This spicy tortilla soup recipe is made with chicken or turkey, cilantro, onions, garlic, jalapeños, tomatoes, spices, poultry stock, and lime juice. This soup is served topped with monterrey jack cheese or queso fresco, tortilla chips, and avocado. Tortilla soup is usually made with chicken; however it’s very easy to also make it with turkey, and especially during the holiday season it’s a great way to use any Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. My uncle Clarence makes the best chicken tortilla soup, and he shared his family recipe – which I’ve slightly adapted using leftover cooked turkey or chicken. In his original recipe, he has a regular version and a “wild stuff” version of tortilla soup. The “wild stuff” version doubles the amount of cayenne pepper and uses the jalapeños with seeds/membranes included. I’ll let you decide which version you prefer, the regular one is spicy enough to make you feel it, without bringing tears to your eyes. Also, you can always add additional lime juice to help lower the spiciness level.
Chicken or turkey tortilla soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbs oil light olive oil, peanut or sunflower oil
- 1 ½ cup diced white or yellow onion
- 1 bunch of green onions finely chopped
- 1 bunch of cilantro finely chopped
- 2 jalapeños seeds removed (or not if you want the wild stuff version), diced
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tbs paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper double for wild stuff version
- 1 tsp sugar
- 6 roma tomatoes peeled and diced, about 2 cups
- 2 cups of turkey or chicken stock
- 2 cups of tomato juice
- 4 cups of shredded cooked turkey or chicken
- Juice from1 to 2 limes about 1/4 to ½ cup- adjust to taste or just serve with lime on the side
- Salt and pepper to taste
Garnishes:
- Grated monterrey jack cheese or queso fresco tortilla chips, avocado, cilantro, green onions and lime slices
Instructions
- Heat the oil in large pot, add the onions, green onions, cilantro, jalapeños, crushed garlic, paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Add the turkey or chicken stock, tomato juice and shredded turkey. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the lime juice and remove from the heat.
- Serve garnished with the grated cheese, tortilla chips, avocado, cilantro, green onions and lime slices.
I used store-bought chicken stock for this recipe, however you can also make turkey stock from the turkey bones if you want extra turkey flavor. The base for this soup is what it gives it flavor: onions, cilantro, garlic, jalapenos, spices and tomatoes.
It’s best if the tomatoes are peeled, this way you won’t end up with pieces of tomato skin in the soup. An easy way to peel the tomatoes for this soup – or for any other recipe where you need peeled tomatoes – is to make a cross cut on the top the tomato. Bring a pot of water to boil, add the tomatoes to the boiling water, remove them from the hot water as soon as you see the skin start to peel off where you made the cut, and put them in cold water. Then you can easily peel the tomato skin off. Riper tomatoes will peel very quickly, while the firmer ones might take up to a minute or two in the boiling water before they start peeling. Must-have garnishes for tortilla soup include grated or shredded monterrey jack cheese (or queso fresco), tortilla chips, and avocado. I also like to add some additional fresh cilantro, green onions and lime.
Step by step preparation photos for turkey or chicken tortilla soup
Amanda Kuilan says
October 16, 2018 at 2:34 pmI make this Every. Single. Winter!!! Everyone loves it!
Kris says
October 13, 2017 at 7:05 pmI stumbled across this recipe when seeking out new recipes for using turkey leftovers. Wow! So delicious! Just the right amount of heat and full of flavour. Will definitely make again!
Angela says
November 28, 2016 at 10:06 amI made this last night. It was really good but thought that half a cup of lime juice was too much as the lime flavor overpowered the soup. Any advice to cut the lime flavor in my leftovers?
Layla Pujol says
November 30, 2016 at 10:13 amYou can add some chicken/turkey broth to the soup – I’m updating the recipe to include a range of lime juice or just serving the soup with lime on the side.
LaChina says
November 27, 2016 at 5:10 pmThank you, it was ok the first day, but beyond good the next day!!!
M says
November 26, 2016 at 10:07 amHi, I just wanted to say this recipe has to be one of my favorite soup recipes to date! Exceptional work and thank you for sharing!
Tess says
September 29, 2015 at 5:43 pmMade this tonight. Awesome taste and delicious! Definitely will make again.
Pretty much followed recipe to a T. It is so good!
Megan says
December 1, 2014 at 1:39 pmIn searching for ways to use the remainder of my turkey, I stumbled upon this recipe. WOW, this is some of the best soup I have EVER tasted/made. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe! This will become one of my staples!
Chris says
November 15, 2014 at 6:05 pmLove, Love , Love this soup. Third year in a row. Couldn’t wait till thanksgiving this year!!!
Christina says
August 11, 2014 at 8:33 amMy family of four were happy with this soup. It had nice flavors.
Iva says
December 26, 2013 at 12:12 pmLaylita hermosa, algún queso europeo que pueda usar en lugar de aquel que recomiendas? Y a qué tipo de cebolla te refieres cuando dices amarilla y verde? Serán la perla y la de hoja o blanca (como se llama en Loja?)
Gracias :)
Layla Pujol says
December 27, 2013 at 12:38 amHola Iva – Si tienes alguno que se parezca al quesillo seria perfecto o tipo mozzarella pero no el super fresco. La cebolla amarilla es como la perla, pero un poco amarilla (es mas dulce cuando se cocina), y la verde es la de hoja. Saludos!
Iva says
December 27, 2013 at 6:22 amPues acabo de servir tu sopa y recibí muchos cumplidos. Me olvidé de la carne y la puse en el último segundo jajaja pero quedó deliciosa!
Marilyn says
December 5, 2013 at 10:12 pmI made this tonight and my family loved it! I added corn and used rotel instead of tomatoes. I also used Swanson Mexican tortilla broth. This was a simple recipe that I look forward to trying again.
Kalmia says
December 4, 2013 at 11:47 amHow many does this serve??
Layla Pujol says
December 5, 2013 at 9:00 am~ 6-8 people, more or less depending on the serving size
Amy says
December 2, 2013 at 9:43 amThis soup is so delicious! My family, guests, and I couldn’t believe how wonderful it was. Everyone loved it. I made turkey stock from the carcass then picked off the meat from that and added some more leftover meat. I also made a vegetarian version for one person with the same sofrito and tomato juice but added vegetable broth and chicken-less strips. She loved it, too!
Shaun says
November 4, 2013 at 4:52 pmFound this recipe through Pinterest and it is fabulous. Changed the recipe to shredded chicken and it has become a weekly staple! I love this recipe, thanks for sharing!
Jiggidy says
June 12, 2013 at 11:43 pmShared the leftovers with a co-worker the next day. He threw the spoon down in shock and awe at how good it was. Best chicken tortila soup I have evr have and I live in Southern CA where there is a mexican restaurant on every corner. Killer recipe. Thank you!
Stephanie says
February 21, 2013 at 8:23 pmMade this for dinner. It was amazing. Great flavor. The avacado makes it. Will definately make again.
Julia says
February 1, 2013 at 10:53 amThe food was smelling so good after the first 11 ingredients, that we just had to try it with a tortilla chip. My family of 4 decided that this needs to be remade for just pico & chips using the first 11 ingredients and the first 2 steps in the instructions. Just add the tomatoes & remove from the heat. Soup is super good and great as leftovers.
Vicky says
November 26, 2012 at 6:52 pmLaylita,
I am enjoying this wonderful and delicious soup! Perfect for the cold weather.
Thank you so much for your recipes. They make me and my family happy.
Cecilia says
November 25, 2012 at 4:09 pmAlways wanted to make Tortilla Soup. Made it today with the leftover turkey and wow this recipe was easy and delicious.
Thank you for sharing.
Tamika says
November 24, 2012 at 6:59 pmLaylita strikes again! I have been a fan for a while, but this is my first time posting. We literally just finished eating this, and my only regret is that I did not double the recipe so we could all have seconds! I took this recipe a step further and added a dollop of sour cream to my bowl, and, as my husband would say…riquisima! My suegra loved it, too!
My husband is from Guayaquil, and your site is where I go when I want to make him something special. Thanks for all you do and keep up the awesome work!
Laylita says
November 24, 2012 at 10:22 pmHi Tamika – Thanks for the feedback, glad to hear you (and the suegra) liked it!
Chris says
September 18, 2012 at 2:10 pmVery nice easy recipe. Turned out great & very fast & simple to make. I boiled a rotiseree chicken carcass with vegetables & whatever else I could find in the fridge all day to make a stock to add a PUNCH of flavor. Enjoy….
Teri says
August 27, 2012 at 7:01 pmI made this last night and used Chicken instead of Turkey, just because that’s what I had on hand. It was delish! I’ll definitely be making this one again.
Kathryn says
July 1, 2012 at 5:07 pmMade this tonight and it was amazing. I needed to use up all my farmers market leftovers and some chicken from last night. This was PERFECT and so so tasty. THANK YOU!
Kristin says
April 23, 2012 at 8:05 amI made this with chicken last night to bring to work with me this week. It’s great for weight watchers, lots of veggies, protein, and avocado for just the right amount of fat…thanks for the recipe , so delicious!
amelia says
January 23, 2012 at 8:20 amThanks for the great recipe!
The pics are just wonderful and beautiful and so perfectly composed.
I added this dish to my recipe round-up on my blog!
thanks again!
amelia
Kristine says
January 12, 2012 at 9:41 amLaylita, I made this last night and it was FANTASTIC! I was looking for something that was like Chili’s Tortilla Soup when they use to make it (now they make an enchilada soup) I did use rotisserie chicken and chicken broth, but still it was so wonderful. I will double it next. There wasn’t enough! Thank You for the recipe. I have pinned it and made similar comments. Kristine
louise de lima says
November 29, 2011 at 10:43 pmOh my goodness, how delicious!!
Laura says
November 27, 2011 at 2:29 pmI just made this for lunch today and it was fabulous! I substituted the turkey with chicken and used queso quesadilla cheese. So yummy, thank you!
Debbie says
November 27, 2011 at 2:13 pmDelicious! I made it last night for dinner.
Joan Nova says
November 26, 2011 at 12:17 pmWonderful! I love the freshness of avocado, cilantro, green onions and lime!
Carrie @ Tiki Tiki Blog says
November 26, 2011 at 6:11 amLaylita, this looks divine…and I am very glad you are back.