Chicken Tortilla Soup

We went to Fall Fest at Autumn’s daycare this weekend. So fun!

It was our first time attending such an event so we didn’t know what to expect, but we were so excited to check it out. We figured it would be a good way to kill an hour, but in reality it was really great going. We all had a blast.

They had all different activities for kids like spray painting hair, temporary tattoos, crafts, and bounce houses. Tumble Bus was there and Autumn loved playing around in there but she was addicted to the bounce house. We practically had to drag her out of it since she was having such a blast. There was a slide in there that she went on over and over again. We were so impressed she climbed up the squishy steps over and over again and slid down with her hair waving around madly. The best was that she would then leap into the ladder area to repeat it over and over again. Slide hog! ha!!

So glad we were planning on getting a bounce house for Autumn’s birthday party next month. Now we need to look into getting one with a slide since that was such a hit.

After that we had a pretty chill weekend of football watching (Giants! Bills!), NASCAR watching, and naps. Oh yeah, and this awesome soup!!!

 

Chicken Tortilla Soup is so good with the bright, zesty flavors and rich texture. The best is that it takes about 30 minutes to make!

I cooked chicken breast for this but you can just as easily use rotisserie chicken you pick up at the grocery store while you stop in for the rest of the ingredients for this. And really, it only takes a few things to make this killer soup, so you will be in and out of the grocery store and on your way to a great soup in no time.

You can certainly save yourself some time and effort by just buying pre-made tortilla strips, usually found along with the other salad toppers, but I think the freshly made ones really make this quick soup to the next level. You can totally make them a day in advance if you keep them in an air-tight container.

As well as the fresh jalapenos and hot sauce. What?!? I am an addict to all things spicy. You certainly don’t have to be all crazy like me!

Make this soup for to great meal that you can get on the table in no time.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

For the soup

• 1 pound of cooked chicken
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1-2 Tablespoons taco seasoning, depending on preference
• 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 4 Cups chicken broth
• 15 ounce can of black beans, drained
• 1 pound frozen corn

For the tortilla strips

• 8+ corn tortillas
• vegetable oil
• kosher salt

Various toppings

• thinly sliced fresh jalapenos, cilantro, diced tomatoes, diced avocado, grated cheese, sour cream, hot sauce

Process

1. Shred the chicken, set aside.
2. In a large pot over medium heat, saute the onion and pepper in the oil. Cook until the onion is translucent and the pepper is soft, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Move the vegetables to the outer edges of the pot, add the taco seasoning to center of the pot to warm and toast.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Carefully, blend the soup mixture with an immersion blender, food processor, or regular blender until completely smooth.
6. Add the chicken broth, black beans, corn, and shredded chicken to the pot with the blending mixture and cook until completely warmed throughout.
7. While the soup is cooking, make the fried tortilla strips. Cut the tortillas into about 1/4″ wide strips.  Add vegetable oil to a skillet so it is 1″ deep. Heat the oil over medium- high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the strips in batches (some temperature adjustment may be needed to perfectly cook the strips). Carefully flip after 20-30 seconds, continue to cook until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with kosher salt. Repeat until done with the strips.
8. Serve with the freshly fried tortilla strips and your other favorite toppings. Enjoy!