The 1-Ingredient Upgrade for the Tastiest Tortilla Soup Ever

Google Trends is one tool I use as an editor to learn about the recipes home cooks search for online over time. Among many benefits, this helps me identify our readers' needs so that I can hone in on recipes and stories that may interest and serve you best.

I recently learned that between October and December, the search for "Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe" surges on Google. This isn't surprising because it is the ideal soup for slurping when it's cold. It's hearty, warming, nourishing, and easy to make.

Over two million readers have made Simply Recipes' Chicken Tortilla Soup over the years. In the recipe, our founder Elise Bauer reveals a smart trick to make tortilla soup that never tastes flat.

"Fry strips of corn tortillas in oil first, and then use the tortilla cooking oil to build the soup. Tortilla chips aren't merely a garnish for this soup. By using the tortilla frying oil as a base for the soup you infuse the whole soup with the warm flavor of toasted corn tortillas!" It's an easy way to coax flavor out of corn tortillas into the soup.

Why This Smart Tip Works

When I first read about Elise's tip for frying corn tortillas and using the frying oil to build the soup, it reminded me of the South Asian cooking technique of blooming spices. Whole raw spices and seeds are sizzled in oil, which "blooms" their flavor and aroma and infuses the oil that is used to build the dish.

Similarly, when the corn tortillas are fried in oil, you not only get crunchy tortilla chips to top the soup with. You are also gifted with oil that's deeply corn-flavored to cook your aromatics—onions, garlic, and chiles—for the soup.

Another benefit? Freshly fried tortilla chips won't disintegrate in the soup as quickly as store-bought or baked tortilla chips. The payoff is huge! Next time you make tortilla soup, grab a bag of fresh corn tortillas instead of tortilla chips.

3 Tips for Frying Corn Tortillas

1. Use Stale Corn Tortillas: The ideal corn tortillas for frying are day-old. Stale tortillas are dryer, so they will fry faster, soak up less oil, and won't splatter as much oil at you. If you don't have any on hand, spread the tortillas on a sheet pan and pop them in a 200°F oven to dry out for about 10 minutes. I prefer to cut the tortillas into strips before drying them out. Save time and slide them into the cold oven—it's fine to preheat the oven with the tortillas inside. Start the timer when the oven reaches 200°F.

2. Use Yellow Corn Tortillas: You will likely find two varieties of corn tortillas at your local grocery store: yellow and white. Yellow corn tortillas are studier and have a richer corn flavor when compared to white corn tortillas. And the flavor is heightened when the tortillas are fried.

3. Salt the Tortilla Chips Quickly: As soon as you scoop the fried tortillas out of the oil and place them onto a paper towel-lined plate, salt them. This is not the time to grab a sip of water or do the mambo around the kitchen counter. Salt does not stick to a dry surface, so you want to sprinkle salt while the surface of the tortillas is still wet with oil and releasing moisture. That means you have less than 20 seconds (I've counted) after the chips leave the oil to salt them. Two grains, a pinch, or make it rain—the amount of salt is up to you.