Make Ahead

Tortilla Soup

by:
May 16, 2011
4.7
3 Ratings
  • Serves 6-8
Author Notes

This is my version of my mom's tortilla soup. There are a multitude of variations (fresh or canned corn, diced red or green pepper, and pinto or black beans instead of hominy, for example), but in its basic form many of the ingredients are canned or relatively inexpensive. While delicious and filling on its own, it's even better when topped with a little shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro and/or tortilla chips. It is a simple one-pot soup that can be eaten for days (so cost per serving is pretty dirt cheap). - PippaG —PippaG

Test Kitchen Notes

Yummy soup! I loved the addition of tomatoes and especially hominy which was just fantastic. Adding a good amount of tomato makes it blend up slightly thick and not watery at all, which was great, and the chile adds a deep, smoky flavor. I used a chile de arbol and a couple of dried chipotle chiles and skipped the chile powder. I also used bone-in chicken legs instead of breasts, simmered them in some water and onion and used that for stock because I didn't have any homemade. I think that's a good option if you have the time, although I'm sure the recipe is great with breast as written. It made a big pot of soup and definitely satisfied the low cost per serving requirement. Everyone loved it! - Arathi —Arathi

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 28 ounces diced tomatoes (large can)
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 28 ounces hominy, drained and rinsed (large can)
  • 1 dried red chile pepper
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 bunch cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder (I use smoked chipotle powder)
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 small can diced hatch green chiles
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
Directions
  1. Poach chicken breasts in simmering water for 20 minutes. Remove, let cool and shred.
  2. Heat dried chile for 2 minutes in dry soup pot on medium heat. Remove and soak in small bowl of warm water. When softened, remove seeds and stem. Chop into pieces.
  3. Saute onion in 2 tbs neutral oil (like canola) until softened. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, and green chiles and saute for 3 minutes. Cool slightly.
  4. Combine onion mixture, dried chile, canned tomatoes, chicken broth and 1/2 cup cilantro in a blender. When fully blended, add back to the soup pot (passing through a strainer for the best texture).
  5. Warm through, adding shredded chicken and hominy.
  6. Garnish with shredded monterey jack or cheddar, a tablespoon of sour cream or plain yogurt, chopped cilantro, and tortilla chips or strips of corn tortilla quickly fried in oil.
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