Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup

4.84 from 12 votes

Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup

This zesty chipotle chicken tortilla soup is easy to prepare with rotisserie chicken and will be on the table in 30-minutes. Crisp tortilla strips slightly thicken the soup, giving it a unique flavor. Top each serving of this comforting chicken tortilla soup with crisp and crunchy tortilla strips, avocado chunks and Cotija cheese.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Soups and Stews

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup, mexican soup

Servings: Servings

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

For the Crisp Tortilla Strips:

12 corn tortillas 6-inch size
¼ cup vegetable oil

For the Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion chopped
5 cloves garlic finely chopped
10 cups chicken broth homemade if possible
2 cans diced tomatoes 14.5 oz
1 teaspoon table salt
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce mashed
10- oz. whole kernel corn frozen/thawed
1 can black beans 14.5 oz, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoky paprika powder
1 whole rotisserie chicken shredded

For Garnishes

1 ripe avocado cubed
½ cup crumbled Cotija cheese
3-4 green onions chopped (green parts)
Fresh cilantro sprigs
2 limes cut into wedges
½ cup crumbled Cotija cheese

Instructions

For the tortilla strips:

Stack the tortillas about 4 tortillas per stack and slice them into strips of 1/4-inch wide.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the tortilla strips in the oil until lightly browned and crisp. Transfer each batch of the tortilla strips to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.

For the Chipotle Chicken Soup:

Add the chopped onions to a large pot over medium heat, cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Pour in the broth and add the tomatoes, salt and mashed chipotle peppers, stir to blend; then bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5-minutes.
Remove 2-cups of the mixture and place in a blender or food processor with 1/3 of the fried tortilla strips. Process until smooth, then stir back into the soup mixture.
Add the corn, black beans and the seasonings. Stir in the shredded chicken and continue simmering on low for 15 minutes, stirring frequently until the chicken is heated through.
Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with tortilla strips, cilantro leaves, avocado chunks, Cotija cheese and lime wedges.

Notes

Watch the tortilla strips carefully as they fry up really fast.
There should be about 2 tablespoons of oil left in the pot to sauté the onions and garlic. If not, add a little more olive oil.
Chipotle peppers are very spicy, be cautions and add according to taste
Substitute chipotle powder if you do not have the canned adobo chipotle peppers, use 1/4 teaspoon per pepper.
Blending tortilla strips to the soup increases the tortilla flavor and thickens the soup slightly.
Rotisserie chicken shreds easily when hot/warm. If it is cold, place it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes to reheat, then shred and add to the soup pot.

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