Turkey Tortilla Soup Recipe

Turn leftover roast turkey into a vibrant and satisfying bowl of chile-packed soup.

Updated November 24, 2023

Closeup of a bowl of turkey tortilla soup, garnished with crumbled tortilla chips, cilantro, and avocado. — Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

Why It Works

A combination of dried chiles gives the soup a complex, rounded flavor. Sautéed Poblano pepper adds a bright vegetal note.
Soaking and puréeing the dried chiles results in a broth with a velvety smooth texture.
An assortment of garnishes complements the earthy chile-laden broth with fresh, acidic, and creamy elements.
Freshly fried tortilla strips have just the right balance of tenderness and crunchiness.

Turkey and chiles go remarkably well together. Heck, the turkey has a rightful claim to being the national bird of Mexico, and would have a good shot at the title had the golden eagle and a half dozen other birds in line for the job had slightly less imposing silhouettes on a coat of arms. It is, however, widely consumed in Mexico.

Pavo en mole—turkey in a sauce of ground chiles, spices, seeds, and chocolate—is considered by many food historians and writers to be the pinnacle of Mexican cuisine, and this time I'm telling the truth.

"Only turkey has just the right ratio of bland background flavor to slightly funky forward flavor."

Chicken is too mild—it gets overpowered in a chile-based sauce. Beef works, but becomes a different beast entirely. Pork is more naturally paired with acidic green sauces. Only turkey has just the right ratio of bland background flavor to slightly funky forward flavor to be enveloped by a chile-based sauce, but not overwhelmed by it.*

*This last paragraph, while not filled with outright lies, is at least an exaggeration of a hyperbole, but bear with me.

A spoonful of turkey tortilla soup is held up to the camera. — Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

Of course, the last thing anybody wants to do is to make a complex sauce with 40+ ingredients the day after Thanksgiving just to make use of a few leftovers. So what do you do? How about just make a much simpler turkey tortilla soup instead?

Honestly, turkey tortilla soup is much better than chicken tortilla soup, and it comes together really fast. Some versions of tortilla soup are tomatoey. I prefer mine with just chiles, good stock, and a few aromatics (though a can of tomatoes wouldn't kill it). A mix of many chiles works, but a simple blend of ancho, pasilla, and a couple of canned chipotles gives it plenty of rich, fruity flavor with a touch of smoke from the chipotles.

You can, of course, use pre-ground chili powder if you'd like. As with my Texas chili recipe, I like to simmer chiles in chicken stock before puréeing them rather than grinding them first. You end up with a much smoother texture.

A fresh poblano and onion sautéed in oil before the remaining ingredients are added contributes a bright aroma to the mix, and a garnish of sliced scallions, diced avocado, and a handful of cilantro give you some nice freshness.

As for the namesake fried tortillas, bagged chips work just fine, but freshly fried strips achieve that elusive tender-but-crunchy texture that is the hallmark of the best tortilla soup.

November 2011

Recipe Details

Turkey Tortilla Soup Recipe

Cook 30 mins

Active 30 mins

Total 30 mins

Serves 4 to 6 servings

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

2 cups peanut oil for frying tortilla strips (see note)
4 corn tortillas, cut in half, then sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch strips (see note)
Kosher salt
2 pasilla chiles
2 ancho chiles
2 whole chipotle chiles canned in adobo sauce plus 1 tablespoon sauce
2 quarts low-sodium canned or homemade chicken or turkey broth
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely diced
1 whole poblano pepper, seeds and stem removed, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, grated on a microplane grater
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 pound leftover turkey meat, shredded by hand into rough 10-inch pieces
Sliced scallions, sliced cilantro, diced avocado, diced jalapeño and lime slices for serving

Directions

Heat peanut oil to 350°F (175°C) in a Dutch oven or wok over high heat. Add tortilla strips and fry, agitating with a metal spider or slotted spatula until strips are crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, season with salt, and set aside.
Combine all chiles in a medium saucepan and add half of the chicken broth. Simmer over medium-high heat until the chiles are completely tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender or immersion blender cup and blend until completely smooth.
While chiles are simmering, heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add the onions and poblano pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add remaining chicken broth. Add chile purée from step 2 as soon as it is ready.
Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, add turkey meat, and cook until flavors have blended, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Serve hot, passing tortilla strips, scallions, cilantro, avocado, jalapeños, and lime wedges at the table.

Special Equipment

Dutch oven, instant-read thermometer, blender or immersion blender

Notes

You can use store-bought tortilla strips or crumbled tortilla chips if desired. For a milder flavor, remove one ancho and one pasilla chile and replace 1 cup chicken stock in step three with one 14.4-ounce can of diced tomatoes with their juice or Ro-Tel tomatoes.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
357	Calories
14g	Fat
28g	Carbs
32g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	357
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g	19%
Saturated Fat 2g	12%
Cholesterol 76mg	25%
Sodium 476mg	21%
Total Carbohydrate 28g	10%
Dietary Fiber 4g	15%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 32g
Vitamin C 14mg	72%
Calcium 88mg	7%
Iron 3mg	18%
Potassium 773mg	16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.