Chicken Tortilla Soup

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Chicken Tortilla Soup will warm you up with tender chicken, lots of veggies, and a bold kick from the spices. Finish with homemade tortilla strips, diced avocado, a little sour cream and sharp cheese. Ready in under 30 minutes on the stove, or in the crock pot after a long day

This is a sponsored post, and the recipe was featured in the October, 2017 issue of Stillwater Living Magazine.

For many people, especially families with kids, summer means long lazy days. That all changes once kids are back in school and Fall hits. Homework, sports, lessons, and everything else that goes along with it means that there’s less time for relaxation. That also means you need dinner on the table quickly after a long day. Sure it’s easy to stop at a drive-through, or rely on frozen meals, but those aren’t usually the healthiest options.

In reality, you can have so many home-cooked meals on the table within 30 minutes. Soup is one, and what I love about soup is its versatility. For some reason I thought soup was difficult to make, so I never tried it myself until 2 years ago. Then one day I came across a really delicious-looking soup from a fellow blogger, and decided to give it a shot. One bite of Thai Shrimp Soup proved my fear totally unfounded. I made one other fabulous Sausage and Penne Soup, but that was it…until now. So in looking for an easy Fall meal for a busy lifestyle, I knew that Chicken Tortilla Soup was a perfect solution.

This Chicken Tortilla Soup is so delicious. Bold flavors, beautiful colors, hearty, and filling all in one. Not only that, it’s so easy to make. Some soups do better on the stovetop, while many others will work either on the stovetop or in the crock pot. On the stove, Chicken Tortilla Soup will be on the table within 30 minutes.

KEY INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

• I use rotisserie chicken, and use the dark meat pieces. I also add in the bones for extra flavor (in a piece of cheesecloth), and pull them out before serving. If cooking in a crock pot, use frozen chicken
• I add fresh jalapeno and a little bit of Cayenne Pepper into the soup, and sweat the jalapeno early with the onions. If you don’t like a lot of spice, you can eliminate one or both, or just reduce the amount you use. With the jalapeno, remember that the seeds hold all the heat…so make sure you remove the seeds first!
• Homemade Vegetable Broth has a wonderful depth of flavor, so that’s what I use. If you use store bought, go with Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• Roasted garlic has such an amazing flavor, and adds another layer of depth to any dish, so I use both raw and roasted
• I use Petit-Diced Tomatoes, because it’s already diced perfectly. If you use canned whole tomatoes, you will need to cut them
• For this recipe, I go with Black Beans for convenience. Of course, if you have dried black beans you can use those, but it takes longer because they have to soak for several hours
• I use frozen corn because you really don’t get good fresh corn in the winter. But if you do have fresh, go ahead and use that

TOPPINGS FOR CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

I make my own tortilla strips for this Chicken Tortilla Soup! All you need is Corn Tortillas, a little sea salt and some Avocado Oil Spray. I had no idea they are so incredibly simple to make. Or how easy they are to burn. I put a batch into the oven, and about 10 minutes later pulled out completely burnt strips. I checked the second batch after about 7 minutes and they were better, but still not great. The third batch I cooked for about 6 minutes, and got it almost perfect.

I love avocado, and they are a perfect accompaniment to the Chicken Tortilla Soup. They add a wonderful creamy texture, and help to tone down the spice.

I always add cheese to my Chicken Tortilla Soup. I don’t keep Mexican shredded cheese on hand, but I always have Cabot Sharp Cheddar, and I love the bite it adds

Sour cream is completely optional. With the jalapeno and cayenne–and I think I double-poured my cayenne–I needed the sour cream.

Chicken Tortilla Soup is definitely on my regular meal plan, especially in the Fall and Winter. You can make it as spicy or as mild as you want, and you can add your choice of toppings. And, as I mentioned, it’s on the table in 30 minutes so you can’t beat that on a busy weekday.

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