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 broth with very little sugar (just what’s naturally 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 up and 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!
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
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
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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Kristen says
This soup was fantastic, huge hit with my whole family!
Jessica Beacom says
Yay! We love to hear this. Glad you all enjoyed it.
Ruth says
Is there’s pepper a bell pepper?
Stacie Hassing says
I’m not sure what you’re asking. Can you clarify?
Lucia says
I wondered the same. What kind of pepper is the red pepper in the recipe? Is it red bell pepper?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Lucia,
Yes, it’s a red bell pepper. However, if you like things spicier, feel free to add other peppers as well.
MICHELLE T says
Im making this tomorrow and cant wait however as far as Portions go what exactly is an eighth of a recipe? I am trying to do portion control and calorie awareness. Thanks.
Stacie Hassing says
Hi Michelle. It would be about 1 1/4-1/2 cups. Hope that helps!
Caroline Peterson says
I made this in the instant pot with thawed chicken breast and it turned out great — I sautéed the veggies and spices using the built in sauté function on the IP. Then I added all other ingredients and gave it a stir. Cooked on manual for 9 minutes with a 9 min natural release followed by quick release. Probably could’ve cooked a little shorter to have more moist chicken.
Jessica Beacom says
This is great! Thanks, Caroline, for sharing how you made this in the Instant Pot!
Amy says
Could I do this with steak?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Amy,
You could do this with steak though I’m not sure the cooking time is long enough for the steak to become tender so I would recommend making the soup without the chicken then adding thin slices of a cooked steak to the pot at the end of the cooking time just to heat the steak through.