This simple Hen Tortilla Soup is made in a single pot with fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, corn, and shredded rotisserie hen in a smoky Southwest broth. Each bowl will get piled with crispy home made tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Make it on the stovetop, in an Prompt Pot, or in a Gradual Cooker. Serve it with conventional pico de gallo or my avocado corn tomato salad.

I’ve an actual mushy spot for an enormous pot of hen soup. My creamy hen enchilada soup is the comfy, tacky one, my lemon hen orzo soup is the brilliant one, and my Thai hen curry soup is the one I make after I need coconut milk and lime. This hen tortilla soup is smoky, savory, and somewhat candy from the fire-roasted tomatoes and corn. There’s mild warmth from the jalapeños, an earthy taste from the poblano, and heat from cumin, paprika, chili powder, and oregano.

Inform Me Extra About This Hen Tortilla Soup

• Rotisserie hen does the heavy lifting: You wouldn’t have to poach or roast something. Purchase a rotisserie hen, pull off 2 cups of meat, and the protein is dealt with. 
• Three peppers, three jobs: Jalapeño brings the warmth, poblano brings a gentle smoky taste (the identical pepper I like in my pork chile verde), and crimson bell pepper brings sweetness to steadiness all of it out.
• I fry the tortilla strips first, then make the soup in the identical pot. The tortilla strips depart behind toasted corn taste within the oil, and the onions and peppers soak that up whenever you sauté them.
• Naturally gluten-free: Corn tortillas, corn, beans, broth, and hen. Simply verify your hen broth label, and you might be set.
• After which there are the toppings. Creamy avocado, sharp scallions, contemporary cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and a beneficiant pile of these crunchy strips. Each bowl will get to be somewhat completely different.
• Made for a crowd: This feeds 6 simply, and you’ll simply double it. Serve it for recreation day subsequent to hen taquitos and a bowl of pico de gallo!

Is Hen Tortilla Soup Good For You?

Sure, and this model greater than most. A bowl offers you lean protein from shredded hen, fiber from black beans and corn, and an actual serving of greens from the onion, garlic, jalapeño, poblano, and crimson bell pepper that make up the bottom.

I take advantage of low-sodium hen broth so I management the salt, and the soup itself has no cream, no cheese, and no thickener. I do fry the tortilla chips, however you may bake them as an alternative if you wish to lower the oil (I clarify how in the recipe card beneath), they usually’ll be simply as scrumptious! Made with corn tortillas, this soup is of course gluten-free.

What Goes In My Hen Tortilla Soup

Nothing uncommon. Most of it comes from the pantry and one journey down the produce aisle. Preserve studying for useful tips on elements and the substitutions, or leap on to my recipe card.

• Corn tortillas. I take advantage of 8 to 10 customary corn tortillas sliced into skinny strips. Mission is my favourite model because it’s mushy and works nice for frying or baking within the oven. Corn tortillas fry up crisper than flour and style extra genuine, which is identical cause I take advantage of them in my hen enchiladas and my hen taquitos. If you wish to skip frying totally, toss the strips with somewhat oil and bake at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Impartial oil. Use avocado, canola, grapeseed, or vegetable oil. Skip olive oil right here as a result of it smokes at frying temperature.
• Toasting the spices in oil. Cumin, paprika, chili powder, and oregano go into the recent pot with the greens for 1 to 2 minutes earlier than any liquid. Don’t skip this. Dry spices hitting scorching oil launch their taste. Dry spices dumped into broth principally simply sit there.
• Hen. Two cups of shredded rotisserie hen, pores and skin eliminated. Leftover roasted or grilled hen works simply as nicely. You should use 3-4 hen thighs or 2 hen breasts as an alternative. Cook dinner with the soup, take away, then shred and add again in! 
• Peppers. Jalapeño brings the warmth, poblano brings a gentle smoky taste, and crimson bell pepper brings sweetness (it’s also possible to use orange or yellow bell pepper. Use one jalapeño for gentle, two for medium. Serranos are a fantastic different for jalapeño. If you happen to can’t discover poblano, an Anaheim pepper or a second bell pepper will do.
• Fireplace-roasted diced tomatoes. Don’t substitute common canned tomatoes in the event you may also help it. The roasted taste provides loads to this soup, which is why I take advantage of them in my creamy hen enchilada soup.
• Broth. I take advantage of low-sodium hen broth so I can management the salt myself, particularly since rotisserie hen and canned beans are already seasoned.
• Corn. Canned or frozen each work; no have to thaw frozen corn first. Whether it is summer season and you’ve got contemporary ears, use them. That candy corn taste is identical factor I like in my Mexican avenue corn black bean hen bake.
• Black beans. Drain and rinse them nicely. Rinsing removes the starchy canning liquid that may cloud your broth. Pinto or kidney beans work nice, too!
• Lime on the finish. A squeeze proper earlier than consuming provides a lot taste! Belief me on this one.

Learn how to Make Hen Tortilla Soup (Step-by-Step)

Under is the overview with useful step-by-step course of images. Bounce on to my recipe card for the whole ingredient quantities and instructions.

• Fry the tortilla strips. Warmth half an inch of impartial oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high. Fry the strips 1 to 2 minutes till golden, working in batches so they do not steam one another. Drain on paper towels and salt them instantly whereas they’re nonetheless shiny.

• Cook dinner the greens. Pour off the oil, leaving 2 tablespoons within the pot. Add onion, garlic, jalapeño, poblano, and crimson bell pepper over medium warmth and cook dinner 5 to 7 minutes till softened. Take your time right here. Softened, candy greens are the flavour base of the entire soup.
• Toast the spices. Cumin, paprika, chili powder, and oregano go in for 1 to 2 minutes, simply till your kitchen smells unimaginable.

• Add all the pieces else. Hen broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, corn, black beans, and shredded hen. Season with salt and pepper.
• Gradual simmer. Convey it to a boil, then cut back and simmer gently for 10 to fifteen minutes so the flavors come collectively.
• A tip on the strips: hold them utterly separate till you are serving. Retailer them on the counter in a paper-towel-lined bowl, by no means in a sealed container, or the steam softens them.

Variations

• Make it creamy. Stir in 4 ounces of softened cream cheese or ½ cup of heavy cream on the finish, off the warmth. This turns it into one thing near my creamy hen enchilada soup.
• Use floor meat as an alternative. Brown 1 pound of floor hen, turkey, or beef with the greens. My Mexican floor beef seasoning mix works superbly right here in the event you’d relatively use that.
• Make it vegetarian. Swap in vegetable broth, skip the hen, and add a second can of black beans or a can of pinto beans. 
• Make it hearty: add in cooked rice or pasta (like orzo) to bulk it up.
• Want extra veggies? Add in zucchini, carrots, and even spinach for a nutrient-packed soup.
• Flip up the smoke. Add 1 chopped chipotle pepper in adobo plus a teaspoon of the sauce.
• Thicken it. Mix 1 cup of the soup and stir it again in, or drop a handful of tortilla strips into the pot 10 minutes earlier than serving and allow them to dissolve.
• Skip the frying. Brush tortilla strips with oil, unfold them on a sheet pan, and bake at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes, tossing as soon as. Not fairly as wealthy, however a lot much less mess.

Toppings

Garnishing the hen tortilla soup bowls is half the enjoyable. I put avocado, cilantro, scallions, sliced jalapeños, lime wedges, and the tortilla strips on the desk and let everybody costume their very own bowl. Bitter cream, shredded Monterey Jack, and crumbled cotija are all welcome too.

Serving Concepts

• Conventional Pico de Gallo for spooning on high
• Mexican corn dip as an appetizer! Make additional chips for dunking!
• Mexican Avenue Corn Sheet Pan Nachos in the event you’re feeding a crowd
• Hen Taquitos (Baked or Fried) with 3 Sauces, that are made for dunking
• Salads: For one thing contemporary alongside the hen tortilla bowls, attempt my avocado corn tomato salad with creamy cilantro-lime dressing or my Mexican avenue corn pasta salad.
• If you’re feeding a crowd and need a second primary on the desk, attempt my cilantro-lime hen tacos with peach salsa and Mexican Floor Beef.
• Planning an even bigger unfold? My roundup of 45 Greatest Mexican Recipes for Cinco de Mayo has the entire menu coated, from salsas to margaritas.

Extra Cozy Soups From My Kitchen

• Hen Tortellini Soup
• Lemon Hen Orzo Soup
• Italian Sausage Potato Soup
• Sausage White Bean Soup
• Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup

Did you make this recipe? I like listening to the way it went. Depart a star score and a remark beneath! I learn and reply to each touch upon my website! Julia.

FAQ

1. Do I’ve to fry my very own tortilla strips? No, however I like to recommend it. Eight to 10 corn tortillas lower into strips fry in 1 to 2 minutes and value lower than a bag of chips. If you happen to’re quick on time, use good thick tortilla chips and add them on the final second.
2. Can I take advantage of uncooked hen as an alternative of rotisserie? Sure. Add 1 pound of boneless skinless hen breasts or thighs complete to the broth, simmer for 15 to 18 minutes, take away them, shred with two forks, and return the meat to the pot. It provides about 10 minutes.
3. How spicy is that this soup? Gentle to medium as written, because you’re eradicating the seeds. For extra warmth, depart some jalapeño seeds in or add a second jalapeño. For a gentler bowl, skip the jalapeño totally and use simply the poblano and bell pepper. Regulate it to your loved ones; this can be a soup that takes course nicely.
4. Is hen tortilla soup gluten-free? Sure, so long as your corn tortillas and hen broth are licensed gluten-free. Corn tortillas are naturally gluten-free, and all the pieces else right here is beans, greens, hen, and spices.
5. How do I make this soup creamy? Stir in 4 ounces of softened cream cheese or half a cup of heavy cream on the finish, off the warmth, till easy. If creamy is what you might be after from the beginning, make my creamy hen enchilada soup as an alternative.
6. How do I thicken the soup? Mix one cup of the soup and stir it again in, or mash among the black beans in opposition to the aspect of the pot. Each thicken the broth with out altering the flavour.