Smoky Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup | Recipe Revisited

Hi! It’s me! The gal who hasn’t posted anything in five months and then comes in hot with a recipe I’ve already posted twice in the past. Killing the game! I wanted to revisit this chipotle chicken soup recipe for a couple reasons. The first, being that it’s the best and you might need a reminder. It was the first recipe I ever posted on this blog almost ten years ago (next month!!) and then I shared it again in 2011, but it’s kind of gotten lost deep in the archives (and the photos needed a refresh!).

But the main reason I want to share it is that this has become Evan’s go-to recipe (and since it’s lost in the archives, he can never find it to make it)! He cooks now!! With a baby on the way, I not-so-subtly hinted that he needed to improve his kitchen skills beyond frozen pizza, and… dare I say it… a hot dog boiled in a bowl of water in the microwave. Yeah, that happened. So he took to the challenge, starting with his favorite soup. He can now fully make this chipotle chicken soup on his own without any support or guidance. He also makes a mean fried egg sandwich and even dry-brined and roasted a chicken once. If this doesn’t sound like a huge victory, see above sentence about the microwaved hot dog. Very proud wife over here.

My mom started making this soup a million years ago, and it’s been through many iterations since. Unlike the standard Southwest-style tomato-based tortilla soup, this is essentially a chicken noodle (sans noods) soup, spiced up with smoky chipotle peppers in adobo, and topped with crunchy tortilla strips, avocado, lime, and sour cream. It’s super simple but feels like a big deal. And it’s easily customizable. I think everyone in my family has their own little tweaks—my mom and sister add rice and marjoram, I leave both out. Evan and I go a little lighter on the onion and garlic (both tend to disagree with us in our old age), so I’ve written it as we make it, but feel free to add a whole onion and more garlic if you want more of that fragrant allium goodness. If you’re a spice lord like Evan, you can adjust the heat and smokiness depending on how many peppers and how much adobo sauce you add. You can also adjust the toppings to your liking, adding jack or cotija cheese, throwing on some sliced radishes or cabbage for crunch, and serving with or without the sour cream (I’m Team Cream, Evan is not).

Maybe I'll come back in another 8 to 10 years and post this recipe again. Lullll. Enjoy!

Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup

Serves 2-4

1 Tablespoon olive oil 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces ½ medium-sized yellow onion, diced 1 carrot, diced 1 teaspoon dried thyme 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt & pepper to taste 1 can chickpeas, approx. 2 cups (drained and rinsed) Chipotle peppers in adobo (we like this brand) 6 cups chicken broth 8-10 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch wide strips Olive oil spray A pinch of salt, to taste Avocado Sour Cream Lime Wedges Cilantro Cheese (grated jack or cotija)

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add chicken, and cook until browned, then add onion and carrot. Cook until chicken is cooked through and onion is soft and starting to brown, stirring often to avoid burning. Add in thyme, marjoram, and garlic, and cook for another minute until garlic is fragrant. Salt and pepper to taste. Add chickpeas, and 1-2 tablespoons of adobo sauce from chipotle peppers (and additional chopped chipotles from the can if you like it hot). Stir to coat chicken and onions.  Add broth and bring to a boil. Turn to low and let simmer until ready to serve, at least 10 minutes. While the soup is simmering, make the tortilla strips. You can either bake them in the oven (preheat to 350) or crisp them up under the broiler. For both methods, line a baking sheet with foil, and arrange the tortilla strips in an even layer. Spray with olive oil spray, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or on the top rack under the broiler for about 5 minutes until crispy, checking often to avoid burning, and flipping halfway through.  Serve soup with tortilla strips, avocado, sour cream, lime wedges, cilantro, cheese, and additional chopped chipotle peppers and sauce.

Chipotle Chicken Soup

I’m still hyped up about my 2-year-blogiversary, especially with some recent shout-outs from friends. It’s always amazing to hear that people other than my mom, sister, and boyfriend read this. When my favorite blogs have a new post with a great story, a fabulous, stomach-growl-inducing picture, or a must-try recipe, I feel like I received a little gift in the mail, and I can’t wait to open it. I hope that my blog has the same effect, and inspires people to get in the kitchen.

The other day, my friend Jen (Amanda’s realtor), said “Is it me, or are your photos on your blog getting better and better?” So I looked through old posts, back to the beginning, and it’s true, they really are better. Part of it, of course, is the camera. But it’s also the angles, the styling, the lighting, and just a sense of knowing what I, as a viewer, would want to see. And, well, practice makes perfect.

Take, for instance, this soup. Chipotle chicken soup. It was the first recipe I posted on Loves Food, Loves to Eat. I actually spent a long time setting up that photo. I was at Evan’s old apartment (because I needed to job hunt—er, start a blog—and didn’t have internet at my own place). I had to bring everything to his apartment to make that soup—even the pots and pans. I was so excited about having a recipe to share, that I wrote the post before I even made the soup. Then I took about 20 pictures before I would let anyone eat. Evan’s used to this by now, but back in the beginning, he didn’t quite know how to deal. Now he knows not to come to the table until about 15 minutes after hearing “dinner’s ready,” because really, it’s not ready ‘til I get my shot. That picture I posted was the best out of the 20 or so I took that day. While the soup—still the most requested recipe in my household—hasn’t changed much (I did start adding chopped cabbage as a garnish…delish!), my photos of it certainly have. Wouldn’t you agree?

Thanks so much for your continued support and words of encouragement—your comments, shout-outs, and photos of food that I inspired you to make (!) constantly inspire me to take better photos and make more delicious food! Keep it up, friends, and I will too! Love you all!


Mel's Chipotle Chicken Soup 

Olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon marjoram
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt & pepper
1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
Chipotle Peppers in Adobo
4-6 cups chicken broth
Tortillas (flour or corn), sliced thinly in strips and baked for fried until crispy
Avocado
Sour Cream
Lime Wedges
Cilantro
Cheese (grated jack or cotija)

Heat a large stockpot over medium. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil, and chicken. Cook until chicken is cooked through--remove from pot and set aside. Add more oil if necessary, and add onion and carrot to pot. Cook until soft and just starting to brown, and add in thyme, marjoram, and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook another minute or so, until fragrant (but make sure to not burn garlic). Add chicken, chickpeas, and 1-2 tablespoons of adobo sauce from chipotle peppers (and additional chopped chipotles from the can if you like it hot). Add broth, and bring to a boil. Turn to low and let simmer until ready to serve.

Garnish with tortilla strips, avocado, sour cream, lime wedges, cilantro, cheese, and additional chopped chipotle peppers and sauce.