Chicken tortilla soup is a soup that eats like a meal. It is loaded with chicken, tortillas and lots of garnishes.

This is pretty authentic chicken tortilla soup. There are a couple of tweaks that might get me in trouble with purists. But if you want a satisfying bowl that’s better than your local Mexican joint read on.

Poach the chicken in chicken stock

This is soup. And the backbone of soup is stock. So it makes sense to try to get every bit of chicken flavour into your soup. At least it makes sense to me.

That starts with gently cooking the chicken in the stock. That’s a trick you should always use. Gently poach your chicken in stock. Gently is the operative word here. You want to take your time. Bring the chicken up to an internal temperature of 175F.

If you have time then put the chicken bones back into the stock after you remove the chicken. Cook it some more. There’s flavour in those bones.

Mexican chicken tortilla soup or sopa de tortilla is a meal in a bowl. - 1 Chicken tortilla soup in a blue bowl from above. - 2 Chicken tortilla soup in a blue bowl from above. - 3 Chicken tortilla soup closeup from the front. - 4

chicken tortilla soup - sopa de tortilla

Ingredients

The chicken stock

  • 10 cups chicken stock no sodium or homemade
  • 8 chicken thighs skin removed
  • 2 tsp kosher salt

Chicken tortilla soup

  • 2 onions
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 28 oz can fireroasted tomatoes
  • 3 corn tortillas
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 chipotle in adobo
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 cups cooked black beans
  • vegetable oil to shallow fry tortillas

Garnishes

  • avocado
  • cheese - cotija works really well
  • sour cream
  • jalepenos
  • green onions
  • fried tortilla strips
  • lime

Instructions

Poach the chicken

  • Bring the stock to a simmer. Add the chicken.
  • Simmer gently until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 175F. This takes 15-20 minutes.
  • Remove the chicken from the stock. Allow to cool. Remove the chicken from the bones. Shred. Set aside. The chicken is perfectly done at this point. If you have time return the bones to the stock and continue to cook. Otherwise keep them for making stock.
  • If desired strain the stock. There will be little bits floating in it. It’s not a big deal.

Roast the onions and garlic

  • Heat a comal or cast iron frying pan over medium heat. Slice the onions into 1 inch thick slices. Peel the garlic.
  • Put the onions and garlic in the dry pan. Keep flipping the garlic. After a few minutes check the onion. If the bottom is browned flip.
  • Keep flipping the garlic. When it has little charred blisters remove it. The onion is done when it gets soft.

Fry the tortillas

  • Slice the tortillas in strips. You need 3 for the soup plus another 4-5 for garnish.
  • Heat enough oil to shallow fry in a skillet. Add about one tortillas worth of strips and fry, moving them around with tongs, until golden. Remove into a bowl lined with paper towel. Sprinkle with a bit of salt. You are making tortilla chips here. Repeat until all the tortilla strips are cooked. Set aside.
  • When you have fried 3 tortillas worth set them aside separately. They go into the soup. The rest are garnish.

Make the chicken tortilla soup

  • Combine the tomatoes, 3 fried tortillas, onion, garlic, cumin and chipotle in a blender or food processor. Puree.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the pot the soup will wind up in. Add the tomato puree. Fry, covered, for about 10 minutes. Covered is important. The puree will bump. Messy. And hot.
  • Add the stock. Stir to combine. Taste for salt. You will need more. Probably a fair bit more. Creep up on it.
  • Add the black beans and simmer around 10 minutes. Add the chicken to warm through.
  • Put a few tortilla strips in the bottom of the bowl. Add the soup. Make sure to distribute the black beans and chicken evenly. Garnish as you like and enjoy.

Nutrition

Dal palak is a creamy lentil curry that adds spinach to make it something special. This is a great flavour combination you need to try.

If you like spinach. And you like lentils. Then you are going to love this dish. It makes a great side dish to any Indian meal. It’s healthy. Vegan. Low fat. High fibre. Gluten free. Inexpensive. All the check boxes ticked. And somehow still delicious.

Dal palak in a bowl from above. - 5

Tempering adds a flavour bomb to dal palak

Tempering is a fancy word for a little spicy sizzle to finish off any lentil curry. Some people call it a tarka. Or tarda even. Not sure why there’s so many names for the same thing. Doesn’t really matter though.

What matters is it’s a great technique to learn. And to use every time you make dal. Any dal.

Nothing to it really. Heat up some oil. Fry some spices to bloom the flavours. Mix it into your dal spinach mixture. Instant flavour bomb. Indian cooking magic.

Dal palak in a copper bowl with curries and rice. - 6

This is dal palak done restaurant style

You can make this to order. 10 minutes top. Once you have your lentils cooked.

In a restaurant they have a bunch of cooked masoor dal ready to go. They add some spinach to a portion of dal. Whip up the tempering and out the door it goes.

It’s not quite the same at home but the idea is the same. Cook your lentils. Once they are ready it’s pretty much identical. Lentils. Spinach. Tempering. Dinner. Easy as that.

Dal palak, lemon chicken with coriander and rice in bowls from above. - 7

Amchoor gives it a bit of tang

Amchoor is my new secret weapon for lentil dishes. I use it in my over the top chana masala and I use it here. It’s dried mango powder. You can get it at any Indian grocer. You need to get some. It’s that good.

It adds an earthy, slightly sour flavour. Hard to describe. Kind of like tamarind. But different. If you can’t get amchoor, tamarind will do in a pinch.

Spinach and lentils go great together

When I first started cooking Indian some time in the Bronze age I found a recipe for lentils and spinach in a Madhur Jaffrey cookbook. I made it and I loved it. Been playing with the flavour combinations since then.

This version of dal palak is my current favourite. I love the combination of the whole cumin and mustard seeds with the ground spices.

The earthiness of the lentils and amchoor tame the sharper taste of the spinach. It just comes together nicely. So I’m sticking with this one for a while.

Dal palak. Lentil curry with spinach. Really tasty stuff.

Dal palak close-up in a copper bowl. - 8

dal palak – lentil curry with spinach

Ingredients

Spice Mix

  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder
  • 2 tsp indian restaurant spice mix or curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp amchoor powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste at the end

cook the lentils

  • 1 cup red split lentils (masoor dal)
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 3 1/2 cups water

dal palak

  • 3 tbsp neutral oil (e.g. vegetable)
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds
  • 2-3 dried kashmiri chilies
  • 1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
  • the spice mix
  • 9 oz cooked spinach (frozen works well here)
  • the cooked lentils

Instructions

Make the spice mix

  • Combine the cumin powder, Kashmiri chili powder, restaurant spice mix, amchoor powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

Cook the lentils

  • Combine the water, turmeric and lentils in a pot large enough to also hold the spinach (you will add that later). Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until the lentils disintegrate. You are after creamy mush here.
  • Set aside.

Make the tempering

  • Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the cumin seed and mustard seed to the hot oil.
  • When the cumin and mustard seed starts to crackle (around 30 seconds) add the whole, dried chilies. As soon as they start to discolour add the garlic ginger paste.
  • Stir until the garlic ginger paste stops sputtering.
  • Reduce the heat to medium low and add the spice mix. Stir to combine and cook for about 30 seconds. Be careful not to let the spices burn.
  • Add this tempering to the lentils. Stir to combine.
  • Add the drained spinach. Mix well. Reheat the dal palak gently over low heat if needed. Taste and adjust the salt. Lentils do take a fair bit of salt but creep up carefully. You can add salt. You can’t take it away.

Nutrition

chicken tortilla soup - 9