Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup with Rotel

Easy Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup, perfect for a weeknight fiesta.

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 15

Servings

Calories 978kcal

3 Tablespoons Neutral oil Such as canola, vegetable oil or avocado oil.
1 ¼ pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 large sweet onion chopped
4 cloves garlic diced
30 ounces chicken stock homemade or canned broth. Use either two cans of chicken stock, or a 32 ounce box container.
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Mexican Oregano or marjoram
½ teaspoon Chimayo Chile powder A single belnd red chile powder
1 teaspoon chili seasoning A blend of spices used to season chili soup
15 ounce can chopped tomatoes undrained
½ can Rotel tomatoes undrained.
1 teaspoon Kosher salt or more if needed
14.74 ounce can creamed style corn undrained
4 Hatch chile roasted, peeled and chopped. Or 1 -4 ounce can chopped green chiles.
Corn chips sour cream, chopped cilantro, diced avocado for topping

Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add chopped onions and cook until starting to turn tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the pieces of chicken. Don't crowd the meat and don't stir for 2 minutes, allowing the chicken to obtain a sear on one side. Stir the chicken and let cook 3 more minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. About 1 minute.
Turn down heat a bit, pour in chicken broth and add spices. Let this simmer for about 5 minutes to blend flavors. Add kosher salt to taste.
Add canned tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes, creamed corn and chopped chile peppers. Give it a good stir and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if need, it's ready to serve.
Ladle soup into soup bowls, top with hand crushed corn chips or multi-colored tortilla strips. Stir in a dollop of sour cream, top with diced avocado and sprinkle with cilantro. A squeeze of lime will bring a pleasant bright flavor.

Tips For Success:

Chimayo Chile Powder can be difficult to find, so please don't let that stop you from making this recipe. You can simply substitute Ancho Chile Powder, which is a milder version of red chile powder and if you're after the heat of Chimayo, add in a pinch of cayenne.
Use only a portion of the can of Rotel Tomatoes, or enough to satisfy your heat tolerance.If I use the whole can, it simply makes the soup too spicy for us.
We're lucky out here in the West, we have easy access to Hatch Chile Peppers. If you can't find them, or other varieties of roasted chile peppers in the freezer section of your grocery store, check the Mexican Food aisle for canned roasted chile.
I also like to purchase a rotisserie chicken to make this soup. It cuts down on the cooking time. Before you start the cooking process, remove and shred the meat from a rotisserie chicken. You'll need about 4 cups. Since the chicken is already cooked, add it after you cook the onions and proceed with the recipe without searing the chicken.