Tortilla Soup with Lime & Avocado

Pause animation button

    Tortilla Soup with Lime and Avocado

    More ingredients than you might guess go into this simple, delicious Mexican soup... but you’ll see that it’s surprisingly easy to make! Now you’ve got an impressive appetizer for your Cinco de Mayo dinner... but definitely keep this comfort-food recipe handy for enhancing any meal.

    a fork, plate and spoon SERVES 4 servings
    clock TOTAL TIME 30 Min
    hand holding a serving platter DIFFICULTY 2/5
    Ingredients:
    • 5 lbs tomatoes
    • 1 chicken, whole
    • 3 qt chicken stock
    • 3 oz white onion
    • 1 pinch chipotle powder (or to taste)
    • 1 tbsp paprika
    • 5 cloves garlic, smashed
    • 1 serrano chili pepper
    • 2 tortillas
    • ½ tbsp cumin
    • 2 avocados
    • 1 tbsp canola oil
    • tortilla crisps, for crunch
    • salt to taste
    • black pepper, freshly crushed, to taste
    • lime juice, to taste
    • sour cream, to taste
    • cheese of your choice (maybe cotija) to taste
    • cilantro, for garnish
    • lime wedge, for garnish
    Here’s how you do it:
    1. First boil the chicken in chicken stock until it’s cooked all the way through. Then shred half the chicken (save the other half for leftovers) and set the stock aside. (Spoiler: later on, the stock will become the base of our soup!)
    2. Char the tortillas a little bit using your favorite method — on a grill, in a pan or directly on a gas stove. Then cut them into small strips.
    3. Heat the oil and lightly sauté the paprika in it. This you don’t want to char!
    4. On a grill, roast the tomatoes, onion, garlic and serranos. (Or you can use an oven.) These you actually do want to char! Combine the mixture with the tortilla strips and the sautéed paprika.
    5. Add this mixture, plus the cumin and chipotle powder to the chicken stock. Bring the whole thing to a boil and season it with salt and pepper.
    6. Reduce this to whatever soupy consistency you feel like. We just wouldn’t let it get too thick.
    7. Serve the soup with your pulled chicken breast, some diced avocado and fried tortilla crisps on top.
    8. Fancy bonus! Sprinkle some cheese on top, and serve with a scoop of sour cream, topped with cilantro and a lime wedge on the side.

    Hungry for more? See what you've missed!
    FIND MORE RECIPES