Why You’ll Love This this Simmering Mexican Comfort Tortilla Soup
This tortilla soup brings together tender chicken, melty cheddar cheese, and perfectly spiced tomatoes in a way that’ll make your kitchen smell like the best Mexican restaurant in town.
The genius move here is whisking flour with water to create that silky, hearty base that coats your spoon just right, while those crumbled tortilla chips soak up all the flavors and give you that satisfying texture contrast in every bite.
Plus, you get to control the heat level with Tabasco, so whether you’re feeding spice wimps or fire-breathing dragons, everyone leaves the table happy and asking for seconds.
Ingredients List
Gather these simple ingredients and you’ll be well on your way to creating a bowl of pure comfort that tastes like it took hours but comes together surprisingly fast.
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
- 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 3/4 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups water
- 1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce (or less)
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4-8 ounces tortilla chips
Here’s what makes this ingredient list work for your health goals:
- The chicken provides lean protein without excess fat, especially if you bake or poach it beforehand
- Fresh cilantro adds antioxidants and bright flavor without any calories to worry about
- You control the sodium by choosing low-sodium canned tomatoes, though to be frank, the cheese and chips aren’t exactly diet food
- The flour creates that creamy texture without heavy cream, which saves you quite a few calories
- Swap in baked tortilla chips if you want to lighten things up, though I won’t judge if you go for the good stuff
Step by Step Directions
Making this tortilla soup is straightforward and requires just basic cooking techniques that build layers of flavor as you go.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large pot and sauté the chopped onion and minced garlic until softened.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons flour and cook for about a minute to eliminate the raw flour taste.
- Whisk the remaining 1 3/4 tablespoons flour with 3 cups water until smooth, then add to the pot.
- Let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Add the Rotel tomatoes, diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro, and cooked diced chicken.
- Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes, allowing all the flavors to meld together.
- Stir in the sugar and Tabasco sauce, then simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and add the shredded cheddar cheese, stirring gently until melted.
- Crumble 4-8 ounces of tortilla chips directly into the soup.
- Let the soup sit for 15 minutes before serving to allow the chips to soften and thicken the broth.
- Serve with additional cheese and tortilla chips on the side.
For restaurants serving this soup regularly, a commercial deep fryer can help prepare crispy tortilla strips as an alternative garnish to crushed chips.
Substitutions and Variations
• Chip creativity – Blue corn tortilla chips, flavored varieties, or even crushed taco shells can replace regular tortilla chips.
I’ve used stale chips that were getting soft anyway, and they actually work better for thickening.
• Add-ins that work – Corn kernels, diced bell peppers, or a can of black beans can bulk this up into an even heartier meal without much extra effort.
Additional Things to Serve With This Dish
This soup basically begs for sides that can handle all that rich, cheesy goodness.
- Warm tortillas or quesadillas – Flour tortillas warmed on a skillet make perfect little scoops, and honestly, who doesn’t want more melted cheese in their life with a quick quesadilla on the side.
- Simple Mexican rice – The fluffy, tomato-tinged kind that soaks up every last drop of broth when you inevitably scrape your bowl clean.
- Fresh guacamole and chips – Because if you’re already going full Mexican comfort food, might as well commit to the creamy avocado situation.
- Cornbread or corn muffins – That slightly sweet, crumbly texture plays so nicely against all the spicy, savory flavors happening in your bowl.
- Simple green salad – Something light and crisp with lime vinaigrette to cut through all that cheese, because balance is important, even when we’re pretending to be healthy.
- Pickled jalapeños or radishes – That bright, acidic crunch wakes up your taste buds between spoonfuls of rich soup.
Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)
This soup is forgiving, but a few tricks will make your kitchen game so much stronger.
- Don’t skip the flour-whisking step – I know it seems fussy, but lumpy soup is nobody’s friend, and whisking that flour into cold water before adding it prevents those sad, gloopy disasters that make you question your life choices.
- Taste as you go with the Tabasco – Start with half the amount because some brands pack more heat than others, and you can always add more fire but you can’t take it back once your tongue is crying.
- Let the cheese melt on low heat – High heat turns cheese into weird, stringy rubber, which isn’t the creamy dream we’re going for here.
- Save some tortilla chips for the end – Sure, crumble most of them in during cooking, but keep a handful to add right before serving so you get that perfect contrast of soggy-meets-crunchy in every bowl.
- Double the cilantro if you’re a cilantro person – Life’s too short for wimpy herb amounts, and if you’re one of those people who thinks cilantro tastes like soap, just leave it out entirely.
- This soup gets better overnight – All those flavors meld together while it sits in the fridge, though you might need to add a splash of broth when reheating because it thickens up like crazy.
Nutritional Facts
This hearty soup delivers a solid balance of protein, carbs, and flavor-packed ingredients that’ll fuel your day.
- Calories: Approximately 385 per serving (recipe serves 6-8)
- Protein: 28-32 grams from chicken breast and cheddar cheese
- Carbohydrates: 24-28 grams mainly from tortilla chips and tomatoes
- Fat: 18-22 grams from cheese, oil, and chips
- Fiber: 3-4 grams from tomatoes, onions, and corn tortilla chips
- Sodium: 850-950mg (varies by Rotel and chip brands)
- Calcium: 15-20% daily value thanks to all that melted cheddar
- Vitamin C: 25-30% daily value from tomatoes and cilantro
- Iron: 8-10% daily value from chicken and fortified tortilla chips
- Vitamin A: 12-15% daily value from tomatoes and cheese
Fun “Did You Know?”
While you’re stirring up this delicious soup, here’s something that’ll blow your mind: tortilla soup isn’t actually from Mexico!
It’s a Tex-Mex creation that emerged in American kitchens during the 1970s. The dish combines Mexican ingredients with American cooking techniques, making it a true fusion food.
Another fascinating fact? Those crispy tortilla strips you’re adding weren’t originally part of the recipe. Early versions used stale tortillas as thickeners, similar to how bread crumbs work in other soups.
Today’s version evolved from resourceful cooks finding creative ways to use leftover tortillas and transform them into something extraordinary.
