This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy
This Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup is delicious, comforting and comes together in around 30 minutes. Try serving it with some crispy, fried tortilla strips, radish, avocado, cilantro, and some lime wedges. If you’re in the mood for something more indulgent, add a dollop of sour cream and some grated cheese, such as queso fresco or Monterey Jack.
What You Need for Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chicken: For flavour, convenience and time, this recipe calls for boneless and skinless chicken thighs. They cook quickly and are easy to shred once cooked.
If you have a little bit more time on your hands and want to bump up the flavour of the soup, you can use bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs. They will take slightly longer to cook and you will have to do a bit more work when it comes time to shredding the meat, but the results are worth it.
For a slightly leaner soup, substitute boneless and skinless chicken breast. Or use bone-in and skin-on chicken breast. - Good Quality Chicken Broth: The quality of the broth you use will make or break this easy chicken tortilla soup. Homemade is always best but when I run out, I use Kettle & Fire Organic Chicken Broth. It’s made with organic chicken bones, all-natural and organic ingredients without any preservatives, colourings, thickeners or sweeteners. It has a clean, natural taste that works very well in a variety of recipes.
Kettle & Fire products are available at a variety of local stores or order online and use code PRIMALGOURMET for an extra 20% OFF site-wide.
For an extra boost of protein and collagen, you can substitute Kettle & Fire Organic Chicken Bone Broth.
- Aromatics: Diced onion, poblano peppers, jalapeño and garlic form the base flavours of the soup. If desired, you could add carrots for more nutrition and a little bit of sweetness.
- Spices: A combination of oregano, coriander, cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, chile powder, cinnamon and bay leaves are used in this easy chicken tortilla soup.
- Canned Tomatoes: A small can of diced tomatoes adds colour, acidity and texture to the tortilla soup. If you can find fire-roasted ones, use them. Otherwise, grab the diced tomatoes that have the least amount of ingredients listed. Another option is to substitute 3 roughly chopped medium-sized Roma tomatoes.
- Corn Tortillas: It wouldn’t be a tortilla soup without some freshly fried, crispy tortilla strips. I used store-bought corn tortillas here, which are naturally gluten-free. If you want to keep this recipe Paleo-friendly, you can substitute your favourite grain-free tortillas, such as ones from Siete brand.
- Garnish: Alongside the fried tortilla strips, garnish the soup with thinly sliced radish, chopped avocado, torn cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup – Gluten-Free
This Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup is delicious, comforting and comes together in around 30 minutes. It also happens to be gluten-free!
Ingredients
- 6 small yellow corn tortillas, sliced into thin strips, substitute grain-free tortillas
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 64 ounces Kettle & Fire Organic Chicken Broth
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 8 boneless and skinless chicken thighs, substitute bone-in and skin-on thighs or breast for more flavour
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
- 3 radishes, thinly sliced into halfmoons, for garnish
- 2 avocados, diced, for garnish
- ¼ cup roughly torn fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
- 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Add avocado oil to a 10” skillet and heat over medium-high heat until it reaches 350F. Working in batches, cook the tortilla strips, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and crispy, around 4 minutes per batch. Reserving the cooking oil, transfer the tortilla strips to a tray lined with paper towel and immediately season with a pinch of salt. Toss to coat and set aside.
- Transfer 2 tablespoons of the cooking oil into a large sauté pan or stock pot and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, poblano pepper and jalapeño. Season with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft and translucent, around 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 60 seconds. Add the oregano, coriander, cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, chile powder and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, around 60 seconds.
- Add the Kettle & Fire Organic Chicken Broth, diced tomatoes, chicken thighs, bay leaves and black pepper. Raise the heat to high, bring the liquid to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook until the chicken thighs are cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, around 12 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a bowl and use two forks to shred the meat apart. Return the chicken to the soup, taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as desired.
- Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls and top with the fried tortilla strips, radish, avocado, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing and enjoy.
Video
Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below!
About the Author
Hi, i’m Ronny! In 2013, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight and body issues, I rehabilitated my relationship with food, lost over 40 pounds and completely changed my life.
