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Mexican

Sopa de lima

Non-vegetarian

A fragrant Yucatecan chicken broth with tomato, sweet pepper and warm spices, sharpened with lime and topped with crisp fried tortilla strips.

Sopa de lima is a Mexican soup from Mexico, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on, lime juice and corn tortilla. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
55 min
Total
1 h 15 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
323

Ingredients

6 servings

For the soup

For the tortilla strips

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Simmer the chicken in the water with the whole onion (opens in a new tab) half, 2 whole garlic cloves (opens in a new tab), oregano (opens in a new tab), allspice (opens in a new tab), cinnamon (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab) and salt until cooked, about 30 minutes. Lift out the chicken, shred it and strain the broth.

    Food safety: Chicken must reach 74°C at the thickest part. Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw chicken.

  2. Step 2

    Heat 2 tbsp oil in the empty pot and fry the diced onion (opens in a new tab), minced garlic (opens in a new tab) and pepper for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes (opens in a new tab) and cook 3 minutes, then pour in the broth, add the whole chilli and simmer 10 minutes.

    • 18 min
    • medium heat
    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, shallow-fry the tortilla (opens in a new tab) strips in hot oil in batches until crisp and golden; drain on paper.

    Food safety: Hot oil — fry in small batches and keep children away from the pan.

    Food deep-frying in hot oil
    How it looks · Photo: Riya Roy on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Return the chicken to the soup, add the lime juice (opens in a new tab) and lime (opens in a new tab) slices and simmer just 1 minute (longer turns the lime bitter). Remove the chilli and serve topped with coriander and tortilla (opens in a new tab) strips.

    • 2 min

About this dish

Origin
Yucatán, Mexico · Well documentedMore food from Mexico
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Poached, Shallow-fried
Taste
citrusy, aromatic / warmly spiced, savoury, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot
Cook more with
Chicken pieces, skin-on · Lime juice · Corn tortilla · Onion · Garlic · Dried oregano
Techniques
Shallow-frying · Simmering · Poaching

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

323 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 521 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 23%
  • Carbohydrate 19%
  • Fat 58%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy323 kcal62 kcal
Protein19.1 g3.7 g
Carbohydrate15.5 g3 g
Net carbohydrate12.5 g2.4 g
Sugars2.9 g0.6 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3 g0.6 g
Fat21 g4 g
Saturated fat4.6 g0.9 g
Trans fat0.1 g0 g
Cholesterol69 mg13 mg
Sodium665 mg128 mg
Salt equivalent1.7 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
405 mg
Calcium
83 mg
Iron
1.5 mg
Magnesium
48 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
61 µg
Vitamin C
32 mg
Vitamin D
0.2 µg
Vitamin B12
0.3 µg
Folate (DFE)
21 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: green chilli.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Add the lime slices only at the very end; simmered peel turns the broth bitter.

Common mistakes

  • Simmering the lime slices for long — the pith turns the whole pot bitter.

Serve with

  • Serve with extra lime and a habanero salsa for those who like heat.

Storage

  • Soup keeps 3 days chilled (without the tortilla strips, which keep in an airtight tin).

Reheating

  • Reheat until piping hot; add fresh lime and tortilla strips to serve.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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