This spicy chicken tortilla soup benefits from a rich, homemade chicken stock. Best of all, this soup feeds a crowd and it comes together in about an hour. While the stock cooks, you can use that time to prep all the ingredients for the soup!
I absolutely love a good spicy chicken tortilla soup and this recipe delivers on all fronts! Best of all, it’s incredibly easy to make despite the fact that you’ll be using a rich homemade stock instead of storebought.
I load this chicken tortilla soup up with two big jalapeños, but you can reduce or modify the amount of heat depending on how tolerant you are to spices.
This soup is a perfect bowl of comfort. Avocados and crushed tortillas work perfectly as a garnish for when you serve! You could also add minced red onion or sour cream, to cut down on the heat!
All in all, this is one of my all-time favorite soup recipes. It’s easy to prepare, rich and flavorful, doesn’t shy away from heat, and it can be made any night of the week and any time of year!
Looking for more soup recipes? Check my archives!
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Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (You can also use bone-in, skin-on breasts)
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 bunch cilantro rinsed
- 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
- 1 yellow onion peeled and diced
- 2 jalapeño peppers trimmed and minced
- 2 bell peppers trimmed, deseeded, and diced
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 pound fresh Roma tomatoes or 1 28-ounce can crushed, fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- For Serving:
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Sliced avocado
- Cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken Stock:
- Place the chicken breasts, chicken thighs, and the cilantro in a large soup pot. Fill the pot up until the chicken is just covered. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to just above a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through. As the chicken cooks, skim off any scum from the top of the pot.
- Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a bowl. Drain the stock through a fine mesh sieve and discard solids. Reserve 4 cups of the stock and discard or save any remaining stock for another use. Wipe out the stock pot and return it to the stove.
- Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard. Pick the meat from the bones and tear into bite sized pieces. Discard the bones. Set the chicken meat aside.
- Blanch the Tomatoes (if using ripe tomatoes, otherwise, skip this step):
- Cover the tomatoes with water in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Once the skins begin to burst, transfer to an ice bath. Once they are cool enough to handle, remove the skins and cores and discard. Drain off the ice water and crushed the tomatoes with your hands. Set aside.
- Cook the Aromatics:
- Heat the neutral cooking oil in the soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes until softened.
- Add the jalapeño peppers and the garlic and cook for 45 seconds until fragrant.
- Deglaze the Pot:
- Add 1 cup of the homemade chicken stock to the pot and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the pot.
- Pour in the remaining chicken stock along with the crushed tomatoes.
- Finish the Chicken Tortilla Soup:
- Add the drained black beans and cooked chicken along with the cumin, chili powder, and paprika. Season again with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Taste and season again before serving. Turn off the heat.
- To Serve:
- Divide the soup between bowls and garnish with avocado, cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips. Enjoy!
Tasty! I tried this recipe with a few tweaks. I subbed the chicken listed for just boneless skinless chicken thighs and cooked that for 30 min. I also used 1 cup of dry black beans cooked in my instant pot instead of canned (canned black beans always seem metallic to me). The broth and chicken turned out awesome! I for sure wouldn’t want that much chicken as listed. I also think more beans would be fine in this. I might do 2 cups next time.
Thank you so much for trying the recipe and for the feedback! Your tweaks sound yummy 💕 thank you again!