Chicken Tortilla Soup: Authentic 40-Minute Recipe

What is chicken tortilla soup?

Chicken tortilla soup is a Mexican classic — a rustic bowl from Mexico City and the surrounding states of Tlaxcala and the Valle de México. The base is a puréed broth of fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion and dried ancho or pasilla chile, simmered with chicken until the meat is tender enough to shred. The tortilla strips aren’t a garnish — they’re structural, absorbing the broth and giving the bowl its name.

You’ll see two schools: the tomato-forward version popular in American restaurants, and the deeper, chile-forward “sopa Azteca” served in Mexican kitchens. This recipe leans traditional but stays weeknight-doable. Our chicken recipes hub has the rest of the poultry lineup.

What makes it authentic?

The version most Americans grew up with — from Chili’s, or Applebee’s, or a can — swaps the dried chile for chili powder and skips the roasting step. It’s fine as weeknight soup, but the depth of a chile-toasted base is what makes this dish worth cooking from scratch. If you want to go even deeper into regional Mexican, Rick Bayless’s tortilla soup canon is required reading.

Full ingredient list

How do you make chicken tortilla soup step by step?

Three stages: char and blend the broth base, simmer the chicken in that broth, and fry the tortilla strips while the chicken cooks. Everything comes together for bowl assembly at the end — no ingredient sits waiting.

1. Toast the chiles. Heat a dry skillet over medium. Press the stemmed, seeded chiles into the pan for 15 seconds per side until fragrant and pliable — don’t blacken. Move to a bowl and cover with 1 cup hot chicken broth. Soak 10 minutes.
2. Char the tomato base. In the same dry skillet, char the tomatoes, halved onion and garlic (skins on) over high heat, turning until blackened in spots — about 5 minutes for tomatoes, 8 for onion and garlic. Peel garlic once cool.
3. Blend the broth base. Move charred vegetables, soaked chiles and their soaking broth to a blender. Blend on high until completely smooth, 60 seconds.
4. Fry the base. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high. Pour in the blended purée (careful — it splatters) and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. This “frying the salsa” step is essential — it deepens the color and burns off any raw taste.
5. Simmer the chicken. Add the remaining 5 cups broth, cumin, oregano and salt. Bring to a boil, then nestle in the chicken thighs. Drop to a simmer and cook 15–18 minutes until chicken registers 175 °F internal per USDA FSIS.
6. Fry the tortilla strips. While chicken simmers, heat ¼ cup neutral oil in a small skillet over medium. Fry strips in 2 batches, stirring, for 2 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels, salt lightly.
7. Shred the chicken. Lift chicken to a board, let cool 5 minutes, shred with two forks. Return to the pot. Taste broth, adjust salt.
8. Assemble bowls. Place a small handful of tortilla strips in each bowl. Ladle hot soup over them. Top with avocado, cotija, crema, cilantro, jalapeño and a lime wedge. Serve immediately.

Why fry the tortilla strips fresh?

If you’re skipping the fry step to save time, at least use unsalted corn tortilla chips (never flour) and add them bowl by bowl — never dump a bag into the pot. For a lighter version, bake tortilla strips at 400 °F for 8 minutes with a spray of oil instead of pan-frying.

Watch it done from scratch

Full walkthrough on YouTube — including the fresh-fried tortilla strip technique that turns the whole bowl.

What toppings are essential?

The topping ritual is what separates a bowl of tortilla soup from any other Mexican soup. In traditional service, they arrive in small dishes and each person builds their own bowl — the temperature contrast is part of the experience.

• Avocado — creamy fat balances the broth’s heat. Dice at the last minute or it browns.
• Crispy tortilla strips — the whole point of the dish. Fresh-fried, always.
• Cotija or queso fresco — salty, crumbly cheese that doesn’t melt. Feta is a passable substitute.
• Mexican crema — thinner, more pourable than sour cream, but sour cream works.
• Lime wedge — one squeeze right before eating. Skip this and the soup tastes flat.
• Cilantro — small handful for freshness. Not garnish — flavor.
• Sliced jalapeño or radish — for heat and crunch, purely optional.

Can I make it in a slow cooker or Instant Pot?

Fry the tortilla strips right before serving in either case — you cannot skip that step and still call it tortilla soup. If you’re using rotisserie chicken, stir 3 cups of shredded meat in during the last 5 minutes and skip the raw-chicken simmer entirely.

How do I store and reheat leftovers?

Store the broth and toppings separately. The soup itself keeps beautifully; the toppings do not.

• Broth with chicken: up to 4 days at 40 °F or below per USDA leftover guidance, or 3 months frozen.
• Tortilla strips: keep in an airtight container at room temp for 3 days. Re-crisp in a 350 °F oven for 3 minutes if they soften.
• Avocado and crema: fresh only. Add day of.
• Reheating: warm broth on the stovetop until steaming, then assemble bowls fresh with new toppings.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

The broth is thin or one-dimensional

You skipped the “frying the salsa” step. Blending the base isn’t enough — pouring the purée into hot oil and cooking it for 5 minutes deepens the flavor, kills the raw tomato taste, and thickens the body. Do this step even when you’re rushed.

The soup is bitter

You burned the dried chiles when toasting. They should be pliable and fragrant after 15 seconds per side, not blackened. If yours are dark and stiff, they’re bitter — start over with fresh chiles.

The tortilla strips are soggy

You dropped them into the pot or fried them too early. Add strips to individual bowls right before serving, and fry them within 30 minutes of eating. If they sit longer than an hour, they lose their crackle.

Frequently asked

Is chicken tortilla soup spicy?

Mild-to-medium. Ancho chiles are sweet with only mild heat (1,000–1,500 Scoville), pasilla adds a touch more. The heat comes mostly from jalapeño topping, which is optional. To make it hotter, add a chipotle in adobo when blending, or double the pasilla.

Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?

Yes, but shorten the simmer to 12–14 minutes and pull it at 165 °F internal or the meat turns dry and stringy. Thighs stay juicier at longer cook times, which is why they’re the classic pick for shredded chicken soups.

What can I substitute for ancho chile?

If you can’t find dried anchos, use 2 tbsp ancho chili powder (not “chili powder” blend) and skip the chile-toasting step. In a real pinch, 1 tbsp regular chili powder + 1 tsp smoked paprika hits the same profile.

Can I add beans or corn?

Yes — this is a modern American twist that’s now common. Stir 1 can of drained black beans and 1 cup of corn kernels into the simmering broth in the last 5 minutes. Purists will side-eye it; nobody at your table will complain.

Is this the same as pozole?

No. Pozole is a distinct Mexican soup made with hominy (nixtamalized corn kernels) and chile, usually pork-based (rojo, verde, or blanco). Tortilla soup uses corn tortillas, not hominy, and centers on the tomato-chile broth. Both are traditional but different dishes.

How do I make it dairy-free?

Skip the cotija and crema, or use a dairy-free sour cream. The soup itself contains no dairy — only the toppings do. Vegan cotija (made from tofu or cashews) is available at natural grocers, and coconut cream thinned with lime juice mimics crema surprisingly well.

A note from Emma

The first time I ate this soup properly was at a market stall in Puebla, and what surprised me wasn’t the flavor — it was the ritual. Every table got the broth in one bowl and a little tray of toppings on the side, and you built each bite. I’ve made it a hundred times since, and the rule I keep is the toppings go on the table, never in the pot.

If you liked this, our Mexican recipes hub has the rest of the sopa family, and carne asada is a natural next Sunday.