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A smoky, comforting tortilla soup made with chipotle chiles, rotisserie chicken, and rich chicken stock. Easy to prepare, great for make-ahead meals, and finished with fresh toppings like avocado, lime, and queso fresco.
Print Recipe
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 white onions thinly sliced (about 4½ cups)
  • 6 garlic cloves thinly sliced (about 3 Tbsp.)
  • 3/4 tsp salt plus more to taste
  • 3 Tbsp chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce + 1/3 cup adobo sauce (from the can)
  • 2 fresh bay leaves
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds toasted and ground
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes, undrained (15oz)
  • 8 cups chicken stock
  • 4 cups pulled rotisserie chicken from 1 large chicken
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro stems
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves divided

Method
 

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften and brown around the edges, about 4 to 5 minutes.
  2. Stir in the chipotle chiles, adobo sauce, bay leaves, and ground cumin. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and well combined, about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid slightly reduces, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the onions are very soft and the flavors have melded, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
  4. Stir in the chicken and simmer until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cilantro stems and season with additional salt to taste.
  5. Serve hot, topped with cilantro leaves, avocado slices, lime wedges, pickled onions, queso fresco, and tortilla chips.

Notes

If you don't have cumin seeds, you’re fine - you can swap it straight across.  1 teaspoon cumin seeds (toasted & ground) = ~1 teaspoon ground cumin.  Pre-ground cumin is usually a touch less aromatic than freshly toasted-and-ground seeds. If your ground cumin is older, you might consider using 1¼ teaspoons instead of 1 to compensate.