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Mexican

Sopa de Lima

A bright Yucatán-style Mexican chicken soup with tomato, citrus, herbs, and crisp corn tortilla strips.

Published and reviewed by Kitchgrow on 6 September 2026Updated

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Sopa de Lima

50 mintotal

Prep 15 min · Cook 35 min

Serves
2
Difficulty
Easy
Spice
Mild
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Ingredients

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

Forty minutes. Fry the tortilla strips first and leave them out on paper — they need to stay dry until the bowls are filled.

Method

  1. Heat the measured cooking oil in a pan and crisp the corn tortilla strips until lightly golden, then set them aside.

  2. In a pot, simmer the chicken with chicken stock, part of the onion, salt, and black pepper until the chicken is fully cooked.

  3. Remove the chicken, shred it into bite-size pieces, and keep the stock warm.

  4. Add the remaining onion, garlic, tomato, jalapeño, dry oregano, and part of the fresh coriander to the stock and simmer until the tomato softens.

  5. Return the shredded chicken to the soup and simmer briefly so the flavors come together.

  6. Turn off the heat, add the measured lemon juice, and adjust salt if needed.

  7. Serve hot with crisp tortilla strips and remaining fresh coriander on top.

How to tell it's done

The broth should be clear, bright, and savory, with tender shredded chicken and crisp tortilla strips added at serving.

Getting it right

Tip

Add the lemon juice after turning off the heat so the soup tastes bright instead of bitter.

What to serve it with

Serve as a light lunch or dinner with extra tortilla strips and lime-style lemon wedges.

Common mistakes

The soup tastes bitter.
Add the citrus off the heat, at the end. Simmered, lime and lemon turn bitter quickly, and in Yucatán the local lima is prized precisely for a fragrance that does not survive boiling.
The tortilla strips go soft.
Scatter them over each bowl at the table rather than into the pot. They lose their crispness within a minute or two in hot broth, and that crunch is half the dish.

Substitutions

  • Use Boneless Chicken Breast if you want a leaner soup, but avoid overcooking it.
  • Use Lemon as listed when Mexican lima or lime is unavailable.
  • Use Green Chilli instead of Jalapeño Pepper if needed; the flavor will be less Mexican but still fresh.
  • Bake the tortilla strips instead of pan-crisping them if you want to reduce oil.

Storing and reheating

The soup keeps three days in the fridge and freezes for two months. Store the tortilla strips separately in a tin at room temperature, and add the citrus fresh on reheating — it fades overnight.