By: Jessica BeacomUpdated: 8/16/21
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Grab a spoon and some avocados… This hearty Chicken Tortilla-less Soup will have you coming back for seconds!
Soup is life
End of post. Kidding.
You know I can’t stop there. Give me something food-related to talk about and I can go on for hours (ask Stacie – she’s witnessed this more times than she can probably count). But, seeing as it’s Sunday and I need to get in the kitchen for a weekly meal prep sesh, I’m just gonna hit the highlights and say that I freaking love soup.
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Soup is my go-to breakfast most days of the week and right now I’m totally crushing on this Chicken Tortilla-less Soup. But it’s also great for lunch and dinner. I just happen to like my soup before noon because it’s a great way to get in a bunch of veggies and healing bone brothwith very little sugar (just what’snaturally occurring in the veggies). Because the last thing I want is mid-morning cravings and a sugar crash. Ain’t nobody got time for sugar crashing.
Do you know what else I love?
Cast iron. I’m totally obsessed with cast iron (again). I learned to cook in cast iron from my dad and did so for many years until I was seduced by a set of fancy stainless steel pots and pans the hubby got me for an anniversary gift. I gave them a try for a couple of years then admitted that I hated them. The heat seemed uneven, the lids weren’t tight-fitting, everything seemed to stick and it was impossible to get a good sear on anything. So I pulled out the old cast iron and seasoned it back upand thus my love affair with cast iron was rekindled and those pans went up on Craigslist.
So when our friends at Lodge Manufacturing, makers of all things cast iron here in the U.S., reached out and asked if I’d be interested in sharing a recipe using one of their enameled Dutch ovens I was stoked. As much as I love me some good ol’ fashioned cast iron, I really love enameled cast iron for its easy care and gorgeousness. This 4.6-qt. enameled Dutch oven with a lid just begged for a saucy and slightly spicy soup and thus this Chicken Tortilla-less Soup came to be.
Looking for an even faster way to get dinner on the table? Try our Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla-Less Soup. Same soup only faster than ever!
Recipe
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 13 reviews
Chicken Tortilla-less Soup
A hearty soup with the flavors of your favorite Mexican dishes. We’ve kept it Whole30-compliant by leaving out the traditional tortilla strips but if you’re missing that little crunch on top, we suggest adding thinly sliced radishes or jicama
Prep: 10 minsCook: 40 minsTotal: 50 mins
Pin for LaterRate recipe
Servings: Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 Tbsp. ghee or cooking fat of choice
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
- 1 small jalapeno, minced (and membranes removed for less heat)
- 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning (such as our Homemade Whole30 Taco Seasoning)
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. salt
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or homemade broth)
- 1 28-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes (may substitute diced tomatoes)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- Diced avocado and lime wedges for serving
Instructions
Stovetop Directions:
- Place a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add ghee or cooking fat of choice.
- When ghee is melted, nestle chicken breasts into the bottom of the Dutch oven in a single layer. Cook 5-7 minutes then flip and cook an additional 5-7 minutes.
- Push chicken breasts to the side (stacking them is okay), add onions, red peppers, jalapenos, taco seasoning, cumin, and salt. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes or until onion and peppers start to soften. Add garlic and diced green chiles and cook an additional 30-60 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add 3 cups broth and crushed tomatoes. Bring soup just to a boil then cover and reduce heat to simmer.
- Cook 20 minutes until vegetables are tender and chicken breasts are cooked through.
- Remove chicken to a cutting board and allow it to cool before shredding with two forks. Add additional broth, if needed, to reach desired consistency.
- Return shredded chicken to pot and stir. Add cilantro and lime juice.
- Serve with diced avocado and lime wedges.
Instant Pot Directions:
- Select ‘Saute’ on Instant Pot. When the pot is hot, add ghee. Saute the onions and bell pepper 3-4 minutes or until they start to soften. Press ‘Cancel’ and stir in garlic, green chiles,and jalapeno (if using).
- Add chicken, taco seasoning, cumin, salt, broth, and diced tomatoes. Set cook time for 15 minutes (high pressure) and flip vent valve to the ‘Sealing’ position.
- After cooking time is up, allow for 5 minutes of natural pressure release before manually releasing any remaining pressure then remove lid when safe to do so. Stir in lime juice.
- Serve with fresh cilantro, avocado, and lime wedges.
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Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 2 cups (without toppings)
- Calories: 223
- Fat: 6g
- Sodium: 582mg
- Carbohydrate: 19g
- (Fiber: 4g
- Sugar: 8g)
- Protein: 25g
Dietary
© The Real Food Dietitians
Recipe By: The Real Food Dietitians
What’s your favorite soup to make? Are you a cast iron cooking newbie or an old pro? Share in the comments below and let’s get the convo started!
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Jessica Beacom
Jessica is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist living in Boulder, CO with her husband and two daughters. She's been raising backyard chickens for over a decade. When she's not in the kitchen you'll find her mountain biking, gravel cycling, telemark skiing, and camping.
Reader Interactions
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David saysI keep trying new soup recipes with 4.5-5.0 ratings. My family “likes” them. They’re “good.” Always followed by “but it’s not as good as the chicken tortilla soup (we eat it with a handful of tortilla chips on top).”
So I make a pot of this soup every two weeks or so, and it hasn’t gotten old yet. My only twist on the recipe is that I buy a rotisserie chicken from the market, shred all the meat , use the juices from the bottom of the bag to cook the onions, garlic, etc, and add the already-cooked chicken near the end. I find it adds more flavor than just using boneless breasts.
Reply
- Jessie Shafer says
Haha, thank you for this great review, David! We really appreciate feedback like this!
Reply
- Breanna Hendren says
This recipe is amazing, the flavor is hands down the best I’ve had! When not doing whole 30; I’ll add fire roasted corn and black beans. Also add zucchini to sneak in more veggies for my kids!
Reply
- Jessie Shafer says
Hi Breanna, we’re so glad your family loved this one!
Reply
- Kristine says
Is there a crock pot method I can use for this recipe? I’m just not sure how to add the ghee butter when cooking this in the crock pot
Reply
- Jessie Shafer says
Hello Kristine! We have not tested this version, but this is how we would suggest making it in a slow cooker:
1) Omit the oil from the recipe and and skip the step for sauteing the vegetables
2) Place all ingredients in the slow cooker, except for the cilantro, lime, and avocado. Stir and cover.
3) Cook on low setting for 6 hours on on high setting for 4 hours.
4) Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks.
5) Return the chicken to the slow cooker, stir, and add the lime juice.
6) Serve and garnish with cilantro, avocado, and additional lime.Let us know if this works for you!
Reply
