Authentic Sopa de Tortilla: Made Just Like in Mexico

It is time to learn to cook Mexican food from an authentic Mexican! Sopa de Tortilla is a soul-warming delight that brings me back to my childhood eating at my abuelita’s table. This delicious, authentic Mexican soup is also known as Sopa Azteca. It is made with chicken broth and a blend of roasted tomatoes and dried peppers, leaving you craving more. Today, I’ll show you how to make Authentic Mexican Tortilla Soup as we do in Mexico. I’ve developed a few tricks to make this recipe faster and easier. Are you ready for a heartwarming bowl of hot sopa?

Ingredients that might be hard to find and substitutes

• Epazote: Epazote is a small green leafy plant commonly used in southern Mexican cuisine. You can find epazote in Mexican supermarkets nationwide. If it’s unavailable, you can use a bunch of cilantro as an alternative. While it’s not the same, cilantro will still add flavor to your soup. In Chicago, I find epazote at Cermak Fresh Market, Pete’s Fresh Market, Tony’s Fresh Market, Carnicerías Jiménez, and other small Mexican supermarkets. It’s usually located next to cilantro and parsley.
• Chile Pasilla: Pasilla peppers bring a smoky, sweet taste to recipes. If you can’t find pasilla peppers, you can substitute them with guajillo peppers.
• Chile Ancho: Chile ancho is the dried version of poblano peppers. If you can’t find chile ancho, substitute it with two guajillo peppers.
• Queso Fresco or Panela: Queso fresco is a popular Mexican white cheese often used in tacos and other traditional dishes. It’s typically added on top of tortilla soup. Some of my favorite brands are Supremo Cheese and El Mexicano.
• Mexican Crema: Mexican crema is used to top Caldo de Tortilla. If you can’t find Mexican crema, heavy cream is a suitable substitute.

If you like Sopa Azteca I am sure you will also love this Authentic Mexican Chili or this Sopa de Fideos con pollo.

How to Crisp Tortillas for Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

• Cooking Oil
• Tortillas

Instructions:

• Prepare the Tortillas: Trim the edges of the tortillas to create a square, then cut them into strips.
• Air Fryer Method: Toss the tortilla strips with a light coating of cooking oil. Please place them in the air fryer and cook at 400°F for 5 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until crispy.
• Traditional Frying Method: Heat a generous amount of oil in a pot over medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly and add a batch of tortilla strips. Fry until crispy, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer the crispy strips to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil.

Prepare the Broth:

• Add 10 cups of water to a pot.
• Add 2 garlic cloves, a handful of cilantro, 1/4 onion, 1/2 tablespoon of salt, and the chicken quarters or breast.
• Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. If using an Instant Pot, use the poultry setting.
• Remove the chicken from the broth. Discard the garlic, cilantro, and onion from the broth.

You can avoid this step and use store brought chicken broth.

Roast the Vegetables:

• Spread cooking oil on the tomatoes, 2 garlic cloves, 1/4 onion, and both sides of 2 tortillas.
• Place the tomatoes, garlic, onion, and tortillas in the air fryer. Cook at 400°F for 5 minutes, shaking the basket after 2 minutes. Alternatively, cook on a griddle over medium heat, flipping occasionally for even cooking (about 20 minutes).

Prepare the Chiles:

• Remove the stems and seeds from the chile ancho and chile pasilla.
• Soak the chiles in hot water for 10 minutes until rehydrated. Ensure they are fully submerged.
• If you prefer a milder flavor, use only one chile pasilla.

Make the Salsa:

• Combine the roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion, and tortillas with the rehydrated chiles in a blender. Blend until smooth.
• Use a sieve to strain the blended salsa into the chicken broth.

Cook the Soup:

• Use a sieve to strain the blended salsa into the chicken broth.
• Add 2 cups (or one bunch) of epazote and salt to taste (approximately 1 tablespoon) to the soup.
• Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes.
• Remove the epazote or cilantro from the soup.
• Shred the cooked chicken and add it to the soup for extra nutrition, if desired.

How to Serve (Garnish)

• Place crispy tortilla strips (prepared as described earlier) in a bowl and ladle the soup over them.
• Garnish with diced avocado, crumbled queso fresco, toasted chile pasilla strips, and a dollop of Mexican crema or sour cream.

Authentic Sopa de Tortilla: Made Just Like in Mexico

How to make a delicious and Authentic Mexican Sopa de Tortilla. Learn to cook Mexican food from a native Mexican.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 5

Calories 538 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Big pot
• 1 pan
• 1 Air Fryer or a Griddle
• 1 Knife

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cup epazote or a whole bunch You can substitute for Cilantro
• 6 pieces Tomato
• 1/2 piece onion
• 2 piece Pasilla Pepper
• 1 piece Ancho pepper
• 4 clove garlic
• 20 piece tortilla
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 tbsp Salt
• 1 piece avocado
• 5 oz Queso Fresco
• 5 tbsp Mexican Crema
• 10 cups Water
• 1 piece chicken breast or 8 quarters

Instructions

 

Prepare the Broth:

• Add 10 cups of water to a pot.
• Add 2 garlic cloves, a handful of cilantro, 1/4 onion, 1/2 tablespoon of salt, and the chicken quarters or breast.
  
• Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked. If using an Instant Pot, use the poultry setting.
• Remove the chicken from the broth. Discard the garlic, cilantro, and onion from the broth.

Roast the Vegetables:

• Spread cooking oil on the tomatoes, 2 garlic cloves, 1/4 onion, and both sides of 2 tortillas.
  
• Place the tomatoes, garlic, onion, and tortillas in the air fryer. Cook at 400°F for 5 minutes, shaking the basket after 2 minutes.
  
• Alternatively, could you cook on a skillet over medium heat, flipping occasionally for even cooking. It will take about 20 minutes.

Prepare the Chiles and Make the Salsa

• Remove the stems from Ancho and Pasilla Peppers
• Soak chiles in hot water for 10 minutes until rehydrated.
• Combine the roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion, and tortillas with the rehydrated chiles in a blender. Blend until smooth.
• Use a sieve to strain the blended salsa into the chicken broth.
• Add 2 cups of a bunch of epazote and salt to taste (about 1 tablespoon) to the soup. Use cilantro if you don't have epazote.
  
• Bring to boil and cook for 15 minutes
• Remove the epazote or cilantro from the soup
• Shred the cooked chicken and add it to the soup for extra nutrition if desired.

Prepare the Crispy Tortillas Strips

• Trim the edges of the tortillas to create a square, then cut them into strips.
• Air Fryer Method: Toss the tortilla strips with a light coating of cooking oil. Place them in the air fryer and cook at 400°F for 5 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until crispy.
• Traditional Frying Method: Heat a generous amount of oil in a pot over medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly and add a batch of tortilla strips. Fry until crispy, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer the crispy strips to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil.

Assemble the Soup:

• Place crispy tortilla strips (prepared as described earlier) in a bowl and ladle the soup over them.
  
• Garnish with diced avocado, crumbled queso fresco, toasted chile pasilla strips, and a dollop of Mexican crema or sour cream.

Video

Notes

For the garnish

• Use small pieces of avocado
• Crema or Heavy Cream
• Thin strips of pasilla pepper: Fry the pepper in oil before cutting.
• Some people like to add lime, but I don’t, I feel it takes over the natural flavor of the soup.
• Queso fresco in small squares

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Authentic Sopa de Tortilla: Made Just Like in Mexico

Amount per Serving

Calories

538

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

28

g

43

%

Saturated Fat

 

7

g

44

%

Trans Fat

 

0.3

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

5

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

11

g

Cholesterol

 

56

mg

19

%

Sodium

 

2289

mg

100

%

Potassium

 

719

mg

21

%

Carbohydrates

 

49

g

16

%

Fiber

 

8

g

33

%

Sugar

 

7

g

8

%

Protein

 

23

g

46

%

Vitamin A

 

3342

IU

67

%

Vitamin C

 

9

mg

11

%

Calcium

 

326

mg

33

%

Iron

 

4

mg

22

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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What Makes Authentic Chicken Tortilla Soup Different from Other Recipes?

Authentic Sopa de Tortilla stands out for a few key reasons:
No Beans or Corn: Traditional Sopa de Tortilla doesn’t include beans or corn, which are common in many other variations.
No Cumin: Surprisingly, this recipe doesn’t use cumin. While cumin is a popular ingredient in Mexican cuisine, it is not as prevalent in authentic Mexican dishes as in Tex-Mex or Americanized Mexican food.
No Chicken in the Soup: Authentic Sopa de Tortilla doesn’t contain chicken, although it is made with chicken broth. There is a similar soup called Caldo Tlalpeño that includes chicken. Of course, you can always add chicken to tortilla soup to make it more nutritious.

What is Sopa de Tortilla Made of?

This delicious Mexican soup is made with chicken broth and a blend of roasted tomatoes and dried peppers. The secret ingredient for flavor is Epazote, a small green leafy plant commonly used in southern Mexican cuisine.

What is the difference between Sopa Azteca and Sopa de Tortilla?

Sopa Azteca and Sopa de Tortilla are the same recipe; some call it one name or another.