Dutch Oven Chicken Tortilla Soup with Lime and Avocado
Soften onion and pepper in a Dutch oven over medium coals or a camp stove, stir in spices, tomatoes, broth and whole chicken thighs, then simmer 25 minutes until the chicken hits 165°F. Shred the chicken, add beans and corn, and heat 10 minutes more. Top with crushed chips, cheese, avocado and lime. Total time is about 55 minutes.
This is a lunch you can start after a morning hike and eat before the afternoon gets away from you. One pot, one cutting board, and the soup is smoky, a little spicy and bright with lime.
The chicken cooks whole in the broth, so there is no separate browning and no extra pan to wash. The toppings do the fun work. Everyone builds their own bowl, and the chips go in last so they stay crunchy.
Dutch Oven Chicken Tortilla Soup with Lime and Avocado
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Heat
- Medium coals, then a low simmer
- Pack weight
- 10 lb
- Campfire
- Camp stove
- Backpacking
- Cooler required
- One burner
- Some water
- A few dishes
- Prep ahead
Ingredients
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Gear you'll need
- 6-quart Dutch oven with lid
- Campfire grate or camp stove
- Long-handled spoon
- Cutting board and sharp knife
- Instant-read thermometer
- Two forks for shredding
- Heat-proof gloves or lid lifter
- Bowls and spoons
Steps
-
Set up your heat
Build a fire and let it burn down to medium coals, then set a grate over them. You can also use a camp stove with a flat-bottom Dutch oven. Place the Dutch oven on the heat and add the oil.
-
Soften the vegetables
Add the onion and bell pepper with a pinch of salt. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until soft. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
-
Toast the spices
Stir in the chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Pour in the tomatoes and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom.
-
Add broth and chicken
Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle simmer. Nestle in the whole chicken thighs, then cover. Wash your hands, knife and cutting board with hot soapy water after handling the raw chicken.
-
Simmer until done
Simmer, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, moving the pot off the hottest coals if it boils hard. Check the thickest thigh with a thermometer. It must read at least 165°F.
-
Shred the chicken
Lift the chicken onto a clean plate and shred it with two forks. Return it to the pot.
-
Finish the soup
Stir in the beans, corn and lime juice. Simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes until the corn is hot and the soup tastes full. Season with salt and pepper.
-
Build the bowls
Ladle soup into bowls. Top with chips, cheese, avocado and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Trail Notes
At home, dice the onion and pepper, mince the garlic and mix the three spices in a small jar. Keep the veggies in a sealed container in the cooler and it takes 10 minutes off camp prep.
Keep the raw chicken at 40°F or below in a sealed bag at the bottom of the cooler, away from the avocados and cheese. Cook it within the first day or two of the trip. Leftover soup goes back into the cooler within 2 hours, or 1 hour if it is hot out.
Swap the fresh chicken for 2 cans (12.5 oz each) of chicken, drained. Stir it in with the beans and heat 10 minutes. Use shelf-stable broth and skip the fresh cheese or use hard aged cheese.
Cook in an existing fire ring or on a stove, and let coals burn down fully before you leave. Strain food bits from dish water and pack them out. Scatter the strained water at least 200 feet from streams, lakes and campsites.
Campers ask
Can I make chicken tortilla soup in a Dutch oven over a campfire?
Yes. Set the Dutch oven on a grate over medium coals and keep the heat at a low simmer. Slide it to the edge of the coals if it starts to boil hard.
How do I know the chicken is safe to eat in the soup?
Use an instant-read thermometer in the thickest thigh. It needs to read at least 165°F before you shred it.
How do I keep the tortilla chips from getting soggy?
Add the chips to each bowl right before eating, not into the pot. They stay crunchy for the first several bites that way.
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