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Today is Mexican Independence Day and we are celebrating with a Chicken Tortilla Soup authentic Mexican recipe. The sopa de tortilla is made with chicken broth, tomatoes, chile ancho, and pasilla, and of course with stripped fried tortillas. What makes this Mexican Soup something traditional and unique is the flavor that epazote brings to this authentic chicken tortilla soup.
What is Epazote
Epazote is a small green leaf plant very used for Mexican Food in the south of Mexico. You can find Epazote in Mexican supermarkets around the country. If you can’t find epazote you can use a whole bunch of cilantro instead, it is not the same but cilantro will bring more flavor to the soup. I find Epazote at Chicago at Cermark Supermarket, Pete’s, Tony’s, Carnicería Jímenez, and all the other small Mexican Supermarkets. You usually find it next to cilantro and parsley.
Tortilla Soup Recipe Ingredients
- 2 cups of epazote (a whole bunch)
- 6 tomatoes
- ½ onion
- 2 Chile pasilla (use guajilo if you can’t find it)
- 1 chile ancho
- 4 garlic cloves
- 20 tortillas
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- ½ cup cilantro
- 1 /2 tablespoon salt
- 4 chicken quarters or 1 chicken breast
- 1 Avocado
- 5oz Queso fresco or panela
- 4 tablespoons Mexican cream or sour crema
How to make Authentic Sopa de Tortillas
I have been reading other recipes for Sopa de Tortilla and I really get impressed by how much foods that people consider Mexican is added to traditional Mexican recipes. We would never EVER have beans in a tortilla soup neither less elote… no corn amigas!! gosh! no cummin. In American restaurants that serve Mexican food, they love to add cumin to ALL Mexican food! we do not use cummin on everything for sure! and Tortilla Soup flavor comes from the smoothness of a homemade tomato sauce, in a combination with some delicious dry chiles and the epazote that you can substitute with cilantro. Actually, authentic Mexican Tortilla Soup does not have chicken on it! although I must recognize that is a good idea as it becomes a complete meal. Carbs, veggies, and protein at the same plate! and it tastes delicious for sure!
Tortilla Soup in Instant Pot and Air Fryer recipe!
I love my Instant Pot it is such a time saver. I made the chicken broth and cooked the chicken for the tortilla soup at the Instant Pot and it came out delicious and fast! I also used the air fryer to cook the veggies for the tomatoes soup much faster! also instead of fry the tortillas in a deep bed of oily fry them at the air fryer and they came out perfectly! You could add the tomatoes and other ingredients straight with the chicken but it tastes very different. Roast the veggies for the soup really take flavors to another level.
Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe Step by Step
- Add 8 cups of water to a pot
- Add two garlic cloves
- 1 hand full of cilantro
- ¼ onion
- ½ tablespoon of salt
- 4 Chicken quarters or 1 chicken breast
- Set to boil for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cook. If you cook in Instant Pot use the poultry button option.
- Spread cooking oil on 6 tomatoes, two garlic cloves, and one-quarter of an onion, as well on both sides of two tortillas.
- Place the tomatoes, garlic, and onion in the air fryer as well as the tortillas and let it cook for 5 minutes at 400 Fahrenheit. Remember to shake the air fryer basket after two minutes. You can also make it on a griddle at medium heat and flipping the ingredients over once in a while so they can cook evenly. It will take you about 20 minutes.
- The next step is to get rid of the branches and seeds of 1 chile ancho and 1 chile pasilla. Let the chiles soaking in hot water for 10 minutes. Make sure they are covered in water so the chiles can rehydrate. If you are not very into spicy use only one chile pasilla.
- Now place the tomatoes, the garlic, onion, and the two tortillas as well as the chiles in the blender. Blend until liquify.
- Now separate the chicken from the broth and also take off the pieces of garlic, cilantro, and onion from it.
- Add the water you used to rehydrate the chiles to the chicken broth and use a sieve to pour the salsa we made into the chicken broth.
- Now add about 2 cups or a bunch of epazotes and 1 salt to taste the soup (I used 1 tablespoon) and let it boil for 15 minutes. After that the epazote or cilantro out os the soup.
How to Crisp Tortillas for Tortilla Soup Mexican Recipe
- Cut the tortilla edges so you can get a square and cut the tortillas in strips.
- Spread some cooking oil on the tortillas, mix and add a little more and then place them in the Air Fryer and let them fry for 5 minutes at 400 Fahrenheit mixing every 2 minutes or until they are crispy. If you want to fry them the traditional way set a bed of oil in a pot and let it boil, turn the heat down and add a badge of tortillas. When you see they are crispy place them on a few pieces of kitchen napkins so they can absorb the oil. It takes about 2 minutes for every badge of tortillas to crisp.
- Cut the branch of the chile pasilla . With some kitchen, scissors cut thin slices of the pasilla and then spread some oil on it at let it cook on a griddle for about 10 seconds continuously flipping them over. As soon as they start to smell they are ready. Take them out of the griddle or they can’t take a bitter flavor if they pass the heat.
- Now place some crispy tortillas in a bowl and add the soup on top. You can also add some shredded chicken. Add on top small pieces of queso fresco, avocado, chile pasilla (the one we toasted) and Mexican crema or sour cream.
What ingerdients Tortilla Soup recipe has on top
We always add some queso fresco or panel in little squares, avocado, and Mexican crema on top. Sprinkle some of the chile pasillas that we toasted on the grill. This chicken tortilla soup is ready amigos! I hope you enjoy this authentic Mexican Recipe and remember to follow me on Instagram and YouTube!
This spicy hot broth will bring you happiness!
Instant Pot made easy Birria recipe with the traditional ingredients for tender and juicy beef or carne de chivo! Check out recipe.
Instant Pot Barbacoa recipe
Easy and delicious with ingredients easy to find! Homemade Mexican barbacoa. Check out recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of epazote
- 6 tomatoes
- ½ onion
- 2 chiles pasilla (use guajilo if you can't find it)
- 1 chile ancho
- 4 garlic cloves
- 20 tortillas
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- ½ cup of cilantro
- ½ tbsp of salt
- 4 chicken quarters or 1 chicken breast
- 1 avocado
- 5 oz Queso fresco or panela
- 4 tbsp of Mexican cream or sour crema
Instructions
- Add 8 cups of water to a pot
- Add two garlic cloves
- 1 hand full of cilantro
- ¼ onion
- ½ tablespoon of salt
- 4 Chicken quarters or 1 chicken breast
- Set to boil for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cook. If you cook in Instant Pot use the poultry button option.
- Spread cooking oil on 6 tomatoes, two garlic cloves, and one-quarter of an onion, as well on both sides of two tortillas.
- Place the tomatoes, garlic, and onion in the air fryer as well as the tortillas and let it cook for 5 minutes at 400 Fahrenheit. Remember to shake the air fryer basket after two minutes. You can also make it on a griddle at medium heat and flipping the ingredients over once in a while so they can cook evenly. It will take you about 20 minutes.
- The next step is to get rid of the branches and seeds of 1 chile ancho and 1 chile pasilla. Let the chiles soaking in hot water for 10 minutes. Make sure they are covered in water so the chiles can rehydrate. If you are not very into spicy use only one chile pasilla.
- Now place the tomatoes, the garlic, onion, and the two tortillas as well as the chiles in the blender. Blend until liquify.
- Now separate the chicken from the broth and also take off the pieces of garlic, cilantro, and onion from it.
- Add the water you used to rehydrate the chiles to the chicken broth and use a sieve to pour the salsa we made into the chicken broth.
- Now add about 2 cups or a bunch of epazotes and 1 salt to taste the soup (I used 1 tablespoon) and let it boil for 15 minutes. After that the epazote or cilantro out os the soup.
- Cut the tortilla edges so you can get a square and cut the tortillas in strips.
- Spread some cooking oil on the tortillas, mix and add a little more and then place them in the Air Fryer and let them fry for 5 minutes at 400 Fahrenheit mixing every 2 minutes or until they are crispy. If you want to fry them the traditional way set a bed of oil in a pot and let it boil, turn the heat down and add a badge of tortillas. When you see they are crispy place them on a few pieces of kitchen napkins so they can absorb the oil. It takes about 2 minutes for every badge of tortillas to crisp.
- Cut the branch of the chile pasilla . With some kitchen, scissors cut thin slices of the pasilla and then spread some oil on it at let it cook on a griddle for about 10 seconds continuously flipping them over. As soon as they start to smell they are ready. Take them out of the griddle or they can't take a bitter flavor if they pass the heat.
- Now place some crispy tortillas in a bowl and add the soup on top. You can also add some shredded chicken. Add on top small pieces of queso fresco, avocado, chile pasilla (the one we toasted) and Mexican crema or sour cream.
Laura creates content in Spanish and English for a community of over 3 million followers and has been recognized as one of the most influential Latinas in the US, Latinos 40 under 40 in Chicago.
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