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About this recipe

✨

Recipe highlight

Why you’ll love it

Deep savory chicken broth, roasted tomato and smoky chile meet an explosive fresh citrus finish — then crispy tortilla strips, avocado and cilantro add crunch and freshness to every spoonful. 🍋🔥

Ingredients

• Chicken and broth 🍗
• 🍗 900 g bone-in skinless chicken thighs (2 lb)
• 💧 1.5 L water (6¼ cups / 50 fl oz)
• 🧅 150 g white onion, quartered (1 medium / 5.3 oz)
• 🧄 15 g garlic (3 cloves / 0.5 oz)
• 🌿 4 cilantro stems
• 🌿 1 tsp Mexican oregano
• 🌿 1 bay leaf
• 🌿 ¼ tsp ground cumin
• 🌿 2 whole allspice berries
• 🧂 1½ tsp fine sea salt
• ⚫ ½ tsp black pepper
• Roasted tomato base 🍅
• 🍅 500 g Roma tomatoes, halved (1.1 lb)
• 🧅 100 g white onion, thickly sliced (3.5 oz)
• 🧄 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 🌶️ 1 small habanero, optional
• 🫒 15 ml neutral oil (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• Citrus finish 🍋
• 🍋 90 ml fresh lime juice (6 tbsp / 3 fl oz)
• 🍊 60 ml fresh grapefruit juice (¼ cup / 2 fl oz)
• 🍋 Finely grated zest of 1 lime
• Crispy tortilla strips 🌽
• 🌮 8 small corn tortillas
• 🫒 20 ml neutral oil (1 tbsp + 1 tsp)
• 🧂 Small pinch fine sea salt
• To finish 🥑
• 🥑 1 ripe avocado, diced
• 🧅 60 g white onion, finely diced (½ cup / 2.1 oz)
• 🌿 Fresh cilantro
• 🌶️ Thinly sliced habanero, optional
• 🍋 Lime wedges

Preparation

• 1 Build the chicken broth 🍗 Place the chicken thighs in a large pot with the water, quartered onion, garlic, cilantro stems, oregano, bay leaf, cumin, allspice, salt and black pepper. Bring slowly to a gentle simmer. Skim away any foam that rises to the surface.
• 2 Poach the chicken 🍲 Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 25–30 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Avoid a hard boil so the meat remains juicy and the broth stays relatively clear.
• 3 Shred the chicken 🍗 Transfer the chicken to a clean plate. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and shred it into medium-size pieces. Discard the bones.
• 4 Strain the broth ✨ Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pot. Discard the cooked aromatics. Keep the broth warm over low heat.
• 5 Char the vegetables 🍅 Heat a dry cast-iron skillet or comal over medium-high heat. Roast the tomatoes, sliced onion, unpeeled garlic and optional habanero until softened and deeply blistered in several places. Peel the garlic.
• 6 Blend the tomato base 🔥 Place the roasted tomatoes, onion and garlic in a blender. Add approximately 250 ml of the warm chicken broth. Blend until mostly smooth. If using habanero, begin with only a small piece and increase later if desired.
• 7 Fry the tomato mixture 🍅 Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Carefully add the blended tomato mixture. Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly darker and concentrated.
• 8 Finish the soup 🍲 Pour the strained chicken broth into the tomato base. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and simmer for another 3–4 minutes.
• 9 Make the tortilla strips 🌽 Cut the corn tortillas into thin strips. Toss lightly with oil and a small pinch of salt. Bake at 200°C (390°F) for 8–10 minutes, turning once, until deeply golden and crisp. Keep them separate from the soup until serving.
• 10 Add the citrus 🍋 Remove the soup from direct heat. Stir in the fresh lime juice, grapefruit juice and lime zest. Taste and adjust the salt. Do not boil vigorously after adding the citrus because prolonged high heat dulls its fresh aroma.
• 11 Garnish and serve 🥑 Ladle the hot Sopa de Lima into dark bowls. Add shredded chicken evenly to each serving. Top with crispy tortilla strips, diced avocado, white onion and fresh cilantro. Add optional thin habanero slices and serve immediately with extra lime wedges.

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