Tortilla Soup is a standard at most Mexican restaurants, but I think the best tortilla soup I ever had was in Scottsdale. I used to live there and my go-to lunch was often this soup. From the Hyatt, to the Camelback Inn to Manuel’s to Los Sombreros, everyone had their own version. Some with grilled corn, others with more of a spicy chicken broth, others that had spicy jalapeños. They were all good, but the soup that stood out to me the most had the most amazing rich tomato chicken broth. Smoky Spicy Tortilla Soup. It was subtlety spicy and smoky at the same time and instead of corn it had black beans and peppers.
Smoky Spicy Tortilla Soup
So needing a Tortilla Soup fix the other day, I decided to experiment and see how close I could come to that soup. I remember that it tasted like it had been simmering forever. So I got out my trusty slow cooker. I had some chicken tenders, so after cutting them in large chunks, they went in first. Next came the broth. There’s no better chicken broth that Manischewitz. It tastes like it’s been slow simmered for Hours with lots of vegetables. It’s that good.
And then came the tomatoes. You can use fresh, but the canned are just fine in this recipe and the added bonus with canned is the sauce. I added Marzano tomatoes in its sauce. It’s just richer. Then in went the black beans that I had drained, as well as garlic. But I remember that there was chiles in the soup, so I added a small can of diced chiles. These were mild but you could really kick up the spices with diced jalapeños if you’d like. Me? I prefer it to be spicy but not throat burning.
For the spices, Chile powder of course. But for an extra smoky taste, I used Chipotle Chile powder as well as smoked Paprika, along with the juice of one lime. And that was it. I let cook slowly on low for 7 hours or so. And I have to say, it was darn close to that fabulous soup I had. It was rich, spicy, smoky and had a huge depth of flavor because of the simmering. And to finish, of course, I had to load it up with tortilla chips, avocados, a touch of sour cream and cheese. It’s a perfect meal all by itself.
If you like this recipe, please leave a comment below and pin us on Pinterest!
Smoky Spicy Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Chicken, boneless and skinless Cut in bite sized pieces
- 1 Quart Chicken broth, low sodium
- 1 14.5 oz can Tomatoes Marzano with sauce is best
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Chipotle Chile Powder
- 2 Tsp Cumin
- 3/4 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1/4 Tsp Pepper
- 1 14.5 oz can Black beans Drained and rinsed
- 1 Lime Juiced
- 1 Cup Tortilla Chips
- 1/2 Cup Cheddar cheese Shredded
- 1 Avocado Diced
- 2 Tbsp Sour Cream
Instructions
- Place cut up chicken in slow cooker turned to the low setting.
- Add chicken broth, tomatoes, garlic, Chipotle Chile powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, drained and rinsed black beans and the lime juice. Allow to simmer together 7 hours.
- Top each serving with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, diced avocado and sour cream.
Nutrition
