...eat? Chicken Tortilla Soup

Remember how I stretched that chicken last week?  Well if you'll recall, one of the ways I stretched it was to use the bones to make a giant pot of chicken broth and then turn that chicken broth into Chicken Tortilla Soup.  Doesn't it look delicious?  Searching Google will give you numerous recipes for this soup, each one a little bit different. Want to find out how I made it?

My recipe is a little different than some because I don't saute the peppers and onions before adding everything else.  The reason? I start by making my own broth in the soup pot and I simply don't like to get more than one pot dirty.  I don't mind washing dishes, but I don't see any reason to spend my time washing extra ones when I don't have to.  I promise, no one would guess you skipped the sauting step, even Chicken Tortilla Soup connoisseurs. I also learned a neat trick for thickening your soup from the The Pioneer Woman.  The ingredient list looks daunting, but don't let that stop you!  This is an incredibly easy soup to make.

I won't claim that my soup is the best recipe there is, but I will say that my husband loves this soup.  My five year old loves this soup.  I absolutely love this soup.  We eat it whenever I think to make it!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe makes approximately 12 good-sized portions  so feel free to cut it in half or make the whole batch and freeze some!

Ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts (or any equivalent bone-in pieces of chicken)

6 cups water

2 bell peppers (preferably red, yellow or orange)

1 large yellow onion

2 cans (15 oz each) diced fire roasted tomatoes, no salt added

8 oz frozen organic corn, thawed

2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, no salt added

4 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon chili powder (unsalted, or adjust salt accordingly)

1 teaspoon cumin

garlic powder, optional

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 organic corn tortillas

3 tablespoons cornmeal

Fixings a.k.a. toppings (optional)

if you're actually serving 12 people you may need more of each topping

tortilla chips, broken into pieces

2 avocados, cubed

1 cup diced red onion

3 roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

sour cream

shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Combine chicken and water in a large soup pot (6 qt or larger) and simmer until cooked through, approximately 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, chop the bell peppers and onions and mince the garlic.
3. When the cooked through, remove the chicken from broth and shred it well with a fork (or your fingers if it's cool enough) or just roughly chop it up with a big knife like I do!
4. Add chicken, peppers, onion, garlic, tomatoes, corn and beans to the broth.  Add chili powder, cumin and salt; stir well.  Taste the broth and adjust seasonings if needed adding garlic powder if you're a garlic fan. We like a lot of chili powder, so I usually add more! Bring soup to a simmer again
5. Combine the cornmeal in a just enough warm water liquify the mixture (this was The Pioneer Woman's contribution) and add to the soup; simmer 10 minutes.  At this point your soup is ready, but feel free to turn the stove down and let it rest if you aren't ready to serve dinner yet!
6. Just before serving your soup, chop the corn tortillas into 1 inch (or smaller) pieces.  If you're particular, you can cut them into evenly-sized rectangles as I typically feel compelled to do.  Sprinkle these tortilla pieces into your soup a handful at a time, stirring a little between handfuls.
7. Ladle into bowls, top with whatever fixings you decided to use and serve to delighted and hungry diners!  You can also set the fixings on the table and let each person choose their own.

Please let me know if you enjoyed the soup, what you did/do differently, and what soups you and your family enjoy1