Turkey Tortilla Soup

5 from 1 vote

This is one of our favorite soups of all time. With layers of fabulous flavor it's a great way to use up leftover turkey (or chicken). We finish off a pot of this in no time flat. But that's okay cause it's super healthy and loaded with good stuff!

Prep Time25

Cook Time1

Total Time1 25

Course: Soup

Servings:

Calories: 316kcal

Author: Chris Scheuer

Ingredients

6 small corn tortillas
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion finely diced
¾ cup green spring onions, finely sliced
1 ¼ cups finely chopped cilantro about 1 medium size bunch*
6 medium cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 14½- ounce cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes If you can't find the fire-roasted tomatoes, just use regular, canned diced tomatoes.
10 cups low sodium chicken broth
6 cups diced or shredded leftover turkey or chicken
2 tablespoons lime juice
Optional toppings: crispy tortilla strips** thinly sliced green (spring) onions, coarsely chopped cilantro, diced avocado

Instructions

For the soup, stack the corn tortillas on top of each other. Cut pile in half. Cut each stack into ¼-inch thick strips, widthwise.
In a large Dutch oven or heavy-duty soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, green onions, cilantro, garlic, oregano, cumin, chili powder, paprika salt, pepper and brown sugar. Sauté for 8-10 minutes or until onions are translucent and tender. Add corn tortilla strips and sauté for another two minutes or until softened.
Add tomatoes and broth, then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 45 minutes, maintaining a steady simmer. (Tortilla strips should be melted into the broth by this point.) Add chicken and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add lime juice. Taste and more salt and peppe,r if needed.
Optional toppings for soup: crispy tortilla strips**, sliced green onion, chopped, fresh cilantro, diced avocado and/or lime wedges.

Notes

**For the crispy tortilla strips, preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a sheet pan with foil for easy clean up. Stack and cut 6 small tortillas in the same way as directed above in the soup recipe. Place strips on prepared sheet pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and toss lightly with your hands until all strips are coated with oil. Spread out, as much as possible, to a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven and toss with a spatula. Redistribute to an even layer and return to oven. Repeat until golden and crisp, a total baking time of 20-30 minutes.
**Even if you don't like cilantro, don't skip it here. When it's sautéed, then simmered, it looses all the fresh cilantro taste but adds amazing flavor to the soup!

Nutrition