El Pollo Loco Chicken Tortilla Soup (Copycat)

This El Pollo Loco Chicken Tortilla Soup is an amazing meal in a bowl.

I love, love, love chicken tortilla soup. It's loaded with shredded chicken and pico de gallo, and is topped with crispy tortilla strips.
El Pollo Loco is a California based fast food chain featuring "flame-grilled citrus-marinated" chicken. Their ingredients are so fresh compared to most fast food places. If you are ever in California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, or Utah, and you spot an El Pollo Loco, you definitely need to visit. To experience the original EPL menu, order the two piece combo with beans and rice. So good.

I spent years in sales, driving around calling on clients and grabbing lunch on the run. El Pollo Loco was a regular stop for lunch. This chain has a special place in my heart.

El Pollo Loco typically offers this chicken soup during the winter and fall months, and it's pretty amazing.

I used grocery store rotisserie chickens for this soup, which made preparing the soup really easy. It also makes up for frying your own tortilla strips (you don't have to, but I love casera (homemade) style corn strips. The only problem is that I could eat them all and have none left for the soup.

For the pico de gallo, I used this recipe, but you can use store bought fresh pico de gallo.

This soup, paired with a salad, is hearty enough for a meal by itself. It's also a fantastic make-ahead recipe.

This month, the Soup Saturday Swappers are making copycat soups. This great theme was chosen by Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen. I'm pretty excited to see what everyone makes this month! Be sure to check them out after the recipe. Your favorite soup might just be featured.

Soup Saturday Swappers, created by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm, get together on the third Saturday of every month and post soup recipes based on a theme.

El Pollo Loco Chicken Tortilla Soup Copycat Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 (1 1/2 pounds each) rotisserie chickens
• 2 quarts homemade or low sodium chicken broth
• 1 fresh Anaheim or Poblano chile
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 cup fresh pico de gallo
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Homemade or store bought corn tortilla strips
• Garnishes: cilantro, Cotija cheese, and/or avocado slices

Instructions

1. Remove the meat from the chickens and shred it. Place the chicken in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the chicken broth.
2. Slice the chile in half lengthwise, remove the stem and seeds, and brush with oil. Place the chile halves on a foil lined baking sheet, skin side up, and broil on the middle rack, until blackened. Place the hot chile in a plastic bag, and let rest a few minutes to steam. Remove the skin and discard, and dice the chile. Add to the chicken in the pot.
3. Add the corn, pico de gallo, carrots, celery, and spices, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper, and serve topped with corn tortilla strips and garnishes of your choice.
5. For homemade tortilla strips, cut 8 corn tortillas into 1/2 inch strips and fry in 2 cups of 360 degree vegetable oil in batches, until crispy and light brown, about one to two minutes. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

Yield: 6 servings
Adapted from here.

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