I have always loved McAlister’s Deli since my childhood. There was McAlister’s Deli restaurant just a few blocks away from our house. But later on, we moved to somewhere else, and I started to miss America’s favorite sandwiches, soups, salads, spuds, and many more from my favorite McAlister’s Deli. I have recently tried a few of their recipes, and McAlister’s chicken tortilla soup recipe is one of them, which I’m here to share with you today.
I’ve tied to recreated the original-like mouth-watering tortilla soup, and I think I have succeeded as I find no difference in taste from the McAlister’s Deli. This recipe has taken a 10-minute preparation time and 30 minutes for cooking. My family also loved this delicious soup, although they have never been such a big fan of neither McAlister’s Deli, nor their chicken tortilla soup.
One more thing, don’t forget to try another American’s favorite Tortilla based recipe, the Lupe tortilla fajita recipe. And if you are McAlister’s Deli fan like me and have your version of any of their recipes, you can share them with me right away.
Ingredients
- Chicken stock or broth (1 carton; 32 ounces usually)
- Chicken cream (1 can; about 10.5 ounces)
- Rotisserie chicken, preferably shredded (2 cups; 14.80 ounces)
- Unsalted butter (1 tablespoon)
- Finely minced onion (1 piece)
- Onion powder (1 teaspoon)
- Finely minced garlic (2 cloves)
- Creamed corn (1 can; about 14.80 ounces)
- Finely diced tomatoes (1 can; about 14.80 ounces)
- Chili powder (3 teaspoons)
- Freshly ground cumin (2 teaspoons)
- Paprika (2 teaspoons)
- Half and half (1 cup)
- Cayenne powder (⅛ teaspoon)
- To taste, salt or freshly ground pepper
To top the recipe (optional):
- Sour cream
- Finely sliced avocado
- A few tortillas strip
- Pico de gallo
- Monterey jack (finely shredded)
Instructions
- Take a large pot or use a Dutch oven to melt the butter on low-medium heat for approximately 3-6 minutes. Then add the finely minced onion and garlic to the butter.
- Now, set the temperature at medium heat and sauté the ingredients until the onion gets entirely brown.
- Reduce the heat to low now and add all the remaining ingredients but half and half to the pot. Stir well to make sure a perfect mix.
- Increase the heat again and simmer the mixture for around 25-30 minutes. Then reduce the heat, add the half and half and stir carefully until the ingredients are perfectly combined.
- When you have a perfect combination of the ingredients, you have completed cooking the McAlister’s chicken tortilla soup recipe. Now you can top the dish using shredded cheese in the first place and serve.
You can also aim for other topping ingredients as per your choices, such as pico de gallo, freshly ground avocado, fresh lime juice, sour cream, or even tortilla strips. You know what you like the most.
Tips and Tricks
- It is better to salt the recipe as the slat content in this recipe, such as rotisserie chicken, broth, or beans, doesn’t always contain the same level of saltiness. So, salting additionally will help you make the recipe tastier.
- If you can manage, add a little squeezed lime to the tortilla soup.
- I always recommend topping this recipe using tortilla strips, freshly ground avocado, and pico de gallo.
Nutrition Value
In every 7.7 fl. Oz serving, this chicken tortilla soup recipe gives 167 calories, which will take 46-minute walking, 26-minute cycling, 14-minute swimming, and 19 minutes of jogging to burn away fully.
| Nutrient Fact (PER 7.7 fl. oz) | Value | Daily Value |
| Calories | 167 (689kJ) | – |
| Protein | 6.7g | 18% |
| Alcohol | 0g | – |
| Carbohydrates | 20.7g | 7% |
| Dietary Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugars | 2g | 7.9% |
| Total Fat | 6.7g | 10% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | |
| Cholesterol | 20mg | 7% |
| Niacin Equivalents | 10.9mg | 84 % |
| Calcium | 448mg | 7 % |
| Iron | 14mg | 79% |
| Potassium | 123mg | 13% |
| Sodium | 1302 mg | 54% |
FAQ
How can I store this tortilla soup?
You can use an airtight container to store this tortilla soup. A refrigerator will keep this soup good and eatable for up to 6 days.
How can I determine the amount of salt in my chicken tortilla soup recipe?
As there are a few salt contents in this recipe, e.g., rotisserie chicken, chicken broth, or beans, it is better to taste the recipe once before you sprinkle extra salt. Then, if it feels alright without adding extra salt, you can keep it that way. Or you can sprinkle extra salt as per your preferences.
McAlister’s chicken tortilla soup is effortless to make, as I have discussed already. It takes only 30 minutes to finish cooking this fantastic recipe. It is a mouth-watering and extremely comforting flavor-loaded soup to make you boosted up for the day.