This recipe for Braised Chicken Tortilla Soup is an absolute knockout! Using fresh vegetables, whole, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, and whole dried chilies is the key to creating ultra-deep flavor and will have you coming back for more! This dish is slightly spicy, smoky, creamy, and especially satisfying during the cooler months. That being said, you can definitely enjoy this year-round, so please don’t wait to dig in on this one!
Ingredients
Soup Ingredients
This soup uses mostly fresh ingredients, which is one of the reasons why it has so much flavor. In fact, the only canned ingredient (not counting the chicken stock – technically, that comes in a carton anyway…) is one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce! Everything else comes from the produce section or the Hispanic section of your grocery store!
- Bone In, Skin On Chicken Thighs, About 1 ½ to 2 Lbs. (The chicken skins are a secret ingredient that we use later on in the dish!)
- Neutral Cooking Oil
- White Onion, Peeled and Quartered
- Roma Tomatoes
- Poblano Pepper, Substitute 1 Green Bell Pepper or omit
- Jalapeno, Deseeded
- Dried Ancho Chilis, Stems and Seeds Removed
- Dried Guajillo Chilis, Stems and Seeds Removed
- Canned Chipotle Pepper with some of the Adobo Sauce
- Low-Sodium Chicken Stock
- Kosher Salt
- Mexican Oregano, Substitute Equal Amount of Regular Oregano if you can’t find the Mexican variety
- Cumin Seeds, Toasted & Ground
- Coriander Seeds, Toasted & Ground
- Black Peppercorns, Toasted & Ground
- Bay Leaves
- Masa Harina
- Heavy Cream
- Apple Cider Vinegar
Crispy Tortilla Strips
One important topping is the freshly made, crispy tortilla strips. These are ultra-simple yet super delicious. They are as simple as cutting up several white corn tortillas into ¼-inch strips, shallow-frying them in some oil until crisp, and tossing them with a good amount of kosher salt.
Instructions
This recipe begins with removing the skin from the chicken thighs, salting everything (both the skins and thighs), and then searing them over medium-high heat to get some color. The chicken will not be cooked completely through at this point. You actually finish cooking them by braising them in the soup for about 30 minutes, as outlined below. Leave the chicken skins in the pan if they are not quite crisp yet. Once they are golden brown and crispy, remove them and immediately add salt.
The next important step is to sear the fresh vegetables in the same pot the chicken was cooked in. Getting some good color on them is a crucial part of creating the layers of flavor in this dish. Next, you add in the dried chilis to toast them a bit, then transfer everything to a blender with your spices and blend until smooth. Add the reserved chicken stock, masa harina, chicken thighs (no skins), and your chili mixture back to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer for an additional 30 to 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked all the way through.
Remove the chicken and allow it to cool slightly, then shred it or chop it into bite-sized pieces. While the chicken is cooling, finely mince the chicken skins until they are almost powder-like. Return the chicken and the chicken skins to the pot, and stir to combine.
Serving Suggestions
One fun part of this recipe is that you get to choose your own toppings to suit your tastes! I prefer a hefty amount of lime juice, crumbled cotija cheese, some minced cilantro, the crispy tortilla strips, and a drizzle of Mexican Crema. I also can’t resist scooping it up with tortilla chips in lieu of a spoon. Feel free to change things up with jalapeno slices, diced avocado, Simple Corn Salsa, your favorite shredded cheese blend, hot sauce, etc. Make it your own!
As mentioned above, I like to garnish this soup with a drizzle of Mexican Crema. This is similar to sour cream but is thinner and has a touch of lime juice and salt in it. It’s really a perfect pairing with most Mexican dishes, including this one!
Did you make this this recipe for
Braised Chicken Tortilla Soup?
Let me know in the comments below how yours turned out, and don’t forget to leave a rating!
Recipe
Braised Chicken Tortilla Soup
Equipment
- Large Dutch Oven or Heavy-Bottomed Pot
- Blender, Food Processor, or Immersion Blender
- Large Skillet For frying tortilla strips
Ingredients
Chicken Thighs
- 4 Bone In Skin On Chicken Thighs, About 1 ½ to 2 Lbs. – Chicken Skin Removed and Reserved
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt per Pound of Meat
- 2 – 3 tablespoon Neutral Cooking Oil or Bacon Fat
Soup
- 2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds Toasted & Ground – Substitute 2 ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin if not using whole
- 1 ½ teaspoon Coriander Seeds Toasted & Ground – Substitute 1 ¼ teaspoon Ground Coriander if not using whole
- 1 teaspoon Black Peppercorns Toasted & Ground – Substitute 1 ¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper if not using whole
- 1 Medium White Onion Peeled and Quartered
- 4 Roma Tomatoes Cored and Halved
- 1 Poblano Pepper Quartered, Stems and Seed Seeds Removed, Rough Chopped
- 1 Jalapeno Halved Stems and Seeds Removed, Rough Chopped
- 4 Dried Ancho Chilis Stems and Seeds Removed
- 3 Dried Guajillo Chilis Stems and Seeds Removed
- 1 Canned Chipotle Pepper with 1 tablespoon Adobo Sauce
- 1 ¼ Quarts (5 Cups) Low-Sodium Chicken Stock Substitute Homemade Chicken Stock – Divided
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt If using unsalted chicken stock, add an additional tsp, plus more to taste.
- 2 teaspoon Mexican Oregano Substitute Equal Amounts of Regular Oregano
- 2 Bay Leaves
- ⅓ Cup Masa Harina
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- Juice of 1 Lime Plus More to Taste
- Kosher Salt To Taste
- Black Pepper To Taste
Crispy Tortilla Strips
- 6 to 8 White Corn Tortillas Cut into thirds, then into ¼-inch strips
- Neutral Oil for Frying
- Kosher Salt To Taste
Instructions
Instructions
- Remove the skins from the chicken thighs and reserve. Pat the chicken thighs dry, and apply ¾ teaspoons of kosher salt per pound of meat evenly to both sides of the chicken. Sprinkle some on the reserved chicken skins. Allow to rest for 30 minutes up to overnight (uncovered in the fridge) to dry brine.
- While the chicken is resting, heat a small sauce pan over medium-high heat and add your cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and black peppercorns. Toast, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes until toasted and fragrant. Transfer to a spice grinder or pestle and mortar, grind into a fine powder, and reserve for later.
- Heat a large Dutch oven or large heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat, add several tablespoons of neutral cooking oil (or bacon fat), and add the salted chicken thighs and reserved skins. Allow to sear for 3 to 4 minutes per side until some color begins to develop. (The chicken will not be cooked through at this point; that’s ok – it will get cooked through in later steps.)
- Remove the thighs, and continue to cook the skins until crispy and golden brown, if needed. (Sometimes this takes an extra minute or two.)
- Add additional oil or bacon fat to the Dutch oven if needed, and add the quartered onion, tomatoes, poblano, and jalapeno. Add a heavy pinch of kosher salt and cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes to sear the vegetables. Turn and cook and additional 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the dried chilis, and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Transfer the vegetables and peppers to a blender, food processor, or large mixing bowl. Add the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce, measured Kosher salt, Mexican oregano, toasted spices from earlier, and 2 cups of chicken stock. Blend for 2 to 3 minutes until completely smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the remaining chicken stock and masa harina.
- Return the chicken pieces (no skins yet) and any accumulated juices to the Dutch oven. Stir in the chili mixture, and the chicken stock and masa harina mixture. Add the bay leaves and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until chicken is completely cooked through. Turn off heat and stir in the heavy cream, apple cider vinegar, and lime juice.
- Remove the chicken and allow it to cool slightly. Remove the meat from the bones and either shred or cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding the bones. Taste the meat and adjust for salt, and add it back to the Dutch oven.
- Finely mince the chicken skins until it is almost a fine powder and add it to the Dutch oven, stirring to combine.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
Crispy Tortilla Strips
- Add frying oil to a large skillet and heat to 350–375°F. Add the tortilla strips in batches and fry for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and immediately sprinkle with salt.
Assembly & Topping Suggestions
- Serve with crispy tortilla strips, shredded cheese of your choosing (I prefer cotija), diced avocado, tortilla chips, a drizzle of Mexican crema or sour cream, finely minced cilantro, hot sauce, and cooked corn.
Paula
Going to try this next week after my grocery shopping!
Spencer Klickman
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Lorie Klickman
This will be great for the cooler weather we have coming up!
Spencer Klickman
It’s so good! Let me know how yours turns out!