Trisha Yearwood's Chicken Tortilla Soup - Recipe Diaries (2025)

FAQs

What can I use to thicken my tortilla soup? ›

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

Add Some Starches

The easiest way to tone down a spicy dish is to serve a smaller portion with plenty of rice, bread, potatoes, pasta, or plain starch to counter the heat. For soups and stews, raw and starchy vegetables like potatoes or carrots work well.

Keep Simmering. Sometimes all your soup needs is a little more time on the stove. Allow your chicken tortilla soup to simmer uncovered for an extended period. The heat will help evaporate some of the liquid, naturally thickening the soup.

The most classic and surefire way to thicken a broth-based soup is with a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together equal parts cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water or broth, then whisk it into the pot of soup. A good ratio to get to a pleasant thickness without your soup tasting goopy or heavy is one tablespoon.

It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.

Add Umami: Add a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil, mushroom powder, or a few dashes of fish sauce for an ultra-satisfying, umami-packed soup. Add More Veggies: Swirl in fresh spinach or kale at the end of cooking for more of a vegetable-heavy soup.

Using too little seasoning

Reaching for something spicy without much distinct flavor, like cayenne, will result in a bland and spicy broth. Earthy spices like cumin and coriander are aromatic but not spicy. Chili powder is a blend that skews more flavorful than spicy, especially if you craft your own.

Add flour or cornflour

Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

Add more liquid: The simplest solution is to add more liquid, such as water, broth, or milk. Start by adding a small amount and gradually add more until you reach the desired consistency. Use a blender: If you have a blender, you can puree the soup in batches, adding more liquid as needed.

How do you make soup less rich? ›

Brighten up overly rich dishes by adding something sweet or sour. Try adding fresh lime or lemon juice, a splash of vinegar (such as apple cider), sour condiments such as pickles or sauerkraut, and sweet-flavored herbs such as cilantro and basil.

You can enjoy tortilla soup with many things, like tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. Mexican rice, chips with guacamole, roasted corn, black beans, and Mexican cornbread are also good choices.

Chicken tortilla soup is a Mexican-inspired soup that has a tomato and chicken broth base. It is spiced with chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, and has a little kick from the jalapeño. It also has hearty ingredients like beans, corn, and of course the shredded chicken.

Cornstarch is a great option as it is a natural thickening agent, but you'll want to be careful about how much you use. Start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked together with cold water to create a slurry. Then, gradually add the slurry to the soup, letting it boil for one to two minutes before adding more.

Try rice flour, tapioca starch or potato starch/flour. All will thicken a soup or sauce. Mix a spoonful (you'll have to experiment with quantity) into a small of cold liquid that will go into the soup (milk, water, broth) and then pour it into the hot soup stirring continuously.

A handful of uncooked rice. That's all folks, just a handful of white rice. Any kind will do: jasmine, basmati, short grain, long grain. When added to a brothy (or watery, even) soup, and left to simmer for 20-30 minutes, the rice breaks down, releasing its starch and thickening the liquid that it's cooking in.