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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 5 servings
Calories 426 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 11 small corn tortillas sliced into ¼-inch strips
  • 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil for the strips
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt for the strips
  • 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil for the soup
  • 1 ¼ cups sweet onion diced
  • 1 large jalapeño diced
  • 5 garlic cloves minced
  • 34 oz low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cans tomatoes diced, with juice
  • 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 2 ¼ cups cooked chicken shredded
  • 1 ¾ cups corn kernels frozen, canned, or fresh
  • 1 ¼ tablespoons lime juice plus more to taste
  • 1 ¼ tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons salt or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
  • ⅓ cup fresh cilantro finely minced
  • avocado diced

For serving:

  • shredded cheese
  • sour cream

Instructions
 

Crisp the tortilla strips:

  • Heat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with foil or a silicone mat.
  • Spread the tortilla strips out on the sheet, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss by hand so they're evenly coated. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden and crunchy, then set them aside while you build the soup.

Build the soup:

  • Warm the remaining olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
  • Add the onion and jalapeño and cook about 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until they start to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.
  • Pour in the broth, tomatoes with their juice, black beans, chicken, corn, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and cayenne if using. Bring everything up to a boil.
  • Let it boil gently for 5-7 minutes — if the soup looks too thick or you want a brothier consistency, stir in a cup or two of water and adjust seasoning at the end.
  • Stir in the cilantro and let it boil for one more minute.
  • Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, since saltiness can vary depending on your broth and beans.
  • Spoon into bowls, top generously with the crispy tortilla strips, and add avocado, cheese, or sour cream as desired. Serve right away.

Notes

  • Bake the tortilla strips in a single layer so they crisp evenly instead of steaming.
  • Use already-cooked shredded chicken (like rotisserie) to keep the soup to about 30 minutes.
  • Stir in lime juice and cilantro only in the last minute to keep their flavor bright.
  • Add water to thin the soup if it looks too thick after simmering.
  • Store tortilla strips separately at room temperature; refrigerating makes them soggy.
  • The soup base freezes well for up to 3 months; add fresh strips when serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 426kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 1912mg | Potassium: 725mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1008IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 4mg
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