Mexican Chicken Sopes

I hadn’t heard of sopes until a friend of mine brought over some that her mother, who is from Mexico, had made. This was back in my single days – which seem like forever ago, although we’re only talking circa 2003 – when I had my own one-bedroom apartment in one of those ’50s-era buildings in West Hollywood. On Sunday nights, I’d have a small group of girls over for cosmos and watching Sex and the City. We devoured this homemade snack.

Sopes, it turned out, were these little golden-fried masa discs with raised sides to cradle fillings like refried beans, cheese, lettuce and salsa. When you bite into them, the edges are light and crispy while the center of the sope is softer. It tastes much like an extra-thick corn tortilla, which it essentially is – formidable enough to support all the goodies inside. I was excited to recently find a recipe for sopes on the side of a package of masa harina (the main ingredient). I’d been wanting for years to try these again!

Mexican Sopes

Making the sopes was incredibly easy. And it wouldn’t have taken much time at all had I remembered just how long it takes for oil to heat up for frying (I always underestimate this!). I wound up making only about 10 sopes, although the recipe said it would yield twice that amount. Still, it was more than enough for our family to have for dinner. Now that I have this 5 lb bag of masa harina in my pantry I imagine we’ll be making these more often!

Mexican Sopes

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23 Comments

  1. Angela FRS wrote:

    I first had sopes at a great restaurant in San Antonio, and have tried them a few other places (none as good as those first ones, but all good). Haven’t tried to make them at home, but I have a bag of Maseca…

    Posted 9.19.11 Reply
  2. Curt wrote:

    This sounds delicious. I miss this food since moving away from Texas. Especially the refried beans.

    I’ll bet the refries go great with the shredded chicken.

    Posted 9.20.11 Reply
    • Oh, I bet Texas was a great place to have these.

      Posted 9.20.11 Reply
  3. Jeanette wrote:

    Don’t you just love it when you find a good recipe on the side of the package? These look like a fun entertaining idea!

    Posted 9.20.11 Reply
    • Yes! It’s a great thing I have this blog, lol. 🙂

      Posted 9.20.11 Reply
  4. Clinton wrote:

    These look like wonderful hor d’oeuvres for our next dinner party.

    Posted 9.20.11 Reply
  5. These look amazing!

    Posted 9.20.11 Reply
  6. Maria wrote:

    I’ve never had sopes, but now I want too! They look great!

    Posted 9.20.11 Reply
  7. These would be a great snack for our football Sundays. I know they would be devoured within minutes.

    Posted 9.20.11 Reply
  8. Lil Sis! wrote:

    Another great way to use our masa! A little queso fresco would also be nice on top.

    Posted 9.20.11 Reply
  9. BistroBess wrote:

    Looks good, and sounds pretty simple! I love all Mexican food, so this is now on the list.

    Posted 9.20.11 Reply
  10. Shawnda wrote:

    I had the most magical sopes in San Antonio a few years ago. Magical. But I’ve never tried them at home – thanks for sharing!

    Posted 9.20.11 Reply
  11. JulieD wrote:

    I have never heard of sopes before either! These look so good!

    Posted 9.20.11 Reply
  12. Kalyn wrote:

    They look delicious. And I am having fun picturing you as a swinging single watching Sex and the City, cosmo in hand.

    Posted 9.20.11 Reply
  13. You know, I love these things but I’ve never made them. I have tons of masa harina in the pantry, so I think it’s time. They look perfect!

    Posted 9.21.11 Reply
    • What else do you like to make with masa harina?

      Posted 9.21.11 Reply
  14. Kathy, what a fun recipe! I just know my family would LOVE sopes. 🙂

    Posted 9.26.11 Reply
  15. Amanda wrote:

    whoa! that looks sooo good!

    Posted 9.27.11 Reply
  16. Dianna wrote:

    Is the masa harina for making tortillas or tamales? The one for tortillas is a finer grind than the one for tamales. These look yummy and I can’t wait to make the recipe! I have the masa for tortillas and everything else, but don’t know if I need to buy the masa for tamales for this recipe. Thanks! Love those pics!

    Posted 10.2.11 Reply
    • Hi Dianna – It’s the masa for tortillas. 🙂

      Posted 10.2.11 Reply
  17. rita wrote:

    i want to learn how to make sopes from scratch, can any one send me a recipe

    Posted 11.8.12 Reply