Sopa de Lima is a bright and citrusy Mexican chicken soup that will tantalize your taste buds. Whether you're coming down with a cold, or craving a light but comforting soup, this recipe is easy and delicious.
Chicken soup is the ultimate comfort soup whether it's traditional chicken noodle, Southern-inspired chicken and dumplings, Jewish matzo ball soup, Spanish soupy rice with chicken, or this Mexican sopa de lima or Yucatán style lime soup.
Aromatic onions and garlic provide a flavorful base to this soup, while a finely chopped jalapeño gives it a bit of heat. Oregano, chopped tomatoes, and lime juice round out the soup, giving it its trademark tartness, while chunks of chicken simmered in their own broth are the final touch.
While the soup is excellent as is, you'll definitely want to garnish it with crispy fried tortilla strips. You will probably end up with way more tortilla strips than you really need to garnish this soup, but they are delicious for snacking, so by all means make the full amount!
You may also garnish this sopa de lima with a chopped poblano chile, finely chopped cilantro, cubed avocado, Cotija cheese, and lime wedges, but you certainly don't need to use all of them if you'd prefer not to. I usually stick with cilantro and avocado for mine.
How to make it
First, make the tortilla strips for garnish. Heat canola oil and cook the tortillas strips, a little at a time to avoid overcrowding, for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and slightly puffed. Using tongs, transfer the tortillas to paper towels to drain and sprinkle with salt.
Next, make the soup. In a large stockpot over low heat, heat olive oil, then add chopped onion and garlic and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in minced jalapeño, and cook for another 2 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes and oregano and cook for 5 minutes more. Turn the heat to high, add the chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Finally, add the shredded cooked chicken and cook for another 5 minutes.
Just before serving, add the lime juice to the soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, jalapeño, or lime juice if needed.
Ladle the sopa de lima into mugs or bowls, top each with tortilla strips and serve. Have all the garnishes arranged decoratively on a large serving plate and let guests add their own.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
To lighten the recipe, you may bake the tortilla strips instead of frying them. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly brush, drizzle, or spray oil on a baking sheet and arrange corn tortilla strips on top. It's ok if they slightly overlap, they will shrink a bit as they cook. Brush or spray the tops with more oil just until they are lightly coated. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the they are lightly golden along the edges and crispy.
Other recipes you may like
- Tom Yum Gai (Thai Hot and Sour Chicken Soup)
- Česnečka (Czech Garlic Soup aka Hangover Soup)
- Italian Minestrone Soup
- Chinese Hot and Sour Soup
- Chakhokhbili (Georgian Chicken Stew with Tomatoes and Herbs)
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Sopa de Lima (Yucatán Style Lime Soup)
Ingredients
Tortilla Strips:
- Canola or vegetable oil for frying
- 6 corn tortillas about 5 ½ inches in diameter, cut into ½-inch thick strips
- Kosher salt
Soup:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 jalapeño chile cored, seeded, and finely chopped, plus more as needed
- 1 cup (240 grams) diced tomatoes, fresh or canned
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or about ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- 4 cups (960 ml) chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
- 1 cup (110 grams) cooked shredded chicken
- ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh lime juice, plus more as needed
Garnishes:
- 1 poblano chile seeded and chopped
- 1 ripe but not overly ripe or mushy avocado cut into ½-inch cubes
- ¼ cup (10 grams) finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 cup (80 grams) cotija Mexican cheese or feta, grated or finely chopped
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
- To make the tortilla strips: In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add enough canola oil to reach a depth of ¼ inch and heat until a small piece of tortilla or a speck of salt immediately sizzles on contact. Cook the tortillas strips, a little at a time to avoid overcrowding, for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and slightly puffed. Using tongs, transfer the tortillas to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt.
- To make the soup: In a large stockpot over low heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the jalapeño, and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and oregano and cook for 5 minutes more. Turn the heat to high, add the chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Add the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Just before serving, add the lime juice to the soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, jalapeño, or lime juice if needed.
- Ladle the soup into mugs or bowls, top each with tortilla strips and serve. Have all the garnishes arranged decoratively on a large serving plate and let guests add their own.
Notes
- To lighten the recipe, you may bake the tortilla strips instead of frying them. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly brush, drizzle, or spray oil on a baking sheet and arrange corn tortilla strips on top. It's ok if they slightly overlap, they will shrink a bit as they cook. Brush or spray the tops with more oil just until they are lightly coated. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the they are lightly golden along the edges and crispy.
- Adapted from Soup Swap
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Comments
No Comments