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This is my all-time favorite chicken tortilla soup recipe. Tender chicken thighs, corn tortillas, and the perfect blend of spices make it unbelievably good.
If you love a hearty, comforting soup, you’re going to love this. Our family has been making it for years, and it always gets rave reviews. Be sure to check out our serving suggestions. The toppings truly make chicken tortilla soup even better. I never skip a big handful of crispy homemade tortilla chips on top.
The real secret is stirring chopped corn tortillas right into the soup. They break down as the broth simmers, adding body and a rich, warm corn flavor that genuinely makes this recipe one of my favorites!
Key Ingredients
- Chicken: Skin-on chicken thighs make the best chicken tortilla soup. If you prefer skinless thighs, chicken breasts, or cooked/rotisserie chicken, I share easy adjustments below.
- Veggies: The soup starts with a flavorful mix of onion, celery, jalapeño, and garlic. Toward the end, you’ll add corn (fresh or frozen) and tomatoes for sweetness, color, and extra texture.
- Spices: I love using ancho chili powder or homemade chili powder for this soup. We also add cumin and a bay leaf.
- Corn Tortillas: These are essential for that classic tortilla soup flavor! You’ll roughly chop corn tortillas and stir them into the soup. As they simmer, they break down, adding flavor and thickening the broth slightly.
- Broth: I prefer chicken stock, especially homemade chicken stock. But feel free to use your favorite store-bought brand or even vegetable broth.
- The Extras: This soup is all about the toppings! Set out a variety of options and let everyone customize their bowls. Some of our family favorites include fresh cilantro, extra lime wedges, crumbled queso fresco or other cheeses, tortilla chips or strips, diced avocados, and a spoonful of guacamole.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Our Favorite Chicken Tortilla Soup
Tip 1: Roast the chicken. For my chicken noodle soup, I simmer the chicken right in the pot, but for this soup, I love roasting skin-on chicken thighs in the oven. Once they’re cooked, shred the meat and stir it into the soup just before serving. Since the thighs are skin-on, I take one extra step: crisp the skin in a skillet and crumble it over the bowls. It adds incredible flavor and the perfect crispy topping.
Before roasting the chicken in the oven, quickly brown the skin in the bottom of your soup pot. This adds color to the chicken, but also renders some chicken fat, which you can use for cooking the vegetables in the next step.
Tip 2: Cook the veggies in the rendered fat. While the chicken roasts, start the soup base. Because we sear the chicken thighs in the pot first, you’re left with a layer of rich, flavorful chicken fat. Use it. Add the onion, celery, jalapeño, garlic, and spices to that fat, and cook until the onion is soft and sweet. This builds a richer, more savory flavor that makes the whole soup taste better.
Tip 3: Simmer with chopped tortillas. Once the onions are soft, pour in the chicken stock and add the corn, a bay leaf, and a generous handful of chopped corn tortillas. Let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes, until the tortillas soften and break down into the broth. This is what gives this soup its signature flavor.
Tip 4: Finish the soup. Just before serving, stir in chopped tomatoes, the shredded roasted chicken, and a healthy squeeze of lime juice.
Tip 5: Serve with your favorite toppings. This soup gets better with toppings. I always crisp the chicken skin in a skillet (instructions are below), then crumble it over my soup. It’s so delicious. Then, you can have fun with more toppings. Here are some ideas:
More Soup Recipes
Seriously Good Chicken Tortilla Soup
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We love this super flavorful tortilla soup! Skin-on chicken thighs are the secret to the most delicious soup. I highly recommend them, but if you are starting with skinless chicken, I have provided tips below! I love ancho chili powder (McCormick has one in most larger stores) or homemade chili powder for this.
6 Servings
You Will Need
1 pound skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (450g)
2 teaspoons avocado oil or olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 large jalapeño, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced, about 1 tablespoon
1 ¾ teaspoons ancho chili powder, divided, try homemade chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 ½ cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
4 (6-inch) corn tortillas, roughly chopped
6 cups chicken stock (1.4L)
1 pound tomatoes, cored and finely chopped, or 1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
Juice of half a lime
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
For serving: Cilantro, lime wedges, avocado, queso fresco, crispy tortilla strips (see tips)
Directions
- Prepare the Chicken
1Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Note: If you do not have skin-on chicken, you do not need to preheat the oven. See our tips below the recipe for using skinless chicken.
2Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Then, season them on both sides with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder.
3Heat the 2 teaspoons of oil in a large pot, like a Dutch oven, over medium heat. Add the chicken thighs, skin-side down, and cook, without moving them, until the skin is golden brown, about 12 minutes.
4Wiggle the chicken thighs to release them from the pot. Place the thighs skin-side up on the prepared baking sheet. It’s okay if some skin sticks to the bottom of the pot. Scrape up the larger pieces and place them on top of the chicken thighs. Leave the smaller bits in the pot.
5Roast the chicken thighs until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a plate and allow to rest for 10 minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the skin from the chicken and shred the meat. Either discard the skin or save it as a topping for the soup.
- Make Tortilla Soup
1You can make the tortilla soup while the chicken roasts in the oven. Remove all but one tablespoon of the chicken fat left in the pot from browning the chicken thighs, then add the onions, celery, jalapeño, garlic, 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder, and 1 ½ teaspoons cumin. Cook until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes.
2Stir in the bay leaf, corn kernels, chopped tortillas, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
3Add the tomatoes and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
4Stir in the shredded chicken and the lime juice.
5If you plan to garnish the soup with crispy chicken skin, just before serving, turn the broiler to high. Then, broil the chicken skin saved from earlier until crisp, for about 1 minute. Watch it closely so that it does not burn. Cut into strips.
6Divide the soup between bowls and top with your favorite tortilla soup toppings, such as crispy chicken skin, crispy tortilla strips, extra lime, cilantro, and crumbled cheese.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Skin-on chicken thighs: Skin-on chicken adds rich flavor to the soup. First, you’ll render the fat from the skin directly in the soup pot, creating a flavorful base for cooking the onions and other vegetables. If you prefer not to use skin-on chicken, see the tip below.
- Skinless chicken thighs or breasts: You can still make a delicious soup with skinless chicken thighs or breasts, although you might lose some of the richness that the skin/rendered fat provides. Skip the searing and roasting steps and add the raw, skinless chicken directly to the soup pot at the same time as the chicken stock. After simmering for 20 minutes, the chicken will be fully cooked. Remove it from the pot, let it cool slightly, and then shred it. Finally, stir the shredded chicken back into the soup just before serving. When cooking the onions and other veggies, use a little oil in the pot.
- Using rotisserie chicken: Add 2 to 3 cups of shredded cooked chicken to the soup when you add the tomatoes.
- Quick homemade tortilla strips: You can buy them or make them yourself. Place a paper towel in the microwave, then arrange thinly sliced corn tortillas in a single layer on top. Microwave for 45 seconds, then check and continue microwaving in 20-second intervals until crisp. Watch them closely to prevent burning. You can also use our homemade tortilla chips recipe as a guide for fried chips.
- Storing: Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1 bowl (1/6 of the recipe)
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Calories
367
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Total Fat
18.4g
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Saturated Fat
4.7g
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Cholesterol
81.2mg
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Sodium
650.8mg
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Carbohydrate
29.9g
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Dietary Fiber
3.8g
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Total Sugars
9.7g
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Protein
22g
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