This chicken and chard tortilla soup is the perfect family dinner. Slightly spicy, full of flavor, and topped with homemade crunchy tortilla strips. Plus it’s ready in just over an hour so you can feast in no time!
You know those people who think soup isn’t a meal? I’m not one of those people. Nope.
Soup is 100% a meal in our house.
In fact, when I make soup on the weekend I make a big enough pot that we can enjoy all. day. long. Soup for lunch. Soup for dinner. Maybe soup for breakfast. I don’t discriminate.
I like it all day every day.
This chicken and chard tortilla soup are of course one of my favorites.
It’s packed with just the right amount of flavor to make it perfect for the whole family.
It has a light smokey flavor with a hint of citrus and spice.
I love topping mine with fresh cilantro, lime, and lots of tortilla strips.
Table of Contents
Why use dried chiles?
Honestly, BIG TIME FLAVOR!
Dried chili peppers have an intense flavor that you don’t get from peppers.
In this case, the pasilla peppers I used are smokey in flavor and give off a fruity flavor that is very similar to ancho chilies. Some describe the taste as raisin-like. In fact, pasilla in Spanish means “little raisin.”
Don’t worry if you’re not a fan of spicy peppers. Pasilla peppers are not known for being overly spicy.
However, a few spicy ones can sneak into the bag so start off with 2 chiles and add more if you want more flavor.
You can typically find dried pasilla peppers in the Mexican aisle of the grocery store or if you have a local Mexican market they will be easily found there.
Can I use rotisserie chicken instead?
I roasted my own chicken for the soup but picking up a rotisserie chicken and picking off the meat is an even easier option.
I’m all about the shortcuts and this one shortcut I often take myself! (Have you tried my crispy chicken apple cabbage salad?)
Plus, if it’s a hot summer day no one really wants to heat up the oven to roast chicken.
Trust me, it will turn out equally as delicious.
Can I use something else instead of Swiss chard?
I also love that RedPack tomatoes are non-GMO verified and packed in non-BPA/BPS lined cans.
That is a HUGE plus to me!
Oh and the company has been family owned and family farmed for 4 generations! How cool is that?
This soup is the perfect way so to show off all that tomato goodness.
It gives you the perfect balance of chile to tomato flavor.
The shredded chicken is stirred right into the soup and it’s jazzed up with the addition of Swiss chard.
Not only does it help make the soup taste even more delicious it’s a nice burst of nutrition as well.
Of course, you don’t have to make your own tortilla strips but I swear the homemade version tastes so much better!
Plus you can eat as many as you want because you have to buy a big pack of corn tortillas and you’ll have lots of leftovers.
Soooooooo really it’s just a way to get away with each all. the. tortilla. strips.
Love my chicken and chard tortilla soup recipe?
Why not try a few of my other tasty soup recipes?
- Cream of Roasted Asparagus Soup
- Easy Ham and Bean Soup
- Chicken Corn Chowder
- Peruvian Chicken Soup
- Succotash Soup
- Andouille Corn Chowder
Chicken and Chard Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
Soup
- 3-4 dried pasilla chiles stemmed and seeded
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 28 ounce can diced RedPack tomatoes
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 4 cups thinly sliced Swiss chard leaves
- 1 lime juiced
- Crispy corn tortilla strips
- Lime wedges
- Shredded cheese
- Cubed avocado
- Chopped cilantro
Tortilla Strips
- 12 6 inch corn tortillas, cut into strips
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and pepper
Chicken
- 2 bone-in split chicken breasts
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
Soup:
- Add chiles to a bowl and cover with a little hot water to help soften the pepper, set aside.
- In a large soup pot add olive oil and set over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot add in the onion and saute just until the onion is soft.
- Add in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or until the garlic is fragrant.
- Remove from the heat and add all the onions and garlic to the container of your blender.
- Also to the blender add chiles and tomatoes. Puree until totally smooth. I used my Vitamix which comes with a 64-ounce container. If your blender isn't as big split this into 2 batches.
- Pour mixture back into the soup pot and add in chicken stock and shredded chicken.
- Simmer on low for 30 minutes to let the flavors combine.
- Once the soup has simmered and is hot remove from the heat and stir in the Swiss chard leaves and lime juice.
- Serve topped with tortilla strips, lime wedges, shredded cheese, cubed avocado, and chopped cilantro.
Tortilla Strips:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and add cut tortillas to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with desired amount kosher salt and pepper.
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until they are lightly browned. Keep an eye on these tortillas because they can go from not cooked to burnt in just a minute.
Roast Chicken:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lightly drizzle olive over the chicken and rub over to make sure it's coated.
- Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper.
- Bake for about 1 hour or until fully cooked.
- Once cooked remove from the oven and let cool.
- Once cool enough to handle pick off the meat and throw away the bones and skin.