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Chicken Tortilla Soup Chili

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Everyone’s favorite spicy Tex-Mex soup crossed with the cozy textures of your classic red chili: this Chicken Tortilla Soup Chili is one of my new obsessions!

Everyone’s favorite spicy Tex-Mex soup crossed with the cozy textures of your classic red chili: this Chicken Tortilla Soup Chili is one of my new obsessions!

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Chicken tortilla soup is one of the greatest Tex-Mex dishes to exist — at least in my opinion. Still, you don’t want to go out with a bunch of your friends to get Mexican and… well…order soup. Yes, it sometimes works as a starter, but that can be a lot with your salsa, guac, and queso situations. And yes, you could order it as your main meal, but it’s usually not substantial enough if you’re hungry. It’s quite the issue if you ask me. Hence, I dreamt up the perfect solution: this Chicken Tortilla Soup Chili has the hardiness of a real chili dinner, yet the wonderful flavors from the starter we all know and love. It’s truly one of my favorite meals I’ve made in a while.

the breakdown…

This Chicken Tortilla Soup Chili could not be easier. Made in entirely one pot and done in about half an hour, this is the perfect weeknight dinner. To start things off, you’ve got to saute some onion and ground chicken. I always like to toss my onion into my pot before my meat, just because I like it to get extra caramelized without having to dry out my meat. Onions release so much sweetness if you give them enough time!! 

Once my chicken has a nice browned exterior, it’s time to add in your pumpkin and tomato paste. While they both have a bit of an earthy flavor, I really add these two ingredients for textural purposes. Pumpkin is one of my all time favorite ways to turn just about any soup, sauce, or, in this case, chili into a creamy masterpiece. Without having to add any dairy products, you get a super thick broth — just perfect for a chili. Plus, with that little bit of tomato paste, you’re still getting your classic tomato-based type of chili. You could also use mashed beans instead of using the pumpkin, but I would only do that if you can’t find pure pumpkin puree… three cans is a lot of beans!!

Everyone’s favorite spicy Tex-Mex soup crossed with the cozy textures of your classic red chili: this Chicken Tortilla Soup Chili is one of my new obsessions!

all the flavor…

With those textural components, I go ahead and all in all the flavor at this stage. I’m talking a ton of diced garlic, a jalapeño, some cumin, oregano, paprika, and chili powder. Now, this may seem like a spice overload, but, in all likelihood, your chili powder will not be very spicy. I’ve only run into a few brands that actually pack a punch, so my advice is to just know what you’re working with. Oh, and, when I label paprika without any prefix (such as sweet, plain, smoked, etc), I do so because “paprika” is really the same thing as “sweet paprika.” So, as long as you’re not using smoked paprika, there won’t be any spice from that. Still, if you are very spice prone, you could definitely half the jalapeño. It will still be delicious! Really, these flavors are all thrown into the mix to give this soup some flavor — not to burn your mouth off.

Once all of your spices have toasted and your garlic is fragrant, it’s time to pour in the bulk of it. With some crushed tomatoes for that tomato-y base AND enchilada sauce, this soup is seriously out of this world. If you wanted to work from your pantry, you could also use regular tomato sauce. Personally, however, I always say the more flavor the better. Lastly, stir in some chicken broth to give the Chicken Tortilla Soup Chili a bit of a body, and of course those beans and corn. Beans and corn are essential to any chicken tortilla soup. Frozen, canned, dried, raw… you could use it all. You could even substitute the black beans for white beans, chickpeas, or even lentils. This is seriously such a versatile dish… but you’ve got to include the corn and beans somehow!

Everyone’s favorite spicy Tex-Mex soup crossed with the cozy textures of your classic red chili: this Chicken Tortilla Soup Chili is one of my new obsessions!

toppings on toppings!!

After letting those flavors mesh for a bit, I like to throw in a bit of lime juice and cilantro for some freshness. Stir it up and then get to serving! This is where you can seriously go crazy. I love to top mine with all the goods… aka more cilantro, tortilla chips, avocado, greek yogurt, and shredded cheddar. There’s nothing better than melty cheese on chili. Nothing. 

That being said, maybe going overboard with toppings is not your thing. That’s what’s so great about chili. You can set up a “build your own chili” bar and let everyone assemble to their liking! Personally, I think chili is a super underrated dinner party option. Whether it’s game day, a family gathering, or just a cozy dinner party, everyone loves chili. I would even argue that you could set out two chilis… maybe a white chili or my Butternut Squash Kale and Turkey Chili? Oh, and definitely throw out some cornbread, rolls, and possibly even a salad to go with it. Voila! Easy dinner for a crowd. Better yet? You could serve this Chicken Tortilla Soup Chili with my Chicken Birria Enchiladas or Crispy Black Bean Tomato and Mushroom Tacos with Avocado Crema for a Mexican inspired dinner. Really, though, this Chicken Tortilla Soup Chili is wonderful standing alone, too. In fact, I’m making it for an easy weeknight dinner tonight!

I hope you love this Chicken Tortilla Soup Chili as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below:))

Chicken Tortilla Soup Chili

Recipe by Annie PatrickCourse: Main Course, Soup, Chili, Lunch, DinnerCuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex, AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Total time

35

minutes

Everyone’s favorite spicy Tex-Mex soup crossed with the cozy textures of your classic red chili: this Chicken Tortilla Soup Chili is one of my new obsessions!

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 yellow onion, diced

  • 1 lb ground chicken

  • 1 cup pumpkin puree

  • 2 tbsp tomato paste

  • 1 tsp cumin

  • 1 tsp dried oregano

  • 1 tsp paprika

  • 2 tsp chili powder

  • salt and pepper, to taste

  • 4 cloves garlic, finely diced

  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced

  • 1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes

  • 1 15 oz can mild red enchilada sauce

  • 3 cups chicken broth

  • 2 cups corn, fresh or frozen

  • 2 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

  • ½ cup cilantro (plus more for serving)

  • 1 lime, juiced

  • Tortilla chips (homemade or store bought), to serve*

  • 1-2 diced avocados, to serve

  • Sour cream or greek yogurt, to serve

  • Shredded cheddar cheese, to serve

Instructions

  • In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, toss in the onion and sauce for 2-3 minutes. Then, toss in the ground chicken and cook for another 2-3 minutes, breaking the chicken up with a spoon as you go. Once the chicken is browned, stir in the pumpkin, tomato paste, cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic, and jalapeño. Sauce for another 1-2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant.
  • Pour in the crushed tomatoes, enchilada sauce, chicken brown, corn, and beans. Bring the liquids to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10-20 minutes.
  • Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Divide the soup among your bowls and top with tortilla chips, extra cilantro, some avocado, a scoop of sour cream or greek yogurt, and some shredded cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

Notes

  • To make homemade tortilla chips, slice 3 flour or corn tortillas into strips. In a heavy bottomed pot or pan, heat about 1/2 an inch of oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, toss in your tortilla strips and allow to fry for about 3 minutes on each side.
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