This Cheesy Chicken Lime Tortilla Soup is loaded with goodness! Homemade crispy tortilla strips, shredded chicken, veggies, the works! It’s tasty and is the perfect soup for a weeknight dinner.
Alright y’all, I know what you’re thinking. It’s the first week of August – why is Haylie sharing soup already?! I know, some might think I’m crazy but….am I the only one that could eat soup all year long?!
Maybe it’s because I am blessed with central air conditioning and my house isn’t super hot, but I don’t know, there is something about curling up after a long work day with a big bowl of soup that just really appeals to me. So, here I am. Sharing soup in August. And I hope you love it as much as I do!
Why This Soup is the Best:
First off – it’s SO simple. It’s really one of those dump it all into a pot, and let it cook type of soup.
It does require a few extra steps like baking the chicken and frying the tortilla strips, but aside from that super simple! You can even use canned black beans and corn for extra simplicity!
This soup is ultra savory with a TON of flavor and textures. You would think that the tortillas would get soggy in the soup – but waiting to put them in until the end really helps them retain a bite! And of course, I highly recommend you save some fresh ones to put on top to be super crunchy!
The soup has a great balance of flavors – it’s acidic from the tomatoes, has a brightness to it thanks to the limes, the juicy spiced shredded chicken, the sweetness and juiciness from the corn….it’s just SO good.
And when you load it up with all of the toppings…yes please!
Soup Topping Ideas:
- Fresh cilantro
- Avocado
- Jalapenos
- Sour cream
- Fresh lime
- Extra crispy tortilla strips
- Shredded cheese
- Cotija cheese
So let’s get into what you need for this soup!
Ingredients You Need:
- Chicken breast
- Spices – cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, paprika
- Yellow onion
- Jalapeno
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Crushed tomatoes
- Diced tomatoes
- Diced Green chiles
- Black beans
- Corn
- Chicken broth
- Monterey jack cheese
- Lime
- Corn tortillas
Best Tips on Making Soup:
Begin by making the chicken! Preheat the oven to 400 and then add the chicken breasts to an oven safe baking dish. Add oil, spices and rub the spices into the chicken breast. Add it into the preheated oven and let it bake!
While it’s baking, let’s start on the soup to make sure the flavors meld together for as long as possible!
To a large pot, add in some oil and let the pot get hot. Add in the diced yellow onion + jalapeno and cook for 4-5 minutes. Then the garlic. Let it get fragrant. Add in a TON of spices and stir them around to coat the veggies.
And then it’s time to add in the canned goods – the diced tomatoes, the crushed tomatoes, the canned corn, the canned black beans. Be sure to strain these cans!
Then finally add in the chicken broth! Stir it all around. Let it come to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and let it cook while the chicken is cooking.
When the chicken still has about 5-10 minutes left or so, begin to make the tortilla strips!
In my cast iron skillet, I added ½ cup of olive oil and let it get hot. Then I sliced up around 10 corn tortillas into strips. Once the oil was hot, I carefully fried the strips in batches, letting them cook for about 1 minute on each side.
NOTE: the oil does get hotter as you go along so you might not need the full minute. Just watch until they get brown.
I definitely think that you should immediately add them onto a lined plate with paper towels to help blot of the grease. And when they’re hot, add a sprinkle of salt onto them. YUM.
Once the chicken is done, shred it up! Add directly to the soup. Followed by the freshly shredded cheese. Stir stir stir. Add in the juice of a whole lime as well as about half of the tortilla strips. Stir until it’s all mixed together.
Be sure to taste and adjust for seasoning if needed!
And then you’re ready to eat! Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy every single bite!
Soup Shortcuts:
Buy premade tortilla strips! This will save you time – although I am partial to the homemade ones 😉
Another time hack? Buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it up instead of baking the chicken! So simple. Just remember to season it before you add it to the soup!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few others you might like:
Mexican Street Corn and Chicken Chowder
One Skillet Taco Chili Mac and Cheese
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Cheesy Chicken Lime Tortilla Soup
This Cheesy Chicken Lime Tortilla Soup is loaded with goodness! Homemade crispy tortilla strips, shredded chicken, veggies, the works! It’s tasty and is the perfect soup for a weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Baked Chicken
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
Tortilla Soup
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 small jalapeños, de seeded and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 /2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
- 4 oz can fire roasted green chiles
- 13.5 oz can corn, drained
- 13.5 oz can black beans, drained
- 32 oz chicken broth
- juice of 1 lime (or two if you like it extra tangy!)
- 2 cups freshly shredded monterey jack cheese
Crispy Tortilla Strips
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 10 corn tortillas, sliced into thin strips
- salt
Soup Garnishes
- cilantro, avocado, extra cheese, cotija, jalapeno, extra tortilla strips etc.
Instructions
Baking the Chicken
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Preheat oven to 400. Add 2 large chicken breasts to a baking dish and cover with spices and oil. Use your hands to rub it in to make sure they are evenly covered. Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until done and cooked internally at 165 degrees F.
Making Soup
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While the chicken is baking, begin the soup!
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Dice the yellow onion as well as the jalapeño. Add a splash of oil to a large pot and let it get hot on medium heat. Add in the onion and jalapeño once hot. Let cook for 3-4 minutes then add in the garlic and let cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring around occasionally.
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Add the spices for the soup next and stir them in, making sure they coat the veggies.
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Next, add the canned ingredients, make sure to drain them if applicable. Add in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, black beans and corn. Mix. Lastly, add in the chicken broth. Stir to combine.
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Let the soup come to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmering as the chicken continues to cook.
Making Crispy Tortilla Strips
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When the chicken has about 5-10 minutes left, start the tortilla strips. Add 1/2 cup of olive oil to a pan and let it get hot. Slice the corn tortillas into thin strips.
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Add the tortilla strips in batches, never overcrowding the pan and cook for 1 minute per side or until they get golden brown.
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Once done, place them on a paper towel lined plate and then sprinkle with salt while they are still hot.
Finishing the Soup
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Once the chicken is done baking, shred it with two forks and add it to the soup. Add in the freshly shredded monterey jack cheese as well.
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Add in the juice of one (or two) limes to the soup. Lastly, add in about half of the cooked tortilla strips. Mix and combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Garnishing Soup
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Serve in bowls and garnish with the remaining half of the tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro, jalapeno, extra cheese etc. Enjoy!
We have found our new chicken tortilla soup recipe! Unlike other recipes we’ve tried, this is is full of amazing flavor. Your recipes never disappoint!!
Thank you SO much, Ines! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂