A warm bowl of tortilla soup should be comforting, flavorful, and hopefully a bit spicy. Of course, all of these components hinge on the ingredients, including corn tortillas, tomatoes, peppers, and most often poultry for a meaty touch — such as in this easy slow cooker chicken tortilla recipe. Indeed, if you want to achieve maximum flavor, you can’t just toss in a simple boiled chicken breast. However, according to Alexis Valera, the executive chef at Impression Moxché by Secrets in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, seasoning and cooking your chicken doesn’t have to be terribly complicated either.
“In a traditional Mexican recipe, the chicken is grilled and seasoned with only salt and pepper,” the chef explains. That might sound too simple, but the salt will enhance the chicken’s natural flavors while the pepper adds depth and a bit of spice. The other ingredients in your soup will also produce loads more flavor. “For a good broth, the ingredients should be roasted over wood, and the tortillas should be fried and blended,” Valera continues. “The final touch is a bit of Yucatecan lime and green chili — this is a winning recipe.”
Tips for preparing chicken for homemade tortilla soup
When it comes to the different cuts of chicken to season, cook, shred, and then add to a pot of tortilla soup, breasts or thighs are often the go-to. If you want to skip a few steps, you could also repurpose a leftover rotisserie chicken from last night’s dinner. When making your own chicken, you can go beyond simply traditional salt and pepper. However, keep it relatively mild, maybe with garlic powder or chili powder. Why? The chicken will join a flavorful broth and other spices like cumin or dried oregano, and you don’t want to confuse or overwhelm your palate. Whatever you choose, don’t use old spices, a major mistake everybody makes with chicken tortilla soup.
When the chicken is seasoned, cook it separately before shredding the poultry and stirring it into the soup. Another option is to cook the chicken directly in the broth and remove it when it has reached an internal temperature of around 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Shred it apart, then toss the chicken back in the pot. When the soup is ready to eat, finish it off with tortilla strips for crunch to contrast with the tender chicken. A garnish of cilantro, diced avocado, sour cream, or a dash of hot sauce will complement the chicken and other ingredients floating in the bowl.
