Chicken Tortilla Soup

As I've begun to prepare for travel I've also been planning which foods I will make a freeze for the kids and my mom while Dustin and I are away. As I was cooking tonight I thought of all my AWAA buddies who are probably doing the same thing. This is one of very few recipies I can claim as my own. It's a hodge podge of the best ones all blended together to make Dustin's favorite Chicken Tortilla Soup. I thought I'd share because it's super quick and easy to make and also adaptable to your family's tastes. I haven't ever frozen it because it is always eaten up right away and it contains many ingredients I keep in stock. That combined with the quick cooking time means there's no need to plan ahead.....unless I won't be here to cook it. I imagine that it freezes just fine (though, I would not make the tortilla strips ahead of time and freeze those).



Dustin's Favorite Chicken Tortilla Soup



8- small corn tortillas

2 tbs olive oil



24 oz low sodium Chicken Broth

1 cup water

1-28oz can diced tomatoes

1-4oz can diced green chiles

1-15 oz can black beans

1-15oz can white corn

2 or 3 chicken breasts diced into 1/2 in cubes

2-Bay leaves

1 tbs diced garlic

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper (Or to taste. We like a little heat so I add more than this)

Pinch chili powder (again, I probably add more)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 medium lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese for garnish



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. ona cookie sheet brush tortillas on one side with oil. (Instead I use 100% olive oil spray to get the job done faster) Cut into thin 1/4 in or less strips. Bake about 15 minutes until they are golden brown.



In saucepan combine broth, water, tomatoes and all juices, beans, corn, bay leaf,garlic, cumin, red pepper and chili powder: bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil reduce the heat to med-low, add chicken and simmer until cooked through approx. 7-10 mins. Add cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.



Ladle into bowls. Garnish with cheese and top with tortilla strips. Serves 6.



Variations:

You can also add 2 cups white or wild rice to this dish to make it even more filling.



Any other veggies your family likes would be fair game for this soup. Bell peppers are good but thay would take an extra step of sauteeing them first and then adding them to the soup.



Not everyone will have one of these so I omitted it from the recipie but when I make this soup I tend to precook the chicken in a pressure cooker with salsa and some garlic for a little extra flavor though in time crunch it's easier to cook it in the soup and still just as yummy. When I use the pressure cooker I shred the chicken instead of cube it since it's hot and just add it right to the soup.



If you try the soup let me know what you think.