Tortilla soup: a smoky tomato soup with chicken and crisp tortilla strips
Sopa de tortilla comes from Mexico; this version, with beans, sweetcorn and cumin, leans towards Tex-Mex. It combines three things: a deeply smoky tomato base, shredded chicken and crisp tortilla strips. The strips go on at the table and they decide everything — tipped into the pot they soften within a minute.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Smoky base 12 min
- Simmering the soup 20 min
- Tortilla strips 8 min
- Serving 5 min
Step by step
0 / 5 doneBuild the smoky base
Fry the chopped onion in oil for 6 minutes, add the garlic, smoked paprika, cumin and chilli and cook 60 seconds until the spices smell and darken. This is the moment that gives the soup its smoky character.
Ingredients: 500 g chicken breast · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 500 g passata · 900 ml chicken stock · 240 g red kidney beans · 200 g sweetcorn · 2 tsp smoked paprika · 2 tsp cumin · 1 tsp chilli flakes · 2 tbsp oil · 1½ tsp salt
TipSmoked paprika is essential here. Ordinary sweet paprika gives colour but no smoke.
Spices bloomed in fat, not stirred into liquid.Poach the chicken in the soup
Pour in the passata and stock, bring to the boil and add the whole chicken breasts. Simmer gently for 18 minutes, until the thickest part is white with no trace of pink (74 °C). Cooking them in the soup rather than separately keeps all the meat flavour in the pot.
Ingredients: 500 g chicken breast · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 500 g passata · 900 ml chicken stock · 240 g red kidney beans · 200 g sweetcorn · 2 tsp smoked paprika · 2 tsp cumin · 1 tsp chilli flakes · 2 tbsp oil · 1½ tsp salt
Shred and add the beans
Lift out the breasts, shred with two forks and return them along with the beans and sweetcorn. Simmer 5 minutes more and season with salt.
Ingredients: 500 g chicken breast · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 500 g passata · 900 ml chicken stock · 240 g red kidney beans · 200 g sweetcorn · 2 tsp smoked paprika · 2 tsp cumin · 1 tsp chilli flakes · 2 tbsp oil · 1½ tsp salt
Fry the tortilla strips
Cut the tortillas into 1 cm strips and fry in batches in hot oil for 60–90 seconds until golden and stiff — all the batches take about 8 minutes in total. Drain on a rack and salt at once.
Ingredients: 4 pcs corn tortillas · 100 ml oil · 1 pcs avocado · 1 pcs lime · ½ bunch coriander · 4 tbsp sour cream
TipNo-fry alternative: toss the strips in oil and bake 10 minutes at 200 °C, stirring once.
Stiff strips survive several minutes in the soup.Assemble in bowls
Ladle out the soup and top with avocado slices, a spoon of sour cream, coriander and a handful of tortilla strips. Serve with a lime wedge — the acid balances the richness of the avocado and sour cream.
Ingredients: 4 pcs corn tortillas · 100 ml oil · 1 pcs avocado · 1 pcs lime · ½ bunch coriander · 4 tbsp sour cream
TipServe the tortilla strips in a separate bowl so everyone adds their own just before eating.
Before you start
Real chipotle
A tablespoon of chipotle in adobo instead of chilli flakes gives authentic smoke and medium heat. Add it with the garlic.
Vegetarian version
Skip the chicken, double the beans and add roasted squash cubes. Swap the stock for vegetable.
The next day
The soup itself is better the next day. Fry the strips fresh — stored ones go soft within hours.
