Chicken Tortilla Soup with Crispy Tortilla Strips

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A weeknight tortilla soup built on a smoky chile-tomato broth from pantry staples, with shredded chicken, plenty of lime, and tortilla strips you fry yourself in five minutes. Set out a toppings bar — avocado, cheese, crema, jalapeño — and a bowl of soup turns into dinner.

Ingredients

• 6 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, for frying
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced, plus 1 tbsp adobo sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 14.5-oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 3 corn tortillas, torn into pieces (to thicken)
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Colby Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
• 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• 1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco (optional)
• 2 tbsp thinly sliced radish (optional)

Instructions

1. Fry the strips first: heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high until it shimmers and a tortilla strip sizzles immediately on contact, about 350°F. Fry the 6 tortillas' worth of strips in 3 batches, stirring, for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per batch until golden and stiff. Lift out with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate and salt right away. Set aside uncovered so they stay crisp.
2. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add the onion and poblano with a pinch of salt and cook 6 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned at the edges.
3. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika. Cook 45 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant — don't let the spices scorch.
4. Stir in the minced chipotles, adobo sauce, and tomato paste. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, until the paste darkens to a deep brick red and coats the vegetables.
5. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes with their juice, the chicken broth, the 3 torn corn tortillas, and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. Scrape the bottom of the pot and bring to a simmer.
6. Nestle in the chicken, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 18 to 20 minutes, until the chicken reaches 175°F for thighs (165°F for breasts) and shreds easily.
7. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Simmer the broth uncovered for 5 more minutes — the torn tortillas will break down and lightly thicken it. For a smoother, restaurant-style broth, blend 2 cups of the soup until smooth and stir it back in.
8. Shred the chicken with two forks and return it to the pot along with the black beans and frozen corn. Simmer 5 minutes more until heated through.
9. Off the heat, stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Taste and adjust salt — it should taste bright and a little smoky; add another teaspoon of adobo sauce if you want more heat.
10. Ladle into bowls and top each with a generous handful of tortilla strips. Serve the avocado, cheese, crema, jalapeño, lime wedges, queso fresco, and radish in small bowls at the table so everyone builds their own.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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