Description
A vibrant and hearty Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup featuring tender shredded chicken simmered with aromatic spices, smoky chilies, sweetcorn, and black beans, topped with crispy fried tortilla strips, fresh avocado, tangy lime, and crumbled feta or queso fresco for a perfect balance of flavors and textures.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Base
- 1.2kg whole chicken
- 5 fat red chillies (4 left whole and pierced, 1 sliced for serving)
- 2 dried ancho chillies
- 1 garlic bulb, cut in half horizontally
- Bunch coriander, stalks and leaves separated
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 x 400g cans tomatoes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 320g can sweetcorn, drained
- 400g can black beans, drained
- Zest and juice of 2 limes
Toppings & Garnish
- 4 corn tortillas, quartered and cut into strips
- 2 avocados
- 200g feta or queso fresco, crumbled
- Coriander leaves
- Sliced red chili (from the 1 sliced chili)
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken stock: Place the whole chicken in a large pan with the whole red chillies, dried ancho chillies, halved garlic bulb, coriander stalks, and cinnamon stick. Cover with cold water. Heat over medium until boiling, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chicken sit in the stock for another 20 minutes to cool and absorb flavors.
- Strain and reduce broth: Remove the chicken from the pot. Strain the broth into a large jug, discarding the solids. You should have approximately 800ml of stock. Return the stock to the pan and simmer until reduced to about 600ml. Transfer back into the jug and set aside.
- Sauté onions and spices: Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in the pan. Add the chopped onions and cook for 8-10 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in ground cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika, canned tomatoes, and sugar. Mix well to combine the spices and aromatic flavors.
- Add stock and simmer: Pour the reduced chicken stock into the pan with the tomato mixture. Season well with salt and pepper. Simmer gently with the lid slightly ajar for 30 minutes to blend and concentrate flavors.
- Shred chicken and add to soup: While the soup is cooking, remove the skin from the chicken and finely shred the meat. Add the shredded chicken, drained sweetcorn, black beans, lime zest, and most of the lime juice to the soup. Cook together for 5 more minutes to warm through and marry the flavors.
- Prepare tortilla strips: Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a frying pan. Add the quartered and sliced tortilla pieces and fry until golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper to remove excess oil.
- Prepare avocado: Peel and halve the avocados, cut into small chunks, and toss with the leftover lime juice to prevent browning and add a fresh tang.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each serving with crispy tortilla strips, coriander leaves, sliced red chili, avocado chunks, and crumbled feta or queso fresco. Enjoy the rich, spicy, and fresh textures together.
Notes
- Adjust the number of whole and dried chilies to control the heat level of the soup.
- Using fresh lime juice right before serving brightens the flavors and adds acidity.
- To make the soup ahead, prepare the stock and shredded chicken, then combine just before serving.
- Frying the tortilla strips just before serving ensures maximum crispiness; alternatively, bake them for a lighter option.
- Feta can be substituted with queso fresco or cotija cheese for authentic Mexican flavor.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: Mexican chicken tortilla soup, spicy chicken soup, tortilla strips, shredded chicken soup, avocado soup topping, Mexican cuisine, hearty chicken soup
