Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Forget bland and boring tortilla soup! This spicy chicken tortilla soup recipe uses both charred vegetables and dried ancho chiles for a complex, spicy and smoky flavor in the broth. Top with all your favorite soup bling - diced avocado, queso fresco, cilantro, and of course, fried tortillas!
Last week, the hubs and I took our first real vacation since I started working on my book last November - a week in Asheville and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was perfect. We spent the week shopping and eating our way through Asheville (safely - outdoors and with masks on!), and hiking and chasing waterfalls through the mountains. We also brought Charlie, who fully embraced his inner mountain dog, or at least, to the best of his current abilities with old dog arthritis.
The only downside - it rained the last few days, with the remnants of Tropical Storm Beta rolling through. Thankfully it wasn’t too bad. The rain hitting the leaves was a nice soundtrack for a dinner of gnocchi and caprese salad on the porch of our mountain house, and the storm made all the waterfalls we visited on the last day especially beautiful.
When we got back home, the storm clouds were still lingering over Columbia, and we were solidly in Fake Fall (aka the week or two of cooler temps before it turns to summer #2). So I knew exactly what I wanted for our first dinner back - soup! Specifically, this spicy chicken tortilla soup. It’s hearty, spicy, smoky and so, SO much better than the bland and watered down versions you get at most restaurants. It’s also perfect for topping with what I like to call soup bling, all the yummy accoutrements that bring your bowl of soup up a notch.
How to Make the Broth for this Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
The thing that makes this spicy chicken tortilla soup so special is the broth. Seriously, I would drink a bowl of it by itself! It’s got a rich, complex and smoky flavor that’s just to die for.
There are two tricks to this most perfect broth. The first is to char tomatoes, onion and garlic used in the broth under the broiler. Charring preserves their fresh flavor, while also adding rich flavor from the char. You want them blackened, in spots, but not burnt to a crisp! I like to check on them every few minutes and take any bits out that are looking done, especially since the garlic will cook much faster than the rest, and the tomatoes will take the longest.
The other trick is using dried ancho chiles. Using dried chiles vs fresh adds a smokier heat, that’s lower and slower than the immediate spice you get with fresh chiles. It also adds a sweet, raisin-like flavor. To get the most flavor out of your dried chiles, toast them over a gas flame first, then rehydrate in warm water. Many well stocked grocery stores will have a selection of dried chiles, but sometimes even then it’s just a few types. That’s why I like to shop at Mexican grocery stores, which also sell them much cheaper! If you can’t find dried ancho chiles, try mulatto or guajillo chiles. You could also use 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder for each chili.
To make the broth, simply blend the charred veggies, rehydrated chili and reserved chili water in a blender, then add in chicken broth to thin it out a bit. I use the broth to simmer the chicken thighs until tender, which keeps them juicy, and adds more flavor.
Topping this Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
The other thing I love about this spicy chicken tortilla soup recipe is that it’s the perfect vehicle for soup bling. I love to round out soup with fun toppings, that make it pretty and enhance the flavor - for example the smoked paprika oil, feta and kalamata olives on this simple white bean soup and the avocado, pepitas and cilantro on this roasted sweet potato and cauliflower soup.
Fried tortillas are an obvious, and necessary choice for bling in this recipe. Other toppings I love are fresh cilantro, diced avocado, sliced radishes, pickled or fresh jalapeno, sour cream, and crumbled queso fresco (or feta). It’s also great with a squeeze of lime juice.
How to Meal Prep this Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
If you want to make this spicy chicken tortilla soup recipe more weeknight friendly, I suggest blending the charred vegetables, chiles, and reserved chili water, and freezing that puree until you’re ready to cook. That way it takes up less room in your freezer, and to cook, all you have to do is add the broth and chicken and simmer it while prepping the bling.
Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe Adaptions
While corn and black beans aren’t usually added to traditional tortilla soup (at least to my understanding!), they are common additions to more Americanized tortilla soup recipes, and you are more than welcome to add them to this recipe! You could also make this spicy chicken tortilla recipe creamy by stirring in 1/2 - 1 cup of heavy cream.
While you don’t need to use the most perfect fresh ripe tomatoes in this recipe, as charring them will concentrate their flavor a bit, in the dead of winter, I’d recommend swapping in 28 ounces canned fire-roasted tomatoes.
If you like this spicy chicken tortilla soup recipe, follow my favorite Mexican recipes Pinterest board for more recipe inspiration.
This spicy chicken tortilla soup recipe was originally posted September 2013. Recipe, images and text have been updated to give you the best possible content.
Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Serves 4-6ish
Ingredients:
2 lbs tomatoes, halved
1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into wedges
4 garlic cloves, left unpeeled
2 dried ancho chiles
1 cup hot water
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Corn tortillas, about 2 per bowl of soup, cut into strips
Neutral flavored oil, for frying
For serving: diced avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, sliced jalapeno, sliced radish, crumbled queso fresco, lime wedges
Instructions:
Turn on the broiler.
Spread garlic, onion, and tomatoes on a baking sheet, with the onion on one side and the tomatoes on the other. Broil until the vegetables are tender and charred, checking every couple minutes or so. Take the garlic out early, once the skins are lightly browned.
Meanwhile, lightly toast the ancho chili over a gas flame or in a dry skillet. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard the stem and seeds. Place the chiles in the hot water to rehydrate for 10 minutes.
When vegetables are charred and the chili is rehydrated, squeeze the garlic out of it’s skins into a blender. Add the charred onion and tomatoes, chili and chili water, and blend until pureed.
Pour pureed vegetables into a large pot. Add chicken broth and 1 teaspoon salt, and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Add chicken thighs to the pot and partially cover with the lid. Cook until tender, about 15-20 minutes.
When chicken is tender, carefully remove the chicken thighs from the broth and using two forks, shred the meat and add it back to the pot.
Before serving, heat a 1/2-inch layer of oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. When hot, add the tortilla strips and cook, tossing frequently, until golden and crispy. Remove to a paper-towel lined sheet and sprinkle with a bit of salt.
Serve soup garnished with tortilla strips and desired soup bling.
If you like this spicy chicken tortilla soup recipe, you might also like:
Butternut Squash Tortilla Soup
Green Posole
Pumpkin Chipotle Chili
