A Lighter, Brighter Chicken Soup
If you love chicken tortilla soup, you’ve gotta try its brighter, citrusy cousin from the Yucatán. ♡
Sopa de lima (“lime soup”) is a traditional Yucatecan soup made with a deliciously light, aromatic broth that I absolutely adore. While it’s similar in some ways to Mexican tortilla soup — shredded chicken, tomatoes, plus crispy tortilla strips sprinkled on top — sopa de lima is a bit lighter, with more subtle spices (including a surprise hint of cloves!), and the citrus definitely takes center stage.
The traditional version is made with a variety of limes called limas agrias (“sour limes”), which have a more complex, slightly bitter citrus flavor than the Persian limes most of us cook with here in the States. But since they’re hard to find outside the Yucatán, I use a combination of fresh lime juice plus a splash of orange juice instead, which comes pretty close to the soup’s classic flavor.
Mostly, I love this soup because it’s super easy to make in about 30 minutes, and refreshingly light and flavorful without weighing you down. My girlfriends all raved about this one and asked for the recipe the last time we made it, so I hope you’ll enjoy it too!
Recipe Tips
Here are a few quick tips to make sure your sopa de lima turns out just right:
- Toast the cumin briefly. Warming the ground cumin for just a few seconds brings out its aroma and adds extra depth to the soup.
- Go gentle with the cloves. Whole cloves are powerful — two or three is plenty for subtle warmth without overpowering the broth. Or if you’re anti-cloves, you can just leave them out.
- Use good chicken stock. Since this soup is broth-forward, a flavorful stock really matters here. (I’m partial to Trader Joe’s chicken stock!)
- Add citrus off the heat. Stirring in the lime and orange juice at the end keeps the flavors bright and fresh instead of bitter.
- Season at the very end. The citrus changes how salty the soup tastes, so always adjust salt after the lime juice goes in.
Recipe Variations
Here are some more twists you’re welcome to try with this recipe:
- Add sliced zucchini or chayote during the simmer for extra veggies, or chopped kale at the very end.
- Swap in shredded turkey instead of chicken, which is actually the more traditional way this soup is made in the Yucatán.
- Stir in corn kernels near the end for a touch of sweetness and texture. (I love the roasted frozen corn from Trader Joe’s.)
- Top with crumbled queso fresco for a salty, creamy contrast.
FAQ
The soup itself freezes well, but I recommend freezing it without the citrus. Add fresh lime and orange juice after reheating for the best flavor.
An Anaheim pepper or poblano pepper is the best substitute, or you can use a sweet bell pepper if that’s what you have on hand. Authentic sopa de lima is made with a pepper called chile x’catic, which is mild, aromatic, and gently sweet rather than spicy. Since it’s hard to find outside the Yucatán, these milder peppers are a great way to keep the flavor balanced without adding too much heat.
Yes! Authentic sopa de lima is made in the Yucatán using limas agrias (“sour limes”), which have a more complex flavor than regular limes — brighter and more acidic, with subtle bitter and orange-like notes. Since sour limes aren’t available in most grocery stores here, this recipe uses a combination of fresh lime juice and a small splash of orange juice to try and come closer to the original flavor.
Freshly fried strips are amazing (I just sliced corn tortillas and fried them in avocado oil until crispy). But feel free to use store-bought tortilla chips (usually found in the salad dressings section) or you can just crumble up some corn tortilla chips.
Sopa de Lima
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
Sopa de lima is a traditional Yucatecan chicken soup made with tomatoes, warm spices, and lots of fresh citrus, finished with crispy tortilla strips.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as avocado oil or olive oil)
- 1 medium white onion, finely diced
- 1 banana pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 (15-ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin, lightly toasted
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 cups good-quality chicken stock
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken (rotisserie or leftover works great)
- fine sea salt, to taste
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- toppings: fried corn tortilla strips, lime wedges, chopped fresh cilantro, sliced avocado
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for 4–5 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Add the banana pepper and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in the fire-roasted tomatoes and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces slightly and smells rich and sweet.
- Build the broth. Stir in the toasted cumin, oregano, whole cloves, bay leaf, and a generous pinch of salt. Pour in the chicken stock, scraping up any browned bits from the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 10–15 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Add the chicken. Stir in the shredded chicken and simmer for 5 more minutes, just to warm through. Remove and discard the bay leaf and cloves.
- Finish with citrus. Remove from heat and stir in the lime and orange juice. Taste and season with additional salt as needed — the broth should taste bright and balanced.
- Serve. Place a handful of fried tortilla strips in each bowl. Ladle the soup over top, then garnish with lime slices, cilantro, and diced avocado if desired. Serve immediately.
Would you recommend a fresh Anaheim or poblano pepper over jarred banana peppers?
I just made this and put it in the refrigerator to try later tonight or tomorrow. I changed a few of the directions to try to serve it fresh for about a week. I toasted the spices in a mix of chicken flavoring with coconut oil for a few seconds before adding the can of diced tomatoes and some onion and let it warm up. I then put it into a spaghetti jar, concentrated. I wanted to keep the peppers fresh, so I blended some of the onion with the orange juice and a small lime with fresh garlic and this fit into a Modelo bottle. While I was working on this I put a chicken breast into a toaster and it came out like a rotisserie. It looks and smells so good in parts that I cannot wait to put it together… except for that I am waiting because I was also cleaning out the fridge and needed to finish off a skinny potato. I mixed the flour tortilla dough to go with the soup, and ate one along the way, but left the dough fresh. At work, they added alcohol to keep fresh tortilla dough an option for our customers. I half-naaned the dough, leaving out the eggs but adding a bit of yogurt and garlic and pepper because I wanted it to last longer and I am not disappointed with it yet, either. So there are three parts to add to a bowl, the salsa is fresh, the concentrate that can be added to a bowl of water, and the meat is in a pan that can be toasted like a piece of bread, in about as much time, while a fresh tortilla sears by the side of it.I am excited to give this one a try! Thanks for posting.
This was insanely good!! So light and limey. Our family already requested it again :)
My husband rated this soup recipe a 10! I didn’t use the cheese. I used the tortilla strips from the salad dressing aisle. I used a poblano pepper, the store didn’t have banana peppers. I used the whole thing. I added the orange juice and lime juice to the individual bowls. As there is only two of us, and I made the entire recipe, we have left overs.
This soup is AMAZING! Just made it for dinner tonight, using yellow bell pepper. I cannot stand cloves, but we put the three whole in and you can’t even tell. So those who are adverse….still throw them in! This will definitely be in my regular rotation.
OMG, I can’t wait to try this! We first had sopa de lima while we were on vacation in the Yucatan over a decade ago, and I’ve been meaning to make it at home ever since. Thanks for the reminder!
PS: for folks that haven’t had it, sopa de lima is fresh and light, with a subtle richness contrasting against the sharpness (or at least that’s what I recall). It is delicious!
I can’t wait to try making this either. I love making soups and especially light broth soups like this. And to anyone who has whole cloves in their kitchen I want to cook at your house or maybe you can just let me have a couple?
Hi, I was wondering if there was a substitute cheese that would work?