Who doesn’t love a warm bowl of soup on a cold winter day? This weekend I whipped up a delish pot of chicken tortilla soup. I prefer my soups to be on the thicker side, so I used a lot of ingredients in this recipe. My mom said my soup was a bit like chili (chili’s cousin if you will) which I am totally okay with. This recipe was pretty easy to whip up and made plenty for leftovers – perfect for the upcoming work week. My favorite ingredient for acidic dishes like chili, chicken tortilla soup and red sauce is carrots. Carrots really cut out the acidity and smooth out the flavor.

Ingredients:

1 Small Spanish Onion, finely chopped

1 Green Pepper

 1 Yellow Pepper

1 Orange Pepper

2-3 Garlic Cloves

3/4 Cup of Carrots, finely chopped

1 Cup of Frozen Corn

1 Container of Grape Tomatoes

Low Sodium Black Beans (15oz.), rinsed

Low Sodium White Beans (15oz.), rinsed

4 Cups of Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1 Large Chicken Breast, Grilled

3 TBSP Tomato Paste

1 TBSP Chili Powder

2 TSP Cumin

1 1/4 TSP Paprika

Salt & Pepper to Taste

2 TSP Cornstarch (optional)

Avocado and Pepper Jack Cheese

Fresh Corn Tortillas

Directions:

I find it easier to chop all of my ingredients before I begin cooking. Chop the peppers into small, bit sized pieces and set aside. Make sure you get ride of the pepper seeds and the white insides which can make your soup bitter. Next, rinse the beans to remove any unnecessary sodium, set aside. Then use a food processor to chop up the carrots and onion (or finely chop both) and cut the tomatoes into quarters. Last, cut or shred the chicken.  I used a large chicken breast I grilled the night before which I cut into small pieces. You could probably used a store bought rotisserie chicken instead.

Over low heat sautee onion in olive oil over low heat. I like to really like the onion cooked down so it becomes soft and sweet. Next, use a garlic press and add garlic to the onion. Then, add the peppers and carrots, cook about 5-10 minutes to soften over medium heat. After that add the chicken broth, tomato paste, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper ( I did not measure, but I know I did not use more than 1 TBSP of salt). If you want your soup to be in the thicker side, add 1-2 TSP of cornstarch or skip this step. Bring your pot to a boil for 5 minutes then simmer for at least 30 minutes. While your soup is simmering, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Using a pizza cutter, slice the tortillas into long strips and scatter on a baking sheet. Season the tortillas with olive oil, salt and pepper then bake for 12 minutes.

The fresh made tortilla chips are my FAVORITE chip. Pop a few of these on top of a hot bowl of soup and garnish with avocado and grated pepper jack cheese.

xo Miss Alyss