Chicken Tortilla Soup
Mexican-Inspired Comfort Food!
Chicken Tortilla Soup is an easy comfort food and hearty enough for an entire meal! Chicken breasts, corn, beans, and other delicious ingredients are simmered in a tomato base. This perfect soup freezes very well and can be pulled out quickly and reheated for lunch on the go!
Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic minced
1 jalapeño diced and seeded
1 teaspoon chili powder
14 ½ ounces crushed tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes with chilis such as Rotel
3 cups chicken broth
14 ½ ounces can black beans (rinsed & drained)
1 cup corn (drained if canned)
2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
¼ cup cilantro chopped
1 lime (juiced)
Tortilla strips or chips
Optional Garnish: Lime wedges, additional jalapeño slices or avocado slices
Directions
1. Heat olive oil In a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and jalapeño and cook until onion is softened.
2. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
3. Remove chicken and shred. Add back to the pot and simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Spoon soup into bowls and and top with tortilla chips or strips, lime wedges and sliced avocado or jalapeños (if you choose).
*Laurie’s Note:
If you already have cooked chicken in the freezer from a previous meal, you can use that up in this soup! I had made “Beer Butt Chicken” (I’ll post that recipe in another blog entry) and had leftover shredded chicken I used instead of the chicken breasts called for in this recipe. It’s all about repurposing and using what you have!
You can purchase tortilla strips at the grocery store, or you can make your own! Slice tortillas (flour or corn) into small strips. Heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium-high heat a small pan. Add tortilla strips in small batches and fry until crisp. Drain and salt.
I like Mexican rice in my tortilla soup. A good shortcut is to prepare a box of Zatarain's Black Bean & Rice and substitute that for the can of black beans.
