Tortilla Soup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• Vegetable or corn oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons -- 2 turns of the pot in a slow stream
• 1 can of kernel corn
• 1 red bell pepper, split and seeded
• 1 pound chicken breast tenders
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1/3 palm full
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/3 palm full
• Salt and pepper
• 1 small to medium zucchini, small dice
• 1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (medium to hot heat level), chopped -- available in small cans in Mexican and Spanish food section of market
• 1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3 cups chicken stock 

(I do not put the next 3 items in the soup, I make those optional)

• 4 cups blue corn tortilla chips, broken up into large pieces
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar or pepper jack cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Garnishes:

• 1/4 red raw onion, chopped
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley leaves
• 1 ripe avocado, diced and dressed with the juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

Heat a grill pan to high and a soup pot to medium-high. Add red pepper. Char peppers 10 minutes, total, turning occasionally. Remove to cool, 5 minutes. Remove charred skin from the pepper.

While peppers cook, dice chicken. Add 2 tablespoons oil to hot soup pot. Add chicken to pot. Season with poultry seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper. Lightly brown the chicken. Add zucchini, onions, corn, garlic and chipotle peppers. Cook vegetables with chicken 5 to 7 minutes to soften. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and stock. Bring soup to a bubble, reduce heat to medium low.

Chop grilled red pepper and stir into soup. Add chips to soup in handfuls and fold in. (I skip this step) Serve soup immediately with scatter of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Top with any or all of the suggested garnishes.

This recipe is a HUGE hit with my husband's family. Every time the first cold front comes threw after summer time is over they are calling me to make this soup. It is even a family joke that I say I am going to make it when one of his family members is going to be out of town and they tell me they will NOT speak to me for a month if I were to do so.