logic anyways.
Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Crispy Baked Tortilla Strips
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 roasted chicken* (white and dark meat, shredded)
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp each: corriander and cumin powder
- 5 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 3 Tbsp chipotle sauce from chipotle adobe
- 1 15 oz can chopped fire roasted tomatoes** (must be fire roasted)
- 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
- Juice from 1 small lime
Tortilla Strips
- 10 corn tortillas, cut into small strips
- Olive oil cooking spray (or a drizzle of regular olive oil)
- Squeeze of lime juice (from fresh lime)
- Sea salt to taste
Toppings
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Cheese of choice
- Hot sauce
- Shredded cabbage
Optional Additions/Substitions
- Chopped carrots and celery (See Notes)
- Pinto beans instead of shredded chicken to make vegetarian/vegan
- Vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to make vegetarian/vegan
Instructions
For the Tortilla Strips
- Set oven to broil and line a baking tray with slipmat or grease. Cut tortillas into thin strips and toss in a bowl with lime juice and sea salt. If you do not have olive oil cooking spray you can drizzle a little olive oil with the strips as well and coat them evenly. Spread onto baking tray, making sure they are evenly spread out. Spray with cooking spray then bake in the oven for 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the strips to cool in the oven while you make your soup.
For the Soup
- Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic, sea salt and spices. If you wish to add in chopped carrots and celery to your soup, add that in as well. Sautee for 5 minutes then stir in the tomato paste and chipotle sauce.
- Then add the chicken stock, fire roasted tomatoes and black beans. Bring to a boil then allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in your shredded chicken and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, cilantro and a handful of tortilla strips. Remove from heat, serve into bowls and garnish with crispy tortilla strips.
Notes
Serves 6-8
*You must use a roasted chicken for this recipe. You can either make your own or buy a premade one from your local markey. I got mine at Whole Foods for a good price and they offer fresh, good quality chickens.
**You must use fire roasted tomatoes. Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods both have good options.
To make vegetarian see the adaptations listed in the ingredient list.