Chicken Tortilla Soup (hold the tortilla)

This recipe is delicious, filling, healthy (until I load it with cheese) and only gets better on day 2...but then again, what soup doesn't?

All recipes are created by Jenna unless stated otherwise! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Serves 8

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: About 60 mins (really, you are prepping & cooking at the same time)

This is a tomato based tortilla soup. 

What You Will Need:

Chicken Broth; 32 oz.  (I use low sodium) 
Tomatoes in juice; 28 oz. (julienne or chef cut) 
Diced tomatoes in juice with jalapeño; 14.5 oz.
White Corn; 15 oz. 
White Onion 
Garlic
Paprika
Chili Powder
Cayenne Pepper
Smokey Chipotle Seasoning
Garlic Powder or Garlic Salt (I use Garlic Dude from Garlic Shoppe in Gilroy)
Salt
Chicken Breast
Cojita Cheese
Cilantro
Avocado 

Let's Get Started:

1) Start by boiling 2 chicken breast. Once done, let cool then shred and set aside. This can all be happening while you work on the next steps. I add paprika and black pepper to the water as I boil the chicken.

2) In a pot, combine the cans of tomato (juice & all), corn (drained & rinsed), the chicken broth, and the following seasonings: 

•  1 tsp Paprika
• Dash of cayenne or more if you like it really spicy
• 1/2 tsp of chili powder
• Dash of a smokey chipotle seasoning 
• 1/2 tsp of garlic powder/salt
• Pinch of sea salt

3) Slice about 1/2 of the onion and add to the broth mixture.

 4) Finely chop 3 cloves of garlic and add to soup. Bring soup to a boil and let boil for about 5 minutes so the onion and garlic flavors get into the broth and soften. 

5) Next, turn down to low, add the shredded chicken and let simmer for however long you would like. I recommend at least 25 minutes. At this time you can taste and add salt or spice to as you prefer.

6) Chop cilantro, crumble cojita cheese and slice avocado. This makes it look as good as it tastes and really does add some extra yummy. I usually load it up with cheese :-)

That's it! Simple and delicious. If you want to make it even heartier you can slice up some bell peppers and add at the same time you add the onion. Also, at this time you can add in some fresh jalapeño depending how hot you like it.

This is a great recipe to serve to a group of friends along with an ice cold Pacifico or Fresh Margarita!

Enjoy!

XO,
Jenna