Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Enjoy this comforting and creamy chicken tortilla soup that comes together in 30 minutes using a time-saving short cut.

Help yourself to a bowl of Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup! It’s good anytime of year but makes an especially comforting and hearty meal-in-a-bowl when it’s cold and rainy outside -> I’m looking at you North Carolina.

This is a keeper recipe, adapted from Martina McBride’s cookbook,

Martina’s Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist for Real Life

I made this soup several weeks ago, froze half and pulled out the second half to enjoy this week. I made just a couple of changes, one of which was using my ‘go to’ time saver: a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, ‘spit-fired around the cluck’ ;)

I like to use a rotisserie chickens for quick salads and soups. It’s also an easy and affordable way to make homemade chicken stock, using something that you usually throw away!

Add the chicken carcass to a Dutch oven or stock pot with some veggies, additional seasoning and water. After an hour or so of simmering on the stove you’ll have a fragrant and flavorful chicken stock that’s ready to use or freeze for later. You take advantage of the seasoning and flavor from the roasted chicken, while controlling the sodium in your homemade stock, better than store-bought!

You can find more details, HERE.

You’ll need 4 cups of shredded cooked chicken for this soup; I used both white and dark meat from the rotisserie chicken but feel free to use only chicken breasts if you prefer. The other change I made was subbing evaporated milk for regular milk and the cream called for in the soup. I like evaporated milk as it’s a pantry ingredient and ideal for our non-milk drinking household. It delivers thickening power and creaminess to soups/chowders, mac and cheese, etc. without the calories and fat of heavy cream. It can also take the heat and won’t break or curdle like milk often does in soup.

You’ll also need some Masa Harina. If you’re not familiar with Masa Harina, it’s a Mexican corn flour that’s naturally gluten free, used for making tortillas and tamales. You can find it on the international foods aisle at most grocery stores with other Mexican and Latin American ingredients. It’s often added to chili to thicken it and adds a subtle corn flavor.

In addition to masa and chicken, you’ll also need:

~  4 cups chicken stock

~ Fresh ingredients: Yellow onion, jalapeño, (seeded and chopped), garlic cloves + a tablespoon of oil

~ Seasoning: chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, salt & pepper

~ Canned ingredients: (2) cans tomatoes with diced green chiles (such as Rotel); black beans; pinto beans; evaporated milk

~ 1 cup corn; frozen, fresh or canned (I used Trader Joe’s frozen fire roasted corn)

~ Dairy: Sour Cream

To serve, add your favorite tortilla soup garnishes like shredded cheese, sour cream, diced avocado, sliced jalapeño, cilantro, green onion, lime wedges, corn tortilla chips and / or hot sauce .

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

A comforting, creamy version of chicken tortilla soup that comes together in 30 minutes with a rotisserie chicken for time-saving short cut.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: black beans, evaporated milk, masa harina, pinto beans, rotisserie chicken, short cut, soup

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 4 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken from grocery store)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth reduced sodium
• 1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion chopped
• 1 jalapeño seeded and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 10-ounce cans tomatoes with diced green chiles, undrained I used Rotel
• 1/3 cup masa harina
• 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 16-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn I used Trader Joe’s frozen fire roasted corn
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• Optional Garnishes: shredded cheese, sour cream, diced avocado, cilantro, diced green onions, lime wedges, corn tortilla chips, hot sauce

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add the onion and jalapeno; cook 5 minutes. Add the garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
• Add 4 cups broth, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and tomatoes.
• Whisk together the masa and evaporated milk until blended. Stir into the soup.
• Cook over medium-high, stirring frequently, 10 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens slightly.
• Stir in cooked chicken, black beans, pinto beans, and corn. Reduce the heat to low.
• Stir in sour cream. Serve with desired garnishes.

Notes

Substitute finely ground corn tortillas for masa to give the soup the same flavor, using a food processor to grind them up really fine.

Find more warming and hearty soups, HERE.

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