Tortilla Soup (Sopa Azteca)

Bowl of tortilla soup with tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro, sour cream and lime

December 28, 2023

Sopa azteca (tortilla soup) is the classic, comforting something-from-nothing meal. Leftover tortillas are sliced and fried into crispy strips that melt into a rich, tomato-y chicken broth flavored with smoky chile pasilla and fresh epazote, if you can find it. Shredded leftover or rotisserie chicken makes this even quicker to throw together. The garnishes are up to you: we keep it simple with cubed avocado, queso fresco, crema, and a very generous squeeze of lime (okay, cilantro if you've got it on hand).

Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

4 Roma tomatoes
1 medium onion, cut into quarters
3 garlic cloves
1 dried chile pasilla
2 quarts chicken broth
1 sprig of epazote
Day-old tortillas
Cooking oil for frying
Salt, to taste
Shredded chicken

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Avocado, cubed
Crema
Shredded or crumbled cheese
Lime wedges

Directions

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Char the tomatoes, onion, and garlic on a comal or skillet until blackened all around.
Place the dried chile pasilla in hot water and let it soak for five minutes.
Once softened, remove the chile pasilla from water and take out the stem and seeds.
In a blender, combine the chile pasilla, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and 2 quarts of chicken broth. Blend the mixture until very smooth.
Pour the blended mixture into a pot and place it on the stove. Add a sprig of epazote to the pot. Simmer the soup over medium heat for 10 minutes.

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Cut day-old tortillas into quarter-inch strips.
Heat cooking oil in a deep fryer or deep pan.
Fry the tortilla strips until they are crispy and golden brown.
Remove from the oil and place them on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
Sprinkle with salt while still warm.

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To serve, place a generous amount of shredded chicken and cubed avocado at the bottom of each bowl. Toss in a handful of the crispy tortillas. Pour the soup over top, then garnish with crema and shredded or crumbled cheese. Finally, squeeze a generous amount of fresh lime juice over each bowl and serve.

1 comment

BOO | January 23, 2026

Ok no epazote for me & easy on those white onion (should have used Spanish Onion)
Was this Mex. Soup ever so rich, spicy, hot goodness on this coldest day on earth. Used the cotija cheese, made my own tortilla strips, avocado, plenty of lime. Thank you, thank you. did use a pinch of cumin for chicken.