As a new bride (5 years ago this month- yay!), I bought a soup cookbook from Williams-Sonoma so I could learn to make easy, delicious soups for my new husband. I bookmarked a ton of recipes from the book but this one always stood out to me; it claimed to be a 15-minute soup. Intriguing! I tried it and found that not only was it a quick and easy recipe, it was super scrumptious! Joel fell in love with it and I’ve been making it religiously for 5 years now. In fact, this was the very first recipe I ever blogged waaaay back in April 2008 (isn’t it cute? The pictures are just terrible!)! I thought I’d go ahead and re-blog it since it never really got the attention it so deserves. Joel never gets tired of it and as soon as soup season rolls around every year, Chicken Tortilla Soup is his first request! I’m happy to make it for him as often as he wants because I happen to love it too and like I said before- it’s EASY. This isn’t your typical high-fat, loaded with tons of ingredients chicken tortilla soup. It’s base is a flavor-packed broth seasoned with chili powder, cumin and lots of lime juice (my favorite part!), and the zucchini is an authentic addition suggested by my friend Amanda’s mother. It’s simple, full of tons of great flavor and extremely satisfying!
Chicken Tortilla Soup
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I like to roast or poach bone-in chicken breasts until tender, then shred the meat. Additionally, you could also use a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
half an onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 small-medium zucchinis, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
juice from 2 large limes
salt and pepper to taste
Coat a large saucepan with olive oil over medium-high heat, add onion and zucchini and sautee until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle chile powder, salt and pepper and stir until fragrant. Pour in stock and bring to a boil. Add the shredded chicken, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the chicken is heated through. Add the lime juice and taste for seasoning. Ladle into bowls and top with and desired garnishes. Serves 4.
Garnish ideas:
crushed tortilla chips
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
sliced avocado
fresh cilantro
Recipe source: adapted from Williams-Sonoma’s Soup Made Fast
This looks delicious!
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Comment by Amy — September 12, 2011 @ 2:33 PM
Yum! I would make this just for the delicious sounding broth. And I love the zucchini addition.
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Comment by Kira — September 12, 2011 @ 3:09 PM
That sounds (and looks – yes, even in your 2008 photo) delicious! I’ve been married for 5 years, too – one of my husband’s favorite recipes is a chili powder-and-cumin-loaded turkey chili. I think he would definitely love this, and it sounds even easier/faster than chili! Thanks for sharing.
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Comment by Maia — September 12, 2011 @ 3:23 PM
Amy, your soup sounded so good, I e-mailed a friend who planned to meet me for lunch this week and I invited her to my house for THIS! 🙂
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amy Reply:
September 12th, 2011 at 8:02 PM
Aw thanks Kimby! I hope you and your friend enjoy it as much as Joel and I do!
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Comment by Kimby — September 12, 2011 @ 7:46 PM
I found you through Granny Mountain on Facebook… Glad I did! This looks wonderful and as my husband would say, “It should be good, it has all the right flavors in it.”
Can’t wait for the weather to cool down a bit so we can try this! ~ Lynda
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Comment by Lynda — September 13, 2011 @ 7:59 AM
I’ll be making this one soon. I made a variation on tortilla soup last night and, while good, it didn’t kill the craving. This looks exactly like what I was wanting!
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Comment by Kelsey — September 13, 2011 @ 12:33 PM
Happy Anniversary this month! 🙂 Cheers to many many many more! Thanks for all the great recipes! Just found your blog and am so excited to try out the delish recipes!
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Comment by bec — September 13, 2011 @ 11:47 PM
I am making this tonight ! ! ! Can’t wait to yell to the troops “Soup’s On ! ! !” They’ll love it, I just know it.
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amy Reply:
September 14th, 2011 at 5:28 PM
Awesome! I hope everybody enjoys it!
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Comment by Cheri — September 14, 2011 @ 3:55 PM
I can not wait to try this! It sounds so delicious 😀
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Comment by Jessica — September 14, 2011 @ 11:56 PM
I love your blog, this recipe looks great and your pictures are so pretty!
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Comment by Shannon | dinnerordessert — September 15, 2011 @ 10:52 AM
Yum! That looks great!
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Comment by Holly — September 15, 2011 @ 2:11 PM
Amy, I made this yesterday for my hubby! He loved it!! I think I got another marriage proposal…thanks!!
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amy Reply:
September 16th, 2011 at 4:37 PM
Haha! That’s great Diana! I’m so happy he enjoyed it!
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Comment by Diana — September 16, 2011 @ 4:33 PM
I love the idea of adding zucchini. Tortilla soup is one of my favorites, the more lime juice, the better!
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Comment by katie — September 17, 2011 @ 7:25 PM
Just made this soup in about 30 minutes. Much easier than chili and way better! Don’t skip out on the zucchini and I used rotisserie chicken which turned out great. I would definitely make this again.
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amy Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 9:52 PM
Great to hear it! Thanks!
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Comment by Anna — September 18, 2011 @ 9:34 PM
I love tortilla soup but have never had a version that includes zucchini! This sounds wonderful!
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Comment by natalie (the sweets life) — September 19, 2011 @ 10:18 AM
This sounds delicious! Do you think you could also make it in a crock pot?
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amy Reply:
September 22nd, 2011 at 2:46 PM
Sure. I’ve never done it but you could definitely try it.
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Comment by Liz — September 22, 2011 @ 1:56 PM
this is simmering on the stove right now. i am really wondering what it will be like without any sort of tomato… but VERY excited. smells delicious!
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Comment by cassie — September 28, 2011 @ 8:25 PM
[…] tonight for supper I made a very quick, easy and tasty chicken tortilla soup. Then I attempted to take an attractive picture of it. This proved impossible. It is possible […]
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Pingback by Links to Noms and a Little Rant - fluteloop — November 15, 2011 @ 9:52 PM
My family loves this dish…great recipe!
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Comment by haviland — December 4, 2011 @ 1:34 PM
I am one of those that is trying to eat healthier in 2012, so this immediately caught my eye. What a wonderful flavor the broth has!!! You are right, the lime makes it amazing!!! I cheated a bit and purchased reduced sodium chicken broth instead of making my own stock. I had never used the chipotle chili powder and loved the flavor that it gave. I will make this soup over and over and play around with it, perhaps adding a few more veggies and serve over a small serving of brown rice. It would even be fun to have a topping bar and serve to a group. Thank you for your wonderful blog and Happy New Year!!!!
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amy Reply:
January 3rd, 2012 at 12:35 PM
Those are great ideas! I’m so happy you enjoyed the soup- it’s an absolute favorite in our house!! Happy New Year to you, too!!
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Comment by Kristen — January 3, 2012 @ 12:24 PM
I made this last night and it was delicious and so easy!
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Comment by Michelle — January 11, 2012 @ 9:50 AM
This was easy to make and absolutely delicious. It’s a new favorite. Thank you!
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Comment by Kathryn — February 26, 2012 @ 6:40 PM
I have made a lot of chicken tortilla soup in my day and this is the simplest, and also, one of the best, i especially like the idea of adding the seasoning before the stock and the addition of zucchini is really nice too, thanks…
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Comment by Jposh — March 1, 2012 @ 3:50 PM
This was amazing! We made it for lunch today – I didn’t have shredded/rotisserie chicken so we just sauteed it with some seasonings and then started the recipe! Thanks so much for sharing, it’s a keeper for us 🙂
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Comment by Haley — March 10, 2012 @ 5:16 PM
I gotta favorite this website it seems extremely helpful extremely helpful.
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Comment by Gidget Pennant — March 25, 2012 @ 10:32 PM
Hey Amy,
I discovered your blog a few days ago by looking at foodgawker.com and saw the amazing sushi you made! I am currently going through chemotherapy as I was diagnosed w cancer in February. Since I am no longer able to work or go to school I have been cooking a lot, and I saw this soup on your page. I made it tonight for my family and absolutely LOVE it! I added black beans to get more protein, and have to say the flavor just in the broth is amazing! All in all, keep up this blog, it is so fun to read and look at, and congrats on your new daughter, she is SO adorable with the red hair! 🙂
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amy Reply:
May 8th, 2012 at 7:13 PM
Marisa- I am SO happy you found me and even happier you’ve found comfort in your kitchen (cooking is great therapy!). I am so touched by your comment and honored to have you as a reader. I am so sorry you’re having to go through chemo. Please know that you will be in my prayers. If you ever have a question about a recipe or suggestion, please let me know! All the best!
Amy
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Comment by Marisa — May 8, 2012 @ 6:25 PM
This looks really good and I love how quick it is! Your photo is still great! I just started a blog and mine are the ones that don’t look so great! I may have to take a photography class or get a new camera! LOL!
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Comment by Denise — June 26, 2012 @ 7:12 PM
[…] Chicken Tortilla Soup […]
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This sounds great, and I’m going to try it tonight. I stumbled upon your blog from Pinterest by searching for Chicken Tortilla Soup. It’s gross and rainy here in Atlanta due to rain from Hurricane Isaac, so this soup and a movie seems like the only cure for a dreary day. Thanks for sharing!
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Comment by Amanda — August 28, 2012 @ 3:14 PM
I have to be honest when I read that this took only 15 minutes I didn’t think it would taste as phenomenal as it does. Well good soups can happen in 15 minutes! Thanks so much – its delicious! I didn’t have chipotle powder so I used ancho.
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Comment by Leanna — September 15, 2012 @ 12:44 PM
seriously delish. made this today following your basic recipes with my own changes: some farmer’s market carrots, some frozen corn, substitued squash for zucchini, added potatos, only added cumin and chili powder in spice form. a little more garlic and some sliced fresh jalapeno. it was sooooooooooooo yummy! thank you!
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Comment by Monica DeLaCruz — September 16, 2012 @ 6:51 PM
This soup is AMAZING!!! Thank you so much for sharing, this one is a new favorite to be repeated for sure! (And repeated and repeated!) 🙂
Tips: I added sweet corn and a can of roasted tomatoes with green chilies – YUM! (And I garnished with tortilla chips and avocado – I’m in heaven!!!)
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Comment by Mandi — November 24, 2012 @ 9:53 PM
[…] Adapted from Sing for Your Supper […]
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[…] is not my original recipe, taken from a recipe found on Pinterest, originating from this source: singforyoursupperblog , and which I understand was originally adapted from a William-Sonoma […]
Pingback by Chicken Tortilla Soup | bandapear — December 30, 2012 @ 11:11 AM
Wow what a difference in the photography. I love seeing how far people have grown. I am working on improving my photography and it’s easier said than done! 🙂 The recipe sounds great also. Tammy
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Comment by Tammy Northrup {Yours and Mine ARE Ours} — March 1, 2013 @ 6:31 PM
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This recipe tastes great and is super easy. I like to add hominy to this to make the soup a bit more hearty.
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Comment by Erin — May 4, 2017 @ 7:37 PM
I’ve been making this soup for over 10 years, and just wanted to say thank you! It is amazing.
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Comment by Chana — January 4, 2024 @ 12:37 PM