Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup (Keto friendly)

How comforting it is to have a steaming bowl of soup on a cold November day. One of our favorite soups in my house is Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup. It’s like a party in a bowl and is a real crowd pleaser. I can’t even count how many countries I have made this soup in: America, Italy, Mexico, Nicaragua, Japan…I have been making this Tortilla Soup for years now and it never disappoints.

Here in Italy I have to grow the cilantro myself in a pot on my balcony, it is quite the rare herb here. I buy myself a pot of cilantro ( called coriander here) at the farmers market and gently coax it into growth. In America I can always by a bunch at any market for pennies on the dollar. For the sheddred cheese, I usually choose a fontina cheese to grate on top, it works wonderfully. The Tapatio I had to smuggle from home in my luggage or beg visiting guests to bring me a bottle of the liquid gold. But everything else is pretty easy to get here.

I first learned the recipe when I was visiting friends in San Diego, California. Our experienced hostess made us a big pot of Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup. It is a chicken soup base with a rich tomato and onion puree that really kicks it up in flavor. The toppings are what really make it fun though. There were green onions, cilantro, creamy avocado, tortilla chips, shredded cheese, Tapatio hot sauce and limes. So you can make it as spicy or as calm as you like it. We recently started making it “keto-friendly” by omitting the tortilla chips! The rest of it is Keto approved! All of that lovely cheese, avocado, chicken and veggies!

My husband and his family all love this recipe and they have adopted it as their own. I hope it finds a regular place on your dinner table too. Your family is sure to love it!

Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

Soup Base:

3 large yellow onions, sliced

olive oil for sautéing

2 cans stewed or chopped tomatoes

Stewed Chicken:

1 whole chicken stewed (you can also use a rotisserie chicken and use canned broth in which case you would not need the rest of the ingredients for the Stewed Chicken)

1 onion for the stewing of the chicken

1 carrot for the stewing of the chicken

3 ribs of celery for the stewing of the chicken

1 teaspoon salt for the stewing of the chicken

Complete the Soup:

8 cups chicken broth (either purchased or the broth from your beautifully stewed chicken)

1 teaspoon salt

Toppings:

2 limes

1 bunch cilantro chopped finely

1 bunch green onions

2 cups shredded cheese (you can use Monterey Jack or Cheddar. Here in Italy I use provolone or another white mild cheese that melts well.)

1 bag of tortilla chips (omit if you want it Keto friendly!)

2 avocados

Tapatio hot sauce (or other bottled hot sauce)

Directions:

First stew a chicken with celery, onions and carrots. Start the stewing process by browning the chicken on all sides. You can use a whole chicken or a cut up chicken with all parts. This will create a nice golden broth and richer flavor. Add the sliced carrots, celery and onion, a little trick I learned from a “Cancer” cook book was to cook the onion skins right along with the onions. This always makes for a richer color broth and adds cancer fighting ingredients. Win Win! You will strain all the veggies and chicken from the broth anyway. Add enough water to cover the chicken and veggies. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium low and cover. It should be at a low boil. Cook for 1-2 hours (depending on if it was cut up or whole chicken). When you go to pick up a leg or the whole chicken with tongs it should want to fall off the bone. Set a colander over a large bowl or pan in the sink. Pour the chicken and broth into the colander allowing the broth to be captured into the bowl. This way you have reserved your precious broth. Allow to cool.

You can also use a rotisserie chicken and a large can of chicken broth if you don’t want to stew a chicken, in this case you do not need the carrots, celery and additional onion. You don’t necessarily need to add the carrots, celery and onions, you can just boil the chicken but that doesn’t smell good cooking or taste as good but definitely do-able.

Allow the chicken to cool then pull the meat off the bone and shred it. Strain and reserve the chicken broth.

Meanwhile for the base of the soup, slice the onions and cook in a large pot with a little olive oil. Cook the onions all the way down until they are brown. The soup gets its flavor from this step so don’t stop until the onions are golden brown. You can add more oil or water if they seem to be burning.

After they are very golden brown add the cans of tomatoes and allow these to cook down until they are brick red and a little dry in the pot.

Once they are all cooked down you can allow them to cool and blend until smooth in a blender. You can add some water or chicken broth to thin it down a bit.

Return the blended onions and tomatoes to the pot and add the shredded chicken and chicken broth. Season with a little salt if needed and simmer.

While the soup is simmering, chop the green onions and cilantro, cut the limes into wedges, shred the cheese and slice the avocado. Place all of these items individually in different bowls and serve on the table.

We always demonstrate to our first time guests how to prepare a bowl and my husband is always happy to have this job. First he ladles the soup into a large bowl then he takes a handful of the tortilla chips and places them in the bowl. Next he tops the chips with a handful of cheese topped with onions, cilantro and avocados. Finally he dramatically squeezes a lime on the top and gives a couple of dashes of Tapatio to the bowl. Now its ready to eat and everyone is happy to customize their bowl just the way they like it.

For A Great Italian Dinner Idea try one from our Archives:

Pesto Genovese (published September 21, 2018

Saltimbocca (Roman Style Veal Scallopini) (Published February 18, 2018)

Steamed Mussels and Fettuccine (Cozze e Fettuccine) Published May 4, 2019)

Shrimp Risotto (Risotto alla Gamberi) Published June 2, 2018)

Pasta Carbonara (Published May 12, 2018)

Arancini (Italian Fried Rice Balls) Published June 4, 2018)

Ossobuco alla Milanese (Milan Style Veal Shanks & Saffron Risotto) Published June 20, 2018)

Lasagna Bolognese (Published Aug 3, 2018)

Eggplant Parmesan (Published August 29, 2018)

Cacio e Pepe (Published August 28, 2018)

Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Butter (Oct 2, 2018)

For Dinner Ideas from Around the World:

Asian Cuisine:

Babaganush (Middle Eastern Roasted Eggplant Dip) Published July 29, 2017

Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce (Published August 18, 2017)

Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Salad (Bun Bo Xoa) Published March 12, 2018

Gyoza (Potstickers or Chinese Dumplings) Published August 27,2018)

Kung Pao Chicken (Published August 23, 2018)

American Cuisine:

Southern Fried Chicken (published September 11, 2018)

Spiced Chickpea Salad with Roasted Cauliflower (Published April 22, 2018)

Beef Bone Broth (published September 24, 2018)

Classic American Hamburger (published September 25, 2018)

Beef & Farro Soup (published October 6, 2018)

Oven Roasted Herb Chicken & Potatoes (September 29, 2018)

Mexican Cuisine:

Shrimp Tacos (Published September 19, 2018)

Side DIshes:

Festive Pineapple Sesame Coleslaw (published September 14, 2018)

Italian Roasted Vegetable Platter (published September 13, 2018)

Pear Gorgonzola Salad with Walnuts and Grapes (published September 29, 2018)

Breakfast:

Whole Wheat Waffles (published August 12, 2017)

Dutch Babies (published May 30, 2018)

Hollandaise Sauce and Eggs Benedict (published September 23, 2018)

Canning and Preserving:

Noyaux (French bitter almond extract from stone fruit) (Published Aug 7, 2017)

Sweet & Spicy Pickles (Published July 6, 2017)

Canned Peaches (Published August 23, 2018)

Ricotta from Powdered Milk (Published Aug 5, 2017)

Candied Orange Peel (Published September 12, 2018)

Desserts:

Buttery Flaky Pie Crust

Cherry Pie (published May 20, 2017)

Homemade Berry Pie (published July 23, 2017)

Almond Roca (published February 22, 2018)

Homemade Banana Cream Pie (published May 10, 2018)

Cannoli (published August 3, 2017)

Easy Authentic Tiramasu (published May 3, 2018)

Ooey Gooey Blonde Brownies (published August 11, 2018)

Old Fashioned Peach Crisp (published August 1, 2018

Classic Canned Peaches (published August 8, 2018)

Noyaux (Almond Extract made from stone fruit pits) Published August 7, 2017

Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream (Published May 25, 2017

Fudge Brownies (Published September 20, 2018)

For Other Articles About Traveling & Living in Italy try one from our Archives:

A Morning Run in Nettuno (Published September 10, 2017)

A Visit to Castelli Romani (Published September 13, 2017)

Dinner for Six (Published October 1, 2017)

Italian Cooking School (Published October 8, 2017)

Culinary Tour of Napoli (Published November 17, 2017)

Changing Seasons in Italy (Published November 25, 2017)

Our Trip to Englands Cotswolds (Published January 12, 2018)

Cooking with Pasquale (Published January 28, 2018)

A Tour of the Garden of Ninfa (Published May 7, 2018)

A Trip to Montefiascone (Published May 17, 2018)

San Gimignano, a visit to a Tuscan Hill Town (Published June 9, 2018)

Tuscan Hot Springs of San Filippo & Saturnia (Published June 13, 2018)

Market Day In Italy (Published October 4,2018)

Articles about Tiny House “Homesteading” in California:

The Beginning of a Blog (Published May 18, 2017)

The Cherry Tree (Published May 20, 2017)

How to Roast Your Own Coffee Beans (Published May 22, 2017)

Successful Square Foot Gardening (Published May 23, 2017)

Yosemite (Published June 7, 2017)

My Tiny House (Published June 15, 2017)

Making Noyaux (French Bitter Almond Extract from Stone fruit pits) Published August 7, 2017)

Sweet & Spicy Pickles (Published July 21, 2017

Classic Canned Peaches (Published August 6, 2018)

Ricotta from Powdered Milk (Published Aug 5, 2017)