Chicken Tortilla Soup
I was first introduced to this soup by my personal trainer and friend who was a busy mom of three boys in Kansas City. She had the most beautiful pantry I had ever seen! I was in my 20's at the time and it was the first time that I had experienced a true walk-in pantry! I mean imagine the spacious, roomy, deliciousness that could be stored there! Her version was a full pantry version with canned chicken and all canned vegetables. I amped up the fresh ingredients and flavor to bring you my version. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
1 medium green pepper
2 stalks celery
3 medium carrots
1 large cob of corn (or 1-16 oz. Can)
2 teaspoons chili powder (divided)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup water
2 pounds chicken breast (partially frozen and thinly sliced)
1 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lime
1 can black beans
2 cans Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes
8 cups chicken stock
step-by-step Instructions
1. Chop onion, celery, carrot and green pepper into small pieces. This step can be done in a food processor to save time if you like. For texture variation, I used my vegetable peeler for the carrots to create long ribbons.
2. Holding corn cob up on one end, run knife along the cob between the kernel and the cob to release the kernels. Rotate cob and repeat until all kernels are removed. Add to chopped vegetable mixture for sauté.
3. Over medium-high heat, sauté vegetables, cumin, and 1 teaspoon of chili powder in a stock pot or Dutch oven until vegetables begin to soften and brown around the edges. This takes about 5 minutes or so. Remove veggies to a bowl on the side.
4. Add water to the now empty stock pot and stir to deglaze for about 1 minute. Add thin-sliced chicken breast, sprinkle with salt, chili powder, and toss until cooked through. This will take about 10-12 minutes. Zest a lime directly onto the chicken in the pot and then cut lime in half and juice the lime into the pot over the chicken.
5. Once chicken is cooked through, add vegetables back to the pot along with beans, and tomatoes. Add chicken stock. Heat over medium high stirring occasionally until a slow boil emerges. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 15 minutes, stir occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.
6. Ladle into bowls, top with your favorite ingredients and enjoy!
Optional Toppings
Avocado sliced or cubed
Cilantro
Lime Wedges
Sour Cream
Grated cheddar cheese
Tortilla Chips
I like to give the family options for toppings, so any or all of these are delicious. For the chips, I pour whatever amount we want onto a cookie sheet, squeeze lime juice over them, and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes to get maximum flavor and crunch.
