Sopa de Lima

Bring a taste of the Yucatan to the table with the bright, fresh, and warm flavors of sopa de lima, or lime soup that this classic Mayan chicken soup offers up. Warm hints of spice, the fruity kick of habanero, and array of tender vegetables will make this a chicken soup recipe you go to again and again. So, mix up a batch of margaritas and let’s have a flavor fiesta!

Sopa de Lima

There’s no need for soup season with this bright and refreshing Yucatan chicken soup. This colorful Mexican soup is meant to be enjoyed year round. The vibrant burst of citrus combined with the warmth of cinnamon and allspice will make you feel like you’re on vacation every time. While some soups such as roasted poblano beef stew might be more seasonal, this chicken soup can easily be enjoyed in the hot days of summer.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Yucatan Chicken Soup
  • Easy Process – There’s nothing complicated about this sopa de lima recipe. You can even take the shortcut of either using leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken if you like. The most labor-intensive part of this recipe is simply chopping all of your fresh vegetables. This gives all of the traditional flavors of lime soup but with a faster process.
  • Customizable – This Yucatan chicken soup is a great canvas to add any vegetables you want used up. Have fun with both the ingredients in the soup and also the toppings.
  • Make Ahead – This soup tastes even better the next day. Make this on a Sunday and enjoy it throughout the week for quick lunches and dinners. You can also freeze this.

What is Sopa de Lima?

Yucatan Lime Soup

Sopa de lima, or lime soup, is a traditional Mayan soup from Yucatán, Mexico. While it has similar ingredients to a tortilla soup, the acidic punch of citrus makes this soup lighter and perfect for enjoying beachside year-round.

Most sopa de lima recipes, including this one, will call for chicken but the more common protein used in Mexico is actually turkey, so feel free to use your leftover turkey carcasses to make the stock and leftover meat in place of chicken. Unlike tortilla soup that often uses dried chiles and canned tomatoes, sopa de lima uses spices like cinnamon, clove, and all spice and celebrates fresh tomatoes. Aside from the assertive pop of citrus another common ingredient in this soup is the fruity habanero. Don’t be afraid of the heat, it adds just a mild kick. Want it spicier feel free to leave the seeds in or add an additional chile.

Ingredients

Sopa de Lima Ingredients
  • Chicken – I love the flavor and texture of grilled bone on chicken for not just this chicken soup recipe, but chicken soup in general. It adds that mysterious hint of smokiness and depth of flavor. However you can easily use poached chicken or roast chicken for this recipe. You’ll need two cups of shredded chicken.
  • Spices – Cinnamon and allspice add warmth while Mexican oregano, cumin, bay leaves, and chili powder add earthiness and depth of flavor.
  • Vegetables – Onions, garlic, celery, and carrots are joined by the natural sweetness of fresh tomatoes and fruity kick of a habanero and earthy but mild bite of poblano.
  • Lime – This is what gives the soup is tangy flavor as name. Fresh squeezed only please.
  • Garnish – Have fun with your garnishes! Crispy fried tortilla strips are traditional along with slices or wedges of lime. Cilantro, diced tomato or pico de gallo, avocado, and queso fresco or cotija cheese are all great toppings as well.

How to Make Sopa de Lima

How to Make Sopa de Lima
  • Prepare your mise en place. Shred your chicken and chop all of the vegetables.
  • Sauté the vegetables. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions, celery, carrots, poblano, and habanero and season with a half of your salt. Let the vegetables cook for about five minutes until the onions are translucent and the veggies are just becoming tender. Add the garlic and spices and stir for one minute. Add the tomatoes, remaining salt, and bay leaves.
  • Add the broth and bring the soup to a simmer. Pour in the chicken broth and stir to combine. Bring the soup to a simmer and then cover it with a lid. Turn the heat to medium-low and allow the soup to cook until all of the vegetables are tender, 30-45 minutes.
  • Stir in the chicken and lime juice. Remove the lid, stir in the shredded chicken. Allow the soup to cook for another 10-15 minutes until warmed through. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
  • Pop open a cerveza and serve it up! Ladle the soup into bowls and top with your favorite garnishes.

Variations & Substitutions

Sopa de Lima Recipe
  • You can poach whole chicken breast while the soup is simmering if desired. Make sure to cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 165. Allow it to cool enough to handle and then shred it before adding it back into the soup. You’ll need two chicken breasts for this recipe.
  • If you’re more of a fan of dark meat feel free to replace the chicken breast with dark meat.
  • Leftover turkey? Sopa de lima is traditionally made with turkey so feel free to use shredded turkey in this recipe.
  • Feel free to add additional vegetables to this like calabacitas, or zucchini, corn, or frozen peas.
  • Fresh tomatoes really are the best for this recipe. If the tomatoes don’t look great you can always use roma tomatoes that are pretty easy to find good year-round. You’ll need 5-6.

Storage

  • Let the soup cool before transferring it to an airtight container. It will last for up to five days in the refrigerator.
  • This soup can also be frozen. Let cool completely before placing it in freezer safe bags or freezer safe containers. It will last for up to three months frozen. To defrost allow it to dethaw in the refrigerator overnight. Simply warm it back up on the stove.

Tips From the Beach

Lime Soup
  • Fresh limes only please! It’s in the name, Yucatan lime soup. It takes seconds to squeeze citrus, it gives you that pure citrus flavor, and it’s cheaper than the bottled stuff.
  • This is a tangy soup and it’s supposed to be. If you have people in your family who don’t love the bright flavor of lime start by adding only half of the lime juice. You can always add additional to your own bowl.
  • Don’t add the lime until the end. Citrus can become bitter if it’s cooked a long time. This is meant to be a finishing note that wakes up all of the flavors.
  • For an extra layer of flavor and also texture, grill your chicken breasts. You can keep the seasoning simple with salt, pepper, and Mexican oregano or use the same spices that go into the soup. I let them grill until they’re 160 internal and then allow them to rest until fully cooled before shredding them.
  • Homemade stock is best for this but if using store bought make sure to use a high-quality chicken broth.
  • For a brothier soup add an additional two cups of broth.

For more soup inspiration make sure to check out Roasted Poblano Chicken Soup with White Beans.

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Sopa de Lima

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Bring a taste of the Yucatan to the table with the bright, fresh, and warm flavors of sopa de lima, or lime soup that this classic Mayan chicken soup offers up. 

  • Author: Nicole Stover
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 60
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 6-8 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Simmering
  • Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 2 celery sticks, chopped
  • 3 carrots, sliced
  • 12 habaneros, finely diced and deseeded
  • 1 poblano deseeded and diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 large tomatoes, peeled and diced or 56 Roma tomatoes peeled and diced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 23 bay leaves
  • 810 cups homemade chicken stock or good quality chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup lime juice (juice of 2-3 limes)
  • 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
  • Garnish Ideas: Fried tortilla strips, cilantro, lime wedges, pico de gallo or diced tomatoes, jalapeno slices, avocado, queso fresco or cotija

Instructions

  1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions, celery, carrots, habanero, and poblano. Season with half the kosher salt. Let cook until the onions are translucent and the vegetables are just becoming tender, about 5-7 minutes. 
  2. Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, allspice, and Mexican oregano. Stir and let cook for 1 minute.
  3. Next add the diced tomatoes, remaining salt, bay leaves, and broth. Stir to combine and let come to a simmer. Cover the pot and turn the heat to medium-low. Let the soup cook until the veggies are tender, 30-45 minutes.
  4. Uncover the soup and stir in the chicken. Let warm through for 10-15 minutes.
  5. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
  6. Serve with your favorite garnishes. 

Notes

  1. If your family doesn’t like the bright pop of citrus, add half of the lime juice and serve additional lime wedges so they can control the acidity.
  2. Leftover shredded turkey also works well in this recipe.
  3. Broth a brothier soup use ten cups of chicken broth. 
  4. For an additional layer of flavor use grilled chicken. It will add a smoky element. 

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How spicy is sopa de lima?

While there is a habanero in this recipe, the lime balances the heat and just enhances its fruitiness. It’s about a 4-5 out of ten. If you want it spicier add a second habanero.

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