Inside: Find out how to make the most delicious chicken tortilla soup you will try. It is easy and a hit with crowds that are large and small.
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One of my mom’s favorite foods is definitely soup, and she is always happy to make some every time that she comes to visit us. In the central part of Mexico, chicken tortilla soup is very popular. That is especially true when served with recently fried tortilla strips.
What are some Chicken Tortilla Soup varieties?
There are a few different popular tortilla soup variations. For example, you can add beans and it becomes “Tarasca” soup, or if you omit the chicken it is called “Azteca” soup.
Today, however, I am going to share my recipe for the traditional Chicken Tortilla Soup. It is perfect for cold, rainy days – but if you are like me, you will like it year-round.
How Do You Make Chicken Tortilla Soup?
Chicken Tortilla Soup is very easy to make and you can prepare it from start to finish in under thirty minutes. The secret to making this soup even better is making sure that the tortilla strips are still perfectly crunchy when it is time to serve the soup.
You can achieve this by frying to tortilla strips right at the end and adding them to the bottom of the bowl right before pouring in the soup.
Although there are different ways to make this soup, almost every version starts with a similar base of fresh ingredients and that is why it is one of my favorite recipes!
You start out by roasting the tomatoes on a hot stove, along with the onion and cloves of garlic. Next, you blend it together with ancho chilies and chicken stock.
I always get excited when I see tortilla soup on a menu at restaurants here in the United States. Unfortunately, I haven’t found any that have that authentic Mexican taste, which is why I usually end up making my own version at home. 
The last step after making the soup is to fry the tortilla strips and add all of the toppings. I am positive that you will love this version and I hope that you will try it soon!
Check Out These Other Great Authentic Mexican Dishes
- Authentic Mexican Birria Recipe (3 Methods)
- Mexican Pozole Recipe
- Authentic Tacos de Canasta Recipe (Mexican Basket Tacos)
- Authentic Mole De Olla Recipe (Mexican Beef Soup)
- Barbacoa Tacos
Authentic Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 4 Roma Tomatoes roasted
- 2 Cloves of Garlic roasted
- 1/4 Onion roasted
- 1 Large Ancho Chili boiled and de-seeded.
- 5 Cups of Chicken Stock
- Cilantro
- Salt and Pepper
Garnishments
- Avocado cubed
- 1-2 Chicken Breast depending on how much chicken you want in the soup
- Freshly fried tortilla strips
- Lime
- Queso Fresco or other type of cheese
- Crema Table cream
Instructions
- Boil the chicken, then shred it and set aside the water to use as the chicken stock (you can use canned chicken stock if you prefer).
- Blend together the roasted tomatoes, garlic cloves, onion and ancho chili.
- Add the above mixture to the chicken stock with a small amount of olive oil and bring to a boil.
- Let simmer for 25 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, fry the tortilla strips and set aside.
- Add the tortilla strips and the shredded chicken to the bowl and then add the soup.
- Garnish with the avocado, crema, cheese, chopped cilantro, and lime.
Barb
Saturday 17th of December 2022
Roast. Does this mean in oven under broiler; or in pan on stove, Broiled or high temp in oven?
Kelsey
Sunday 8th of May 2022
Absolutely adore this recipe!! Loved it so much I made a triple batch because one was just not enough for my husband and I. For the second round I tossed the ancho chiles right in with the chicken to add that nice color and flavor. I also tossed a couple bay leaves and some black peppercorns and salt. This worked really nice to add some extra flavor in the stock as I found it a tad bland with the first batch.
Heather
Sunday 20th of February 2022
What a fantastic recipe! Do yourself a favor and make a double batch. It’s that good! It’s a lot of prep but it’s well worth it.
Kassey Montanez
Thursday 10th of February 2022
If I had beans and corn when would I add it in?
Sylvia
Saturday 29th of January 2022
We have an new authentic Mexican restaurant near our place in Halfmoon Bay Canada. I was craving their tortilla soup! I tried yours today. Yum! I didn’t have a hot pepper, but added 2 orange peppers and then some pickled jalapeños (sorry it’s what I had) and it is fabulous, spicy but not too hot. Thank you.