Chicken Tortilla Soup

Although the unusually warm, and rainy, December weather in Atlanta may have scared Frosty away… the holidays are here!☃️ And I even though I'm not shoveling snow off my driveway every morning, I'm still craving warm, satisfying comfort food.  Delicious casseroles, homemade pastas and steaming, hot bowls of hearty, vegetable based soups.  (I'm pretty sure my food cravings have more to do with the calendar than they do with outside temperatures.😅)

Warm, delicious soup is not only what I'm craving now, it's also exactly what I need.  Easy, one pot meals that I can prep ahead of time - that's my kind of meal - even if it is 70 degrees outside. 🥣  And just to be clear - I'm not above turning on the air conditioner so I can eat my soup in comfort. 😅

Making one basic soup recipe with lots of different topping options is my way of making a simple recipe look fancy. I'm not sure why, but putting out bowls of cilantro, avocado, tortilla strips and cheese alongside a pot of soup make it seem like I spent way more time on this dinner, than I actually did. 🤣  And I love the fact that everyone can customize their meal.  

Chicken Tortilla Soup
4 Tablespoons olive oil
4 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
1 small white onion, chopped
2 Tablespoon garlic, minced
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno, finely diced, seeds removed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small can chopped green chiles
2 stalks green onion, chopped
1 10 oz bag sweet corn, frozen
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup + 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
6 cups chicken broth 
1 lime
salt & pepper
shredded cheese 
3 corn tortillas, sliced into strips
avocado 

Sear chicken on both sides in 2 T. oil in a dutch oven.  Transfer chicken to a plate.

Heat 2 T. oil in pan and saute onion.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. 

Add tomatoes, bell pepper, jalapeno, chiles and green onion.  Cook 2 minutes.

Stir in corn, black beans and half of the cilantro.  Add chili powder, cumin, oregano and chicken broth.

Return chicken to pot.  Cover and simmer 20 minutes. 

Remove chicken and shred when cool.  Season soup with salt and pepper. 

Return shredded chicken to pot along with remaining cilantro and lime.

Serve with fried or baked tortilla strips, avocado and cheese.  

I made this delicious soup on the stove, but you could easily convert it to a slow cooker recipe.  And if you make it in the morning, you get the added bonus of filling your house with the amazing aroma of this soup for the whole day.  

​Ciao!

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