Keto Chicken Tortilla Soup (Sopa de Tortilla con Pollo) is a featured menu item on virtually every Mexican restaurant in the Southwest. As a result, there are many different versions. Most are not low carb. For example, most feature corn and corn tortilla chips. But, they all do have one similarity – they are all delicious! Full of carbs, but delicious. We have found a way to make our low-carb version truly special. We concentrate on a traditional Mexican flavor with easily found ingredients.
Clearly, we keep ours low carb by eliminating the corn and corn tortilla chips. We use our homemade Keto Almond Flour Tortilla chips to maintain the theme. These are simple and delicious. Homemade tortilla chips can be made easily using our Almond Flour Tortillas. We also add Keto garnishes – avocado and Queso Fresco. For those who would miss the corn flavor, we even added some sweet-corn extract! This soup has all the flavor, just the right blend of spices, and is loaded with tender Mexican chicken.
Ingredients
The star of the recipe is Mexican shredded chicken. We use a lot of shredded chicken in our recipes. For example, we often use our green Chile slow-cooker version (Chicken Chile Verde) for breakfast dishes and tacos. Sometimes we use a version absent any spices. We then add specific spices later to complete the recipe (Keto Chicken Tinga). We even skip the roasting and make boiled shredded chicken breast for salads (Keto Shredded Chicken Lettuce Wrap). For our Tortilla Soup, we used boiled chicken breasts, shredded, and flavored in the sauce.
The soup is a tomato-based chicken stock with flavorings of garlic, green chiles, oregano, smoked paprika, adobo sauce, and a lot of cumin. There is not a lot of heat in the soup recipe – just flavor. Classic recipes call for Ancho Chiles, poblanos, and even jalapeño for heat. We actually prefer less heat for this one and more of a smoky paprika and chipotle flavor. Feel free to add more heat if your taste buds call for heat. In addition, you can also adjust the tomato paste and cook time to increase the thickness of the soup. However, it should not be a bisque – nor should it be a thin broth.
Preparation Tips
Joanie boiled two chicken breasts for approximately one-half hour for our Tortilla Soup. She then used a two-fork method to shred the cooked chicken. She used chicken breasts with the bones and skin intact. Therefore, the cooking liquid was perfect for the stock. Using boneless and skinless breasts would mean you will need add a low-sodium organic chicken stock. In fact, we have made the recipe a number of times using rotisserie chicken from the market and purchased organic chicken stock.
The Keto Chicken Tortilla Soup is actually a 30 minute meal once you have the shredded chicken. A key is to taste the soup broth before adding the chicken. As a result, you can adjust the heat level to your taste, or add a bit more smokiness with paprika and adobo sauce. This is also the point where we add the sweet corn extract to add a corn flavor. Although optional, this is more like a classic version. In fact, years ago I used to make tortilla soup using corn cut from the cob and even boiled the cob in the broth for flavor. Today we substitute with corn extract.
For serving, we garnish with cilantro, avocado, and Queso fresco cheese. Joanie also likes a little dollop of sour cream on her individual serving. Of course, this is the time to garnish with Low-carb Almond Flour Tortilla Chips. They look great and will absorb the flavor of the soup. You can also vary the presentation by cutting fried almond flour tortillas into strips.
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Chicken Tortilla Soup – A Little Heat, a Lot of Taste!
Keto Chicken Tortilla Soup has a little heat and a lot of taste! In short, it is a delicious soup that is loaded with chicken and with only 6g of net carbs! It will freeze well and serve a family well. We have been making this soup for years and it has always been a favorite. The perfect low-carb soup for your lifestyle – definitely Tasty Low Carb!
Keto Chicken Tortilla Soup
Course: SoupCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy6
10
minutes35
minutes204.7
kcal7.0
g45
minutesKeto Chicken Tortilla Soup is the perfect low-carb soup with the right spices, a little heat, and packed with shredded chicken. Top it with chopped avocado, cilantro, and Queso Fresco!
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons 2 tablespoons Olive oil extra virgin
1 medium 1 medium White onion diced
4 cloves 4 cloves Garlic chopped
4 ounces 113 g Green chiles canned
3 3 Roma tomatoes diced
1 1 Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce chopped
1 tablespoon 1 tablespoon Adobo sauce
1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon Oregano
3 teaspoons 3 teaspoons Cumin
1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
4 cups 946 ml Chicken stock organic or freshly made
4 tablespoons 4 tablespoons Tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons 1 1/2 teaspoons Corn extract optional
2 teaspoons 2 teaspoons Sea salt
2 2 Chicken breasts shredded
2 tablespoons 2 tablespoons Lime juice fresh squeezed
1/2 1/2 Avocado diced
Cilantro chopped
Queso fresco crumbled
2 2 Tortilla chips Tasty Low Carb
Instructions
- Place olive oil to a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add chopped garlic and cook for 2 additional minutes.
- Add green chiles, tomatoes, chipotle pepper, oregano, cumin, adobo sauce, and smoked paprika. Stir for 2 minutes.
- The chicken stock, sweet corn extract, salt, and tomato paste should be added next. Stir to incorporate. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed.
- Add the shredded chicken, and lime juice and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Serve hot, topped with cilantro, avocado, and queso fresco crumbles. Add a few almond flour tortilla chips or strips for garnish.
Chef’s Notes
- To shorten the preparation time you can buy rotisserie chicken from the grocery and shred. Sweet corn extract is optional.
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 204.7kcal
- Carbohydrates: 10.3g
- Protein: 18.5g
- Fat: 10.4g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6g
- Cholesterol: 48.2mg
- Sodium: 2149.2mg
- Potassium: 663.1mg
- Fiber: 3.3g
- Sugar: 4.1g
- Vitamin A: 645IU
- Vitamin C: 14.3mg
- Calcium: 46.9mg
- Iron: 1.7mg
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This was a winner by everyone’s standards. The aromatics are wonderful. It did take more than 10 mins for me to prep all the ingredients. For tortilla strips I used Siete Paleo tortillas and fried those. I did not add the corn extract, and did not miss it. Will definitely make again.
So pleased my recipe was enjoyed! I hope you will try others. Thanks for the kind comment . . . Joanie.
Sorry if this is a duplicate! Just wanted to leave a comment now that I made the soup. Absolutely delicious, followed exactly and turned out great! Thanks
Thanks for the comment. Always makes my day when folks appreciate one of my recipes . . . Joanie.
I’ve made this a couple of times now and it turns out amazing. I found low-carb tortillas that I cut into slices and fry for the crunchies. This last time I made a double batch just cause it refrigerated well and heats up nicely. I have a few days of lunches with it (and yes, I can eat this often).
So pleased that you are enjoying my recipe. Tortilla soup is one of our most chosen soups. We make it often and agree that it is great for lunches for days. I really appreciate your comment . . . Joanie.
Me and My family love it. 2nd time making it this week!
So pleased you enjoyed my recipe! Thank you for the kind comment . . . Joanie.
Hi! What is the serving size? Is it 1 cup or a bowl?
I usually have six healthy sized cups from the recipe. We usually serve our tortilla soup in a bowl since it is filled with delicious garnishes. I hope you enjoy my recipe . . . Joanie.
Does the nutritional info include avo and queso? Of so how much per bowl? Thanks!
The avocado is included in the nutrition, but not the Queso or Cilantro. Hard to measure the amount of the last two items. I hope you enjoy my recipe, it is one of our favorites and one of my most popular posts with followers. Thanks for the question . . . Joanie.
Do the macros you provided include the toppings?
Not the cilantro or crumbled Queso Fresco cheese. Basically, since they are optional. I hope you will try my recipe, it is one of our favorites. Thanks for the question . . . Joanie.
Could I make this in a crock pot??
I am sure it would work well it a slow cooker. I have never made it that way, but there would be no reason why the flavors would not meld together well. The beauty of creating Tasty recipes is everyone adds their own touch. Let his know how things work . . . Joanie.
We made this tonight and it was fantastic! We also added a fresh hot hatch chili since we like ours spicy and they’re in season. We happened to have the corn extract since we used some for another recipe.. it definitely makes a difference and adds that authentic corn flavor. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes! 🙂
Thank you so much for the comment. The chili idea is a good one. I am sure it added flavor, as well. Please enjoy more of my recipes, that is what makes or blog most meaningful . . . Joanie.
Hi Joanie and Chris,
Looking forward to making this amazing soup! Just a few questions to make sure I don’t miss anything. Is there ancho chili in this recipe? Asking because I see a list of ingredients listed with links but don’t see it listed as an ingredient in the recipe. And have you made this using canned tomatoes? If so did you use the juice as well? Thanks in advance, looking forward to making this tomorrow!
Londa
You will love my Tortilla soup – it is one of our favorites and most popular. Many will make their Tortilla Soup here with Ancho or even a chopped up Jalapeño. My version does not include an Ancho. I like the smoky flavor of Adobo Sauce, a Chipotle from the sauce, and smoked paprika. You could deseed and chop a Jalapeño if you want heat. I haven’t used canned diced tomatoes, only fresh chopped Roma. If you do, I would not use the juice since you will have a lot of chicken stock already. Thank you so much for the questions and I hope you enjoy my recipe . . . Joanie.
Made your soup today Joanie and Chris. I didn’t have fresh tomatoes so used canned diced tomatoes. I also didn’t add the corn extract. Other than those two alterations, followed your recipe. (Also, for the most part, followed your slow cooker shredded chicken recipe for the cooked chicken. I didn’t have Verde salsa, so i used a 10 oz. can of tomatoes w/ green chilies in place of the salsa.) I added shredded cheddar cheese, half of an avocado, and fresh cilantro to my bowl. (I forgot to add a few jalapeno pepper slices. I forgot I had them until I finished my bowl!) This soup is so flavorful and so tasty! It’s a little spicy which I love! It is absolutely delicious!! Recipe is definitely a keeper. This is perfect for my keto diet. I’m glad I pinned your recipe to my pinterest board. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Thank you so much for the kind comment. The slow cooker chicken recipe does add a lot. I hope you will try some of our other Keto recipes and let us know what you think. You should try one of our favorites – Albóndigas Soup. I make that often and from living in the Southwest, that soup is very authentic. Thanks again for the comment . . . Joanie.
We made this recipe exactly as published and it is AMAZING!!!! Thank you! It is just the right amount of spice, and tastes so authentic. I will definitely make this again.
Very pleased you enjoyed my recipe. We love it and make it a lot. Since moving to the Southwest we have enjoyed so many authentic Mexican recipes and this is one I have tried to duplicate. I think it is spot on – one of our favorites. You may also want to try our Albóndigas Soup. It is very Tasty Low Carb! Thanks again . . . Joanie.
I have made this recipe twice! My husband thinks its a little spicy so I add chicken broth in his bowel. My son and I think it is perfect!! Love your recipes!
So pleased you enjoyed my Tortilla Soup! No two people are alike where food is concerned. Generally, Chris likes a bit more spice than I do; but, we both love Tortilla Soup. Enjoy . . . Joanie.
I made this tonight for my sniffly family and we all went back for seconds! The only change I made was canned chipotle-infused tomatoes, and it worked out great! I also used the slow-cooker green chile chicken that was suggested. With the lime, cilantro, queso fresco, and avocado…this soup was legendary. Thank you so much!!
So pleased to hear that you all enjoy my tortilla soup! The chipotle infused tomatoes are an excellent idea. Thanks for that tip. Yes, the slow-cooker Green Chile Chicken will “make the recipe.” We make this one often – a real staple. Thanks for the comment . . . Joanie.
This is an incredible recipe. I added extra adobo sauce and a couple chopped tomatillos, and it was just stunning. I’ll make this one again and again. (My ears are still burning from the heat of the broth, so I maybe won’t triple the adobo sauce next time.)
I like the tomatillo idea! We love the smoky flavor of adobo sauce and use it all the time, but too much can take over the dish. Save some of that adobo and try a few of our other Mexican recipes. We live in the Southwest so we have a strong influence here – so delicious. I have a Barbacoa recipe that we make a lot and sometimes we use a chipotle in adobo and sometimes we do not – it is tasty either way. You might want to try that one. Thanks for the comment . . . Joanie.