Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Chicken Tortilla Soup is one of my favorite comfort foods. Oddly, no one knows exactly where this bowl of deliciousness came from. There are many variations of a bowl of tortilla soup, but this one is my go-to recipe.

 

Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients:

• 16 corn tortillas (6 inch)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, chopped (1/3 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or 2 Tbl of pre-chopped…~ie. Costco)
• 1 medium Anaheim, poblano, or jalapeño chile, seeded, chopped (I prefer the poblano but when they’re out of season, I use the ones that I canned from my garden the previous year..)
• 5 cans Swanson chicken broth (or a couple of cartons of Progresso broth)
• 2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (fire roasted, w/chiles, etc.), undrained (I prefer Rotel)
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse (kosher or sea) salt
• 1 lb (around 2 cups for those of us that don’t weigh our food…) shredded cooked chicken (If you use a can, brown it before adding.)- I buy roasted chickens at Costco and just shred them up straight into the soup…
• 1 ripe medium avocado
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (2 oz) (I use Sargento “light” cheese blend)
• Chopped fresh cilantro, if desired (Desire this!! It’s yummy!!)
• 1 lime, cut into wedges for garnish

How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup:

 

1. Cut tortillas in half; cut halves into 1/4-inch strips. In a 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook strips in oil, 1/3 at a time, until light brown and crisp. Remove from pan; drain on paper towels.

2. Heat oil remaining in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and chile; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in broth, tomatoes, and salt. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add chicken; heat until hot.

3. To serve, peel and pit avocado. Cut into 1-inch slices. Divide half of the tortilla strips among 4 individual serving bowls. Ladle in soup. Top with avocado and cheese; garnish with remaining tortilla strips and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.