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Tortilla Soup

Sunset
Tortilla Soup
David Prince
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My Notes

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Outstanding

The charm here lies in the toppings, which guests can customize to their liking. Prep and Cook Time: 1 hour. Notes: No time to make tortilla strips? Store-bought chips will do in a pinch.

Total Time: 1 hour(s)
Yield: Makes about 4 1/2 qts. (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

  • 1  tablespoon  vegetable oil, plus more for frying
  • 2  large onions, chopped
  • 8  cloves garlic, minced
  • 1  tablespoon  plus 1 1/2 tsp. coarse kosher salt
  • 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
  • 1/2  teaspoon  red chile flakes
  • 12  cups  reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1  can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1  package (8 oz.) small corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-in.-thick strips (see Notes)
  • 2  pounds  boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/4-in.-thick strips
  • 1  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
  • Sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Monterey jack cheese, additional chopped cilantro, and/or sliced green onions for topping

Preparation

1. Heat 1 tbsp. vegetable oil in a large pot (at least 5 qts.) over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in two-thirds of the garlic, 1 tbsp. salt, cumin, and chile flakes and cook 2 minutes.

2. Add broth, tomatoes, and half the lime juice and increase heat to a gentle simmer; cook 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, pour about 1 in. of vegetable oil into a small frying pan set over medium-high heat. When oil is hot but not smoking, add one-third of the tortilla strips and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer strips to a paper towel-lined baking pan. Repeat with remaining tortilla strips in two batches. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt. Set aside.

4. Purée soup in batches in a blender. Return soup to pot and resume simmering. In a small bowl, toss chicken with remaining lime juice, garlic, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes, then add to soup and simmer 5 minutes, until chicken is just cooked through. Stir in cilantro. Serve hot with tortilla strips and your choice of toppings.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per cup.

Nutritional Information

Calories:
142 (26% from fat)
Protein:
15g
Fat:
4.1g (sat 0.6)
Carbohydrate:
11g
Fiber:
1.5g
Sodium:
960mg
Cholesterol:
29mg
Sunset, JANUARY 2007

Member Ratings and Reviews

5 stars

12/28/09

5 stars
Terrie Courian
I only look for outstanding recipes on My Recipes. This truly is outstanding. I've never made it before. It is not that fast, however, it's the prepping and frying up the Torlilla strips that seem to take a while...wow is it worth it!! I agree that cutting up the chicken in small pieces is perfect, however, I needed to add more than 2 chicken breast, at least 3 would work. I realized how much broth I needed to add until after I pureed it all. Actually, that worked out best for me. Because I read it at 1 cup of broth and it's 12 cups. So I added the other 11 cups of broth after I pureed it. It was easier that way...it all fit in the processor the fist time. I didn't have sour cream and plain yogurt was excellent in this soup. Yes, I marinated the chicken longer too and it was good. This was perfect...company good and I will also add this to my number one recipes.11/01/09