Smoked Chicken Tortilla Soup

This Smoked Chicken Tortilla Soup is a delicious way to use up leftover smoked chicken or turkey! It’s packed with healthy ingredients like black beans, tomatoes, corn, and peppers, this tortilla soup packs a smoky punch from smoked chicken and smoked paprika, thickened with a masa slurry that adds a toasty corn flavor to the whole thing. Top with crispy tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro, and other fixings for the ultimate comfort in a bowl!

Do you have leftover smoked turkey from Thanksgiving? Here’s what to do with it! Make this delicious tortilla soup that’s easy to make in one pot, with 20 minutes of prep, and is freezable.

I like to make a batch and freeze half of it – come those cold January winter nights, it’s a welcome item to run into in your freezer for a quick and easy, warm and cozy dinner.

This batch was made with a leftover half smoked chicken from my favorite BBQ food truck, Crimson Creek BBQ, in Austin. I got a little extra and even made smoked chicken stock from the carcass (and some leftover rib bones) for the base of the soup. HIGHLY RECOMMEND, if you have the time (I’ll explain how below).

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Smoked Chicken or Turkey – the star of the soup! You can make this recipe with any other cooked shredded chicken or turkey if you like.
• Bell Pepper – any color will do (I used yellow)
• Jalapeño peppers – leave all or some of the seeds in for a spicy version. You can sub with diced canned chipotle chiles in adobo, which will also enhance the smoky flavor and up the spicy level, if you like.
• Onion
• Garlic Powder, Cumin, Smoked Paprika, and Ground Coriander – feel free to leave out the coriander if you don’t have it, and use fresh garlic instead if you prefer.
• Tomato Paste
• Chicken Stock/Broth – homemade chicken stock, store bought, or bouillon based is fine.
• Canned black beans
• Canned diced tomatoes – preferably fire roasted
• Frozen corn – or fresh
• Fresh lime juice
• Fixings for topping – crispy tortilla strips or chips, avocado, cilantro, lime wedges, sour cream, shredded cheese, diced onion, etc.

How to make Smoked Chicken Tortilla Soup

1. First, SAUTÉ the peppers, jalapeños, and onion in olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven.
2. Then ADD the spices – cumin, coriander, garlic powder, and smoked paprika, and stir to coat and sauté for a little longer, to develop the flavors and toast the spices.
3. ADD the tomato paste – stir to coat and sauté for a little longer.
4. POUR in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
5. MAKE a masa slurry – mix masa (corn flour- NOT starch or cornmeal, see below) with some cold water or more stock until a smooth slurry is formed.
6. ADD the beans, chicken, and corn.
7. POUR in the masa slurry and stir together.
8. COVER AND SIMMER for about 20 minutes.
9. Finally, turn off the heat and ADD the fresh lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
10. SERVE topped with fixings.

How to make homemade smoked chicken/turkey stock

Using homemade chicken stock in any form adds TONS of flavor to soups and other recipes, as well as nutrition. The collagen from the skin and connective tissue breaks down and makes the stock gelatinous – it’s what makes bone broth so healthy.

You can read all about making homemade chicken stock here – I always save scraps in my freezer until I’m ready to cook.

Using smoked chicken stock in this tortilla soup recipe is optional, but adds a ton of flavor. To make smoked chicken or turkey stock, simply:

1. Remove the meat from the bones (and set aside for the soup)
2. Add the bones, wing tips, skin… any part of the carcass to a large pot (leave skin out for a lower fat version)
3. Add a quartered onion (skin on), two carrots cut into chunks, and 3-4 stalks celery (alternatively, use scraps that have been saved in the freezer for vegetable or chicken stock).
4. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for a minimum of 3 hours.
5. Remove solids with a slotted spoon, then strain the stock through a mesh sieve into a storage container or jar (lined with cheesecloth for an extra clear stock). Once it cools you can skim the fat off the top if you like and discard or repurpose (you can use it to sauté the veggies in this recipe, for example).

The longer you cook it, the more collage will break down and the more rich and flavorful and healthy the stock will be. So if you have time, let it go for longer. You can also do this in your slow cooker!

In addition to this smoked chicken/turkey soup, I also love using smoked stock in split pea soup, 15 bean soup with ham, black eyed pea soup, and black bean soup.

FAQs

1. What is masa?

Masa is flour made from corn. You may see it in your grocery store under the brand name Maseca, or it might be labeled “masa harina.” You can use instant or regular in this recipe. Masa is the base for corn tortillas made from scratch as well.

Masa is NOT corn starch and it is NOT cornmeal.

2. How do I make the crispy tortilla strips from scratch?

It’s easy! Just cut corn tortillas into strips and fry in canola or vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet. Then, remove to a paper towel and add salt.

You can also follow this recipe for homemade baked tortilla chips. Just cut the tortillas into strips rather than triangles.

3. Can I make this ahead and reheat or freeze it?

Yes! This soup is wonderful leftover. I gets even better after the flavors develop more.

You can refrigerate it in an airtight container for about 3-5 days and enjoy throughout the week for lunch.

You can freeze it in an airtight container for up to 6 months. I like to run hot water over the container to loosen it, and just plop the frozen block of soup directly into a pot. Then I a little bit of water and heat to defrost directly on the stove.

4. Do I have to use smoked chicken?

Nope! You can definitely make this smoked tortilla soup recipe using any shredded cooked chicken or turkey, such as rotisserie, leftover roast chicken, or shredded Mexican chicken. Just make a couple of adjustments to intensify the smoky flavor in other ways.

To get more smoky flavor, add a little more smoked paprika and/or use chipotle chiles instead of jalapeños. You can also stir in a little of the adobo from the can of chipotle chiles when you add the tomato paste.

Other Tortilla Soup Recipes

• Quick and Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup – this recipe poaches chicken breasts directly in the soup for an easy and healthy option.
• Vegetarian Tortilla Soup – this recipe is super hearty with sweet potatoes added in.

Other Southwest and Mexican-Inspired Recipes

• Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
• Mexican Roasted Zucchini
• One-Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta
• Avocado Chicken Salad
• Tex Mex Tuna Melts

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