Chicken Tortilla Soup (Inspired by Tommy Bahama’s)
Whenever we visit my parents in Longboat Key, we spend a lot of time hanging out at St. Armand’s Circle in nearby Lido. It’s the heart of the island — the kind of place where you stroll in and out of boutiques, people-watch at sidewalk cafés, walk around with drippy ice cream cones, and ask every stranger with a dog if your children can pet it. One of our favorite restaurants there is Tommy Bahama’s. The food’s always good and we love sitting at a big round table under gently spinning wicker fans, listening to a one-man band play endless Jimmy Buffet tunes.
We all have our favorite dishes at Tommy’s, but one thing everyone agrees upon is the chicken tortilla soup. It’s a silky purée of vegetables, corn tortillas, chicken broth and spices with tender chunks of grilled chicken and a nest of tortilla matchsticks heaped over top.
I found the recipe in the Tommy Bahama cookbook, Life is One Long Weekend, and while it was easy enough, it called for the equivalent of two sticks of butter. Yikes! No wonder we all love it. For this somewhat healthier version, I cut the fat in half and tweaked the recipe here and there to make it more home cook-friendly. It’s still delicious.
The whole thing comes together fairly quickly.
You start by cooking onions, garlic and green peppers in butter and olive oil until they’re soft and mellow.
Add chopped corn tortillas and spices, and cook a few minutes to bring out all the flavors…
Add the chicken broth and simmer for about 20 minutes…
Puree until smooth and creamy…
And garnish however you like.
At Tommy’s, they finish the soup with an artistic drizzle of lime-sour cream, which looks nice but isn’t really necessary. (I’m guessing most of us don’t keep squeeze bottles at home for this type of thing anyway.) Just keep it simple with chopped fresh cilantro and crushed tortilla chips. Or for a more substantial soup, add diced chicken and avocado. Enjoy!
Note: Nutritional data does not include toppings.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
For Soup
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped (about 2-1/2 cups)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced into quarters
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
- 6 small (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into small pieces
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 quarts (8 cups) low sodium chicken (best quality such as Swanson)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Suggestions for Garnish
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Handful chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 cooked skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces (see note)
- 1-2 avocados, chopped
Instructions
- Heat olive oil and butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and green pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and just starting to brown, about 15 minutes. (Turn heat to medium-low if mixture is browning too quickly.)
- Add cut corn tortillas, chili powder and cumin; continue to cook, stirring occasionally, a few minutes more. Add chicken stock, salt and cayenne pepper and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer with lid slightly ajar for about 20 minutes. Off heat, use hand-held blender to puree until completely smooth (you can also do this in a blender in batches; just be careful to open the steam hole and cover with kitchen towel to avoid splatters). Stir in chicken if using, then ladle soup into bowls and garnish as you like.
- Note: I usually use leftover or rotisserie chicken, but if you want to cook the chicken from scratch, buy two bone-in chicken breasts. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken breasts on foil-lined baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, then cook 35-40 minutes or until done. Let cool, then pull meat off the bone and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Note: The leftover soup will thicken in the refrigerator; add a bit of water to thin it out if necessary.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 618
- Fat: 46 g
- Saturated fat: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 37 g
- Sodium: 751 mg
- Cholesterol: 160 mg
Reviews & Comments
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I made this over the weekend and it’s delicious.
I have some tortillas that I bought from the refrigerated section. They aren’t cooked yet. Should I cook them first or will they be okay by just adding?
Here’s an website to the tortillas:
http://www.tortillaland.com/tortillas
Hi P, if you’re referring to the tortillas that go into the soup (and not the tortilla chips that are a suggested garnish), then, no, they do not need to be cooked.
This soup was my saviour while i was sick. So good!
I made and served this soup without adding cooked chicken, and everyone commented on how delicious it is. This simple recipe packs a powerful flavor punch!
I served my husband’s friend the last remaining portion of this soup when he dropped by yesterday, and he described it in the same words my son’s girlfriend had used the night before (as she heated up a second bowl): “This tastes just like a liquid chicken enchilada. It’s so good!” ‘Nuff said.
***
We had a group of college students over the other night, and I decided — even though I hadn’t tried every recipe I chose — to trust onceuponachef.com for most of the menu. Here it is, with asterisks in front of Jenn’s recipes, in case anyone would like a fun party menu:
APPETIZERS:
-raw veggies
-corn chips (the Xochitl ones in Jenn’s photos)
-Jack’s salsa (*Roasted Tomato Salsa would probably be great here!)
*Black Bean Dip
*Green Pea Guacamole
ENTREES:
*Chicken Tortilla Soup (inspired by Tommy Bahama’s)
*Best Ground Beef Chili
*Broccoli & Cheese Soup with Homemade Croutons (NOT in line with the rest of the flavor profile! I just had to use up broccoli and made this in case of vegetarians, lol. *Black Bean Soup would have been a much better menu choice.)
TOPPINGS for the first 2 soups: crushed tortilla chips and diced avocados (plus shredded cheddar and beans for the chili)
DESSERTS
-fruit salad
*Nutty Jam Thumbprints (*Coconut-Lime Mexican Wedding Cookies would also be great here!)
*Flourless Chocolate Cake with Meringue Topping (To fit this menu’s flavor profile even better, I think this cake would still work well with a little cayenne pepper.)
DRINKS (non-alcoholic, since we were serving underage kids, but I bet Jenn’s *Mojitos and *Margaritas would be great with this menu)
– mango lemonade; limeade; and lime-coconut seltzer water
Awesome Soup. Prepared this soup according to the recipe and it was really one of the best soups I ever ate. I highly recommend the recipe. Thanks Jenn!
I replaced the chili powder with ancho chili powder and held back a little of the cumin (as I don’t like spicy foods). Was surprised at the corn tortilla step – would have never considered doing that, but nice flavor and texture. Wish the overall color was more appealing, but I really did enjoy the dish.
One more comment . . . I just sprinkled the chicken breasts with Goyas all purpose seasoning and then sautéed until cooked through. I then let it cool and shredded to add to the soup. I would think a rotisserie chicken would be a quick alternative. This recipe will go on my soup rotation.
Can I substitute the corn tortillas by corn tortilla chips?
Hi Chantal, Unfortunately that won’t work as the corn tortillas play a big part in this recipe– sorry!
Hi Jen,
Do you think a vegetarisn version could work? Can I substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth and just skip the chicken or put it as a garnish for the meat eaters?
Thanks?
Jenny
Sure, Jenny, I think that would work!
Found this recipe to be quick, easy and delicious. I made it as written and tasted it–yummy. As it was simmering I discovered some leftover roasted winter vegetables in the back of my refrigerator (sweet potato, butternut squash, carrots, parsnips). I decided to add about a cup of these and used my immersion blender to puree them in. In addition I added another cup of the diced, cooked veggies. The vegetables added another dimension to the soup that I liked a lot. It no longer was a traditional tortilla soup but I loved the balance of the Mexican flavors with the subtle sweetness of the vegetables. Recipe is a keeper.
I think that the calorie count is way too high here (i.e. Miscalculated not a bad recipe!) my guess is by a factor of 2.
Hi Sue, Because I’m not a nutritionist, I use an online tool to calculate the nutritional information for the blog. When I plugged in the ingredients for this recipe, those were the results. I just checked it again and am getting the same numbers. I agree that the calories look quite high; my guess is that much of that comes from the olive oil and the butter, so you can cut back on those a bit if you choose.
Great Recipe taste just like the bowl we had @ Tommy Bahamas . We added Corn ,Black Beans & chopped up jalapeño peppers . NICE
Hello Jenn,
Thank You for the great website and for sharing your wonderful recipes. Your Roasted Beef Stew and Carrots is now my ‘All time Go-To recipe. The last time I made it, I had to eliminate the red wine, so I simply replaced it with the same amount of Beef Broth.
I am looking forward to making more of these soup recipes. It seems that I can make adjustments to lower the sodium content in a lot of them though, by using home made chicken broth instead of the pre-packaged one. I am assuming the broth is the main source of sodium??
Keep up the good work. Everything is always full of flavor!!
Happy Spring,
Sue
Happy Spring to you Sue! While it depends upon the other ingredients in the recipe, the broth often contributes a significant amount of the sodium. Hope that helps!
Loved this! Great great great recipe. I substituted 1/4 of a bell pepper with a jalapeño for added heat. Added corn and black beans as suggested.
Question: do you think this would freeze well?
Yes Tori, I do think it will freeze nicely. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn, I decided to give 1 1/4 cups of masa a try instead of tortillas because the recipe looked SO delicious….and I was too lazy to go to the store! Although I’ve never tasted the original soup, my entire family, including my picky 4 year old, absolutely loved it! The soup definitely had some thickness to it, but not gloppy at all. Next time, I might try reducing the masa amount to just one cup. Thanks for all your recipes!
So glad it turned out with the masa Tanya- thanks for letting me know!
Hi Jenn, If I don’t have corn tortillas on hand, would I be able to use masa? If so, how much would you suggest?
Thanks!
Hi Tanya,
I’d be reluctant to suggest that here, because I’m not certain how it would affect the texture and wouldn’t know how much to suggest– sorry!
I had never had tortilla soup, but LOVED the concept of it and have been looking for a recipe for a while. As usual….I found a LOT of recipes where the author tried to add their own special flair to what should be a relatively simple soup. I was so excited to find your recipe and it absolutely did not disappoint!! I’ll definitely be making this again!!
Have you made this soup without the tortillas and if so did it drastically change the flavor of the soup?
I’m afraid that making the soup without the tortillas would definitely change the flavor and texture of the soup– sorry!
I love this soup! I have made it several times. Do you have any nutritional information on it?
Hi Janet, Glad you like it! I just added the nutritional info. Keep in mind that the numbers don’t include any of the optional ingredients/toppings.
Very good recipe. So much easier than what I have been making over the years with dried and charring vegetables. This imparted just as much flavor and my husband said it is one of the best he has tasted. I did add a couple of cups of super sweet corn I put up over the summer and a can of Trader Joe’s Cuban black beans drained. Just a personal preference for more substance to the broth.
I made this for dinner tonight because after all the Thanksgiving feasting, I definitely needed something on the lighter side!
I followed the recipe exactly and my husband and two teens loved this. I thought it was yummy and appreciated its simplicity to prepare and get on the table. Due to the cook time, it does take about 45 minutes to an hour to prepare, but that’s mostly cook time so while it’s not an instant dinner, it is easy and doesn’t take a lot of my attention. This recipe is definitely a keeper!!
I can not wait to try this recipe. I don’t have, but want, an immersion blender. What brand do you use? Is it electric or battery operated?
Hi Becky, I love my Cuisinart electric immersion blender. Here’s a link: http://astore.amazon.com/onupach-20/detail/B0006G3JRO
Hi Jenn – I love your recipes! What would you recommend pairing with this soup for serving?
Hi Rachael, I actually serve this soup as a main dish (sometimes I add rice to it as well) and serve with corn bread muffins.
Wowie-wow-wow! This was delicious! Thanks for the great recipe.
Made this again and really, can’t put into words how much I love this! It does not taste easy! I’m seriously dreaming about it… come to think of it, I might have a problem… It’s full-bodied, easy to customize and packed with flavor. I have added beans & corn. I have pulled out some of the dice before blending it and adding it back in, so it has some extra ‘junk.’ I’ve served it with all the garnishes and with only a few. I’m bringing it to a neighborhood Halloween party. I expect to bring home an empty crock pot! We will be eating this until May! Thanks again!
Fantastic! Didn’t change a thing! This will become a regular on my menu. Chopped up some chicken for my toddler and he loved it. Love that you can be pretty careless with how big you chop up your veggies because you’ll puree them in the end anyway. Thanks Jenn!
This is the BEST Chicken Tortilla Soup I have EVER eaten! Absolutley fabulous. The only thing I changed was substituting a Sweet Red Pepper for the Green Bell Pepper.
Make this soup the day before you eat it…it develops and marries all the flavors…I added a few shakes of crystal hot sauce (crystal gives depth,but isnt all that hot).
Also added a dollop of sour cream to the garnish, with four blend shredded mexican flavor cheese…and chopped rotisserie chicken as it was our main course…..fabulous!
Loved how easy it was to make on a workday! The corn tortillas added a nice flavor and a satisfyingly thick texture. I added just a dash of red pepper flakes. This is now a family favorite!
Delicious, fun, festive, and a family favorite!
The immersion blender makes these soups so easy to make. Transferring to a blender is a hassle and you can find an immersion blender that will get the job done for $30.
Hi Jenn. This soup sounds absolutely delicious and I would love to make it tomorrow night for dinner (with the garnishments and all)! I do not have an immersion blender and will need to put the soup in my kitchenaid blender. Does the entire pot of soup need to be blended? I’m guessing 2 cups at a time?
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Aminah, This is one of my favorites — you will love it! Yes, the whole soup does need to be blended. You can do it a few cups at a time; just be sure the hole is open in the lid to allow the steam to escape and cover with a dish towel.
I was pleasantly surprised to find this was so easy to make and so very delicious! I will surely make this again.
My daughter has a peanut allergy and with the recent recall of cumin due to contamination with peanut proteins, I was wondering whether that spice could be omitted or substituted?
Hi Julie, I’m afraid the soup might be a little bland without the cumin, as it’s the main seasoning in the soup, but you could try substitute more chili powder and some ground coriander.
This soup is easy to make and extremely flavorful! The butter in it gives a very rich taste. The soup was good without anything in it but my husband loved it filled with chicken, cilantro and avocado.
I made this soup for a friend who came out of the hospital and had strict dietary restrictions. He, and his family, loved it! I loved it too, I didn’t know I liked tortilla soup! Super easy and quick as well.
I made a double recipe of this soup to serve to the crowd after a snowshoe race today. It was delicious and the optional toppings were fun, especially for a larger group with varying tastes. I made it exactly as written, and serve with avocado, cilantro, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips (plain and spicy). I will definitely make it again, but will probably try reducing (or even leaving out) the butter; I think it would still be great with the lower fat content.
Another hit! I made this last night, to rave reviews from my husband and three kids (ages 13, 10 and 8 — although it was a little spicy for the youngest). In our house, we rate new recipes as “keepers” or not, and this goes in the keeper pile. I served with homemade corn muffins, hot out of the oven.
I made this soup with a few changes. Decreased the fat to 1TBSP oil, 1TBSP butter, omitted all the added salt and let guests add their own (plenty of salt in the broth), and used leftover turkey instead of chicken. As suggested, added avocado and cilantro and chips. It was really great. Made my own tortilla strips by cutting corn tortillas and baking at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.
What a great way to use leftover turkey. Thanks, Karen!
I was recently in Maui and we ate at Tommy Bahama’s in Wailea. Had this soup and searched for the recipe the day after we got home it was that good. THANKS 🙂 Gonna try to make it very soon
This is my husband’s favorite soup! I add just a little extra chili powder because he likes it spicy!
Last year I had tortilla soup at Tommy Bahama’s in Scottsdale,AZ.
It was so delicious, I had to find the recipe. The recipe Jenn has posted here is it! This soup is so easy to prepare, tasty, healthy and loved by my family.
I cut up corn tortillas and bake the strips to use as a garnish. Chopped avocado in the soup is my favorite! It’s so easy to keep ingredients on hand.
This is amazing! Family loved it and so did my coworkers when I took it the next day. i didn’t purée just simmered for hours. Still amazing! Thanks.
This is a real winner!! I make it often. I garnish with shredded cheddar and chopped cilantro.
Thank you Jenn! Can’t wait to make it:)))
This soup is flawless and spectacular! If you like Chicken Tortilla Soup – this is the recipe you’ve been looking for! I squeeze a little lime on top and add a nice dollop of sour cream (in addition to the avocado and tortilla chips). Make this soup! You will not be disappointed!
Thank you Jenn! I also can’t eat bell peppers any more:( any flavor suggestions? Will it be boring without it?
Tami, It will still be good. I would just substitute another vegetable, like a carrot.
Hi, this soup sounds fantastic! I can’t eat nightshades: red pepper, cayenne, chili. Any substitutes you can think of?
Thank you in advance.
Hi Tami, You can just leave out the cayenne and chili powder. It won’t make a big difference. You might add a 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano and some other form of heat. Not sure if you can have jalapeño peppers, but you could add one with the green peppers in the beginning if you’d like the soup to be spicy (add the seeds at your discretion – that’s where most of the heat is).
May I suggest poaching the chicken breast in 4 cups of water, with a bay leaf and some whole pepper corns, instead of baking it. That’s what I did, and used the poaching water for 1/2 of the stock. Fantastic recipe thank you.
Would not change a thing. Awesome soup
I made this and was so proud , it looked so good before puréed I hated to do it but it was worth it! Yum!!
I had this soup at Tommy Bahama in Manhattan, NY on Sunday. When I got home I looked for the recipe and found yours. Delicious, just like Tommy Bahamas. Evelyn
I’ve made this soup three times in the last month and it’s been so delicious every time!
I have Celiac Disease, so I substitute 3 cubes of gluten-free chicken bouillon + 8 cups of water (instead of the boxed chicken stock) and use a dash of ground fresh chili paste instead of the chili powder. I’ve also started cutting back on the amount of butter – the last batch I made used only 2T and there was no discernible change in taste.
A BIG winner in our house! Thanks, Jenn!
I loved the tortilla soup. I’ve never been to the Tommy Bahama restaurant so I couldn’t compare it to that, but it was better than the ones I tried in Arizona and New Mexico.
This soup is delicious. We’ll be going to Lido Beach at the end of July and can’t wait to eat at Tommy Bahamas.
Hands down, the absolute best tortilla soup recipe on the planet! E.V.E.R.
I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been making this soup for a year now and every time I make it, I think about eating at the Tommy Bahama restaurant in Naples, FL.
This soup is so easy yet the flavor is huge. Whenever I have a baked chicken on hand, this is the first recipe I think about for the leftovers.
Thanks!
One of my favorite soups. Can’t wait to try your version!
Yum!!
We love Tommy Bahamas in Long Boat Key. I was excited to try this soup and was very happy I did! Delicious.
I love the creaminess and richness of this soup. It is also very good with chicken and tortilla chips.
This soup is so good & so easy.
I get so many compliments every time I make it. The corn tortillas give the perfect amount of thickness. A Costco rotisserie chicken is perfect to add at the end. Yummy!
my family loves this recipe! delish!
All I can say is YUM!! One of my favorite things in cold weather- soup and Mexican food and with this recipe I get both!! 🙂
I love this soup and how easy it is to make!
This was SOOO good!!! My husband was raving about it the whole time he was eating, and he asked me to make it again when we have company tomorrow. I broiled some boneless, skinless chicken breasts (which only took about 15 minutes), shredded them, and added them in at the end. Thank you so much for another winning recipe, Jenn!!!
The stock of this soup looks delicomma and I plan to make it tonight. For my taste I think I’ll add roasted corn and black beans along with the chicken. I’ll let you know how the final product tastes!
I love this soup!
This looks great! Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks.
We make a very similar soup.
No added salt or butter, but we add skinless chicken to soup while it simmers with chopped cilantro stems and a can of enchilada sauce. Remove the chicken and puree soup. Shred chicken and add to soup, top with chopped cilantro leaves, tortilla chips, avacado, jalapenos…
We made this soup last night, preparing for the snow storm. It is FANTASTIC! We love the blend of flavors. I’ll definitely be making this recipe again, soon. Great for lunch the next day too.
The soup was good! Very tasty…I loved it with the avocado — really balanced out the flavor. I brought some on for lunch today 🙂
I love St Armands Circle and my husband loves his Tommy shirts. This soup looks wonderful..perfectly soul warming
Tommy Bahamas is my Favorite restaurant in Long Boat Key as well! I am obsessed with their fish tacos, if you get a chance try them next time
Hello, love your blog and this is a great recipe!
Have you ever blog hopped before? We’d love it if you contributed this awesome soup recipe, it’s a great way to get links back to your site. Really easy too.
You can check out our blog hop here:
http://blog.recipelion.com/fabulous-food-friday-january-blog-hop/
Thanks,
Sarah
Editor
RecipeLion.com
blog.recipelion.com