Chile Verde Tortilla Soup
Chile Verde Tortilla Soup is a bold and flavorful take on chicken tortilla soup with green chiles, salsa verde, picante spices and crushed tortilla chips.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- 1 small red onion , diced
- 2 ribs celery , diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper , diced
- 1 medium poblano pepper , diced
- 4 ounces gold potatoes , cut into small 1/4" cubes
- 10 ounces Rotel diced tomatoes & green chiles , drained of most of their juices
- 12 ounces salsa verde
- 4 ounces canned mild green chiles , drained
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 8 tortilla chips , crushed*
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 cups shredded , pre-cooked chicken (e.g., leftovers or rotisserie chicken)
- 1/2 of a lime
- salt , as needed
- pinch of sugar
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro.
- whole tortilla chips , for serving
Suggested toppings:
- additional chopped fresh cilantro
- sliced green onions
- sliced avocado
- shredded pepper jack cheese or crumbled cotija
- chopped red onions
- pickled jalapenos
- sour cream or Mexican crema
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium in a 4 to 5 quart soup pot or Dutch oven until the surface of the oil shimmers.
- Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, poblano pepper, and potatoes, and saute until softened, about 8 minutes.
- Pour in the Rotel, salsa verde, and green chiles, along with the garlic, taco seasoning, and crushed tortilla chips. Stir well to mix with the aromatics.
- Add the broth and bring the soup up to an active simmer over medium-high heat. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in the fresh cilantro and the pre-cooked chicken.
- Add a squeeze of lime and a big pinch of sugar. Taste, adding salt as needed. (Because there are a lot of astringent peppers and vibrant acids in this soup, a pinch of sugar will balance the flavors.)
- Serve with whole tortilla chips and your favorite toppings.
Notes
* My recommendation is to use restaurant style tortilla chips, either just salted or "hint of lime" flavor.
If you're starting with fresh, raw chicken, I recommend cooking the chicken outside of the soup. That is, sear them first in the pot to an internal temp of 165ºF, before you start cooking the aromatics. Set aside, and shred once cooled, adding back to the soup per the recipe. If you have an air fryer, I highly recommend using Pinch of Yum's air fryer chicken breast recipe. You can season it per her recipe, or replace some of the spices with the taco seasoning used in the soup.