Drunken chicken tortilla soup is an easy twist on the classic made with red enchilada sauce and your favorite Mexican beer. It is a cross between pozole and tortilla soup. It will be an instant hit.

My favorite soup recipe from my book, and I still haven’t shared it here on the blog.

Duh.

What was I thinking?

I have made a vegetarian version of this soup already.

I even did an avocado and lime version. 

Normally, I would suggest making the classic version like this one, made in the oven and on the stove top.

I find myself with no place to go these days and yet still pressed for cooking time.

Gotta love these boys of mine.

Dogs and adult man child included.

Mom this and mom that. Where is my this and where is that?

One day I will miss it.

Today is not that day.

Back to the soup.

You may have seen me cook drunken chicken tortilla soup, if you attended a book signing or cooking demonstration.

Feel free to watch me cook for the lovely folks at WGN.

It is a total set it and forget it recipe.

No sautéing or cooking ahead of time.

Dice up an onion and a bell pepper. Mix in the red enchilada sauce, lime juice, beer, canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes, hominy, and diced green chilies.

Sprinkle in the seasonings.

Give it a stir.

This soup can be made for a cooking demo so you know it is quick!

See below for the stovetop version as well.

In my cookbook there is a slow cooker version of this as well.

We are going with the Instant Pot pressure cooking version today.

High pressure for 20 minutes and it is ready to eat.

I like to add in some more lime juice, fried tortilla strips, diced radish, fresh cilantro, and some thinly sliced cabbage.

The beer has plenty of time to cook down, but if you don’t want to use beer, you can sub in chicken stock.

Drunken Chicken Tortilla Soup

Yield: Serves 4-6

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

An easy take on chicken tortilla soup that uses red enchilada sauce and Mexican beer as the base for the soup.

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Ingredients

• 16oz Mexican Lager (like Corona, Tecate, or Modelo)
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1, 19oz can mild red enchilada sauce
• 1, 14.5oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1, 4oz can diced green chilies
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
• 1, 29oz can hominy, drained and rinsed
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• toppings: fresh cilantro, sour cream, diced radish, chopped cabbage, and fried tortilla strips

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot. Mix to combine.
2. Secure the lid with the steam vent in the sealed position. Pressure cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.
3. Once the timer sounds, quick release the pressure. Remove the lid. Remove the chicken breasts and add them to a plate. Use two forks to shred the chicken and then add it back to the Instant Pot.
4. Top with whatever toppings you like.

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Drunken Chicken Tortilla Soup (STOVETOP)

Yield: Serves 6-8

Prep Time: 7 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 37 minutes

Stovetop version of an easy chicken tortilla soup that is made with beer and is a sort of a bit like a cheater pozole rojo recipe.

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Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 chicken cutlets or 2 small chicken breasts
• 1 yellow, orange, or green bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1, 12/16oz Mexican Lager or Pilsner*
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 cup water
• 1, 19oz can mild red enchilada sauce
• 1, 14.5oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1, 4oz can diced green chilies, mild or hot
• 1, 29oz can hominy, drained and rinsed
• Optional Toppings: Fresh Cilantro, Queso Fresco, Sour Cream, Pico de Gallo, Avocado

Instructions

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high for 2-3 minutes. Add the olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Once shimmering, add the chicken breasts and sear on each side for about 5 minutes per side until golden. Remove chicken and transfer to a plate off to the side until later.
2. Reduce heat to medium/low. Add bell pepper and onion. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until tender.
3. Add the garlic. Cook for one minute while stirring to combine. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and oregano. MIx to combine. Cook for another minute or two until toasted and fragrant.
4. Add the beer and lime juice. Increase the heat to medium/high.
5. Add the chiles, water, enchilada sauce, tomatoes, and hominy. Stir to combine.
6. Bring to a simmer. Add the chicken back to the pot. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes.
7. Remove the chicken breasts* and transfer to a clean nearby plate. Use forks to shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken back to the pot.
8. Season with more salt and pepper. Let cool slightly before serving.
9. Top with anything your heart desires or eat as is.

Notes

Add in some chopped can chipotle peppers in adobo for extra heat.

*Skip beer and use chicken stock instead.

*If you have very large chicken breasts they may take more around 30ish minutes to cook through instead of 20 like for smaller cutlets. Make sure the internal temp of the chicken is 165 F to ensure they are cooked through.

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