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This bright, brothy Sopa de Lima is light yet comforting, and the bites of buttery, creamy avocado on the top are truly the best part!
This Sopa de Lima recipe is something my mother-in-law, GoGo, makes all the time. She has been making this recipe from Austin’s former Cafe Tortuga restaurant for years. Check out this newspaper clipping!
While the original recipe is to die for, I’ve made a few adaptations like using rotisserie chicken, store-bought broth, and canned tomatoes to make this recipe simple and possible for a weeknight dinner. It is absolutely delicious, packed with flavor, and one of our family’s go-to soups.
ingredients:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- White Onion
- Green Bell Peppers
- Jalapeños
- Garlic
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Canned Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
- Chicken Broth
- Dried Oregano
- Bay Leaves
- Shredded Cooked Chicken I use rotisserie
- Limes
- Fresh Cilantro
- Tortilla Chips optional
- Avocado optional
step-by-step:
step one: cook the veggies
Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, until the veggies are tender, about 8 minutes.
step two: add the tomatoes, broth, and spices and simmer
Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the drained cans of tomatoes, broth, oregano, and bay leaves, stir and bring to a rapid simmer. Reduce the heat so that it is lightly simmering, over medium-low heat, cover and let the flavors meld for about 10 minutes.
step three: add the chicken and lime juice
Stir in the chicken and the lime juice and let simmer for 5 more minutes.
step four: garnish and serve!
To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro, some crushed corn tortilla chips, and the cubed avocado.
recipe FAQs:
It does! I love to make a double batch and freeze half. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later!
No way! You can use whatever cooked chicken you like, but I find using a rotisserie chicken makes this recipe super simple and easy.
As you can tell, this soup has been a family favorite for many years, and I hope it becomes one for your family, too! Let me know what you think.
Looking for more chicken soup recipes? Try these!
Dairy-Free Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Sopa de Lima
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups small diced white onion, 1 onion
- 2 cups small diced green bell peppers, 2 medium peppers
- ½ cup seeds removed and finely diced jalapeño, about 2 jalapeños
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 [15-ounce] cans fire roasted tomatoes, drained
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken, I use rotisserie
- 6 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice or 3 limes
- 2 tbsp minced cilantro leaves for serving
- Tortilla chips optional for serving
- Cubed avocado optional for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, salt, pepper and cook, stirring, until the veggies are tender, about 8 minutes.
- Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the drained cans of tomato, broth, oregano and bay leaves, stir and bring to a rapid simmer. Reduce the heat so that it is lightly simmering, over medium-low heat, cover and let the flavors meld for about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the chicken and the lime juice and let simmer for 5 more minutes.
- To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro, some crushed corn tortilla chips, and the cubed avocado.
Notes
- To freeze, let the soup cool completely, then transfer it to airtight containers or freezer bags, leaving some space for expansion. Label and date the containers before placing them in the freezer.
- To thaw, move the container to the refrigerator and let it defrost overnight, or for a quicker option, use the microwave’s defrost setting. Further reheat the soup or stew in a pot on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it reaches a simmer, or microwave it in intervals, stirring in between, until heated through.
- If you feel like the contents of the soup (i.e. noodles, rice, etc.) soaked up most of the liquid, you can add 1 to 2 cups more broth to rehydrate the soup and get it to the desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Food Photography and Styling by Eat Love Eats.
Absolutely the best! Think tortilla soup minus the tortillas. So delicious and freezes beautifully-no compromised taste after freezing.
So good! Quick and easy. Perfect weeknight meal!
Could you provide a crockpot version for this as well please with chicken breasts?
Here is a similar recipe: https://thedefineddish.com/crockpot-chicken-avocado-and-lime-soup/
Does this work well in the crockpot? Could add the rotisserie chicken in later.
sure you can do it in the crockpot- i would just add some boneless, skinless chicken thighs in there to cook down all day, then shred!
This soup was delicious!! I did make my own broth and shred the chicken but will definitely make this again. It made a lot and the all the flavors combined made it fantastic.
This was delicious and great for a fall evening!