This Chicken Tortilla soup is amazing! I love it, my whole family loves it and everyone we’ve fed it to loves it. Here’s the most important part, I can say that my Mexican mother who is an amazing cook, loves it.
The last time I made this soup my 5 year old who is a fickle eater, decided that today was the day he didn’t like avocados. As always he scrutinizes each bite so there is no hiding anything. He said, “mommy what is this green thing?” I responded “just cilantro.” Then I realized that he was talking about the avocado. I didn’t correct myself and he ate the whole thing. Oh, the things we tell as parents to get our kids to eat our food. What have you told to get your child to eat?
Okay, now back to my soup, this little bowl contains all the goodness of my country. One of the key steps in making Mexican salsa or other recipes that call for tomatoes, is roasting them. I can totally tell if the tomatoes have been roasted when tasting salsa, I know I am so talented (he, he, he). It makes all of the difference in the taste, though.
When I make this soup my kitchen is filled with memories of my childhood. The aroma whisks me away to my mom’s kitchen. She’s wearing her plain red apron flipping the tomatoes, chiles, and bell peppers so diligently making sure they don’t burn.
If there was such a thing as scratch and sniff on your screen, I would totally send you the aromas in my kitchen right now.
Amazing Chicken Tortilla Soup
-created and made in my cocina (kitchen)
Ingredients:
- 1 can of corn drained
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 1 can of hominy drained (optional)
- 1 can of black beans, drained
- 1/4cp of cilantro chopped
- 3 tbl corn meal
- 3cps of cubed cooked chicken
or 2cps of shredded rotisserie chicken recipe here for crockpot rotisserie chicken.
- 4 cps of chicken broth
- 1 whole onion + 1/2 small onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2-3 medium sized whole tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves
Spices:
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 4 tsp cumin (you can use less but we don’t mess around when it comes to cumin)
- Salt to taste
If you want a kick to it add 2 tsp of Chipotle seasoning.
Toppings: ( use all of them or just some, but definitely don’t leave out the chips and lime)
- tortilla chips, avocado, Monterrey Jack cheese, green onions, cilantro, lime, sour cream
Directions
Fire Roasted: (this step makes all the difference in the flavor)
1. To make the fire-roasted tomato puree place whole tomatoes, whole garlic cloves, onions, and red bell over the fire on a comal/griddle or roasted in the oven.
2. Flip until all sides are roasted, brownish. Some people peel off the brown, I don’t.
2. Puree just until it’s a little bit chunky. You may need to add a little bit of water if using a blender.
Soup:
1. In a pot heat olive oil and add, 1/2 small onion diced, 1 minced garlic clove and stir in spices chili powder, oregano, cumin.
2. Add chicken broth, can of tomatoes, corn, tomato puree, hominy, cornmeal, beans, cilantro and chicken. Simmer for 20min.
3. Top each bowl with tortilla chips ( a must), avocado slices, cheese, cilantro and green onions. Squeeze a lime over it.
Don’t skip the roasting, I promise you won’t regret it! If you are a vegetarian you can still enjoy the goodness and just leave out the meat.
