Chicken Tortilla Soup

First off, please let me apologize for not capturing the true beauty of this soup...the Chicken Tortilla Soup is not to blame...for she is absolutely stunning and vibrant!

I had some lighting issues and honest to God the only thing I really wanted to do is eat this soup...and I did! And it was worth not getting a good shot! I would have made it again and taken some better pictures, but I couldn't deprive you of this recipe one second longer...

Chicken Tortilla Soup is good for the soul...and the tummy...and the taste buds...and the waistline! It's packed with veggies and you can add or subtract from my list to make a one of a kind Chicken Tortilla Soup that makes your soul sing! The bare bones of this soup are chicken stock, onions, shredded chicken, fire roasted tomatoes, green chilis and most importantly the seasoning mix I threw together! After that, the sky's the limit with what veggies you add, but I love the celery, carrots, bell pepper, corn and zucchini combo...it reminds me of a very good vegetable soup, but with a kick.  I would have even kicked it up a little more by adding all the seasoning mix to the soup...but I was sharing this batch of Chicken Tortilla Soup with my Assisted Living Residents, so I kept it pretty tame.

I make Chicken Tortilla Soup several times a year and I never follow a recipe, it's always different and it's always good...but this one was the best version I've ever made and even better....I wrote down the recipe! Yippee!

What You Will Need for Chicken Tortilla Soup:

• Chicken Breasts
• Cilantro
• Chicken Stock
• Red Hot Pepper/ Jalepeno Pepper
• Red Bell Pepper/ Yellow Bell Pepper
• Vidalia Onion
• Carrots
• Celery
• zuchinni
• Shredded Cheese
• Tortilla Strips
• Smoked Paprika, Cumin, Chipotle, Salt, Black Pepper
• Canned Black Beans
• Canned Corn
• Hunt's Fire Roasted Tomatoes
• Can of Mild Green Chilis

Step One:

Add about 6 cups of water to a medium size stock pot and turn on medium heat. Cut the stems off of the bunch of cilantro. Slice red hot pepper and jalapeno pepper. Combine salt, black pepper, paprika (I used smoked paprika), cumin and chipotle to make the seasoning mix. Oh boy...remember how I said I wrote down the recipe??? Well, that isn't completely true...I forgot to write down how much seasoning I added to the water.  I'm going to take a wild guess and say 1 Tablespoon....yep, that should work, 1 Tablespoon! Add 1 Tablespoon of season blend (add as much as you want, but be sure to leave at least a tablespoon for the soup), cilantro stems, hot peppers and chicken breasts to water, bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue to cook at a rapid simmer for 25 minutes or until the chicken registers 160-165°F       

Step Two:

While the chicken breasts are cooking, chop the vidalia onion. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil to second stock pot and heat on medium, add onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Chop and add celery, continue cooking over medium heat. Add 1 Tablespoon of seasoning blend. Stir and continue to cook on medium.

Step Three:

Peel and cut carrots. Add to pot. Add 4 cups of chicken stock, diced bell peppers, drained black beans, can of green chilies, canned corn, fire roasted tomatoes, and chopped zucchini. Simmer on low.

Step Four:

Remove Chicken from simmering liquid and allow to cool slightly. Using a fork (or your hands), shred the chicken breast and add to pot and allow to simmer for about 15-20 minutes. I made three chicken breasts instead of two because I'm using the third one for chicken quesadillas that I'm serving with Chicken Tortilla Soup tonight...kind of like tomato soup and grilled cheese, but Mexican style!

Step Five:

Taste and add more spice blend if needed. Salt and pepper to taste. If soup is too thick, add more chicken stock. I added one cup of the liquid the chicken was cooked in. Top soup with shredded Mexican cheese, tortilla strips, fresh cilantro, diced onion, sliced jalapenos (wish I would have thought of this before I ate my bowl!), sour cream or anything else that sounds good! Serve and Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Recipe By: The Salted Pepper

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings 8 -12

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Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs of Chicken Breast boneless and skinless
• 4-6 cups Chicken Stock
• 1 Bunch of Cilantro
• 1 Red hot pepper
• 1 Jalepeno pepper
• 1 Vidalia Onion
• 3 Celery Stalks
• 4 Carrots
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Yellow or Orange Bell Pepper
• 1 zucchini
• 1 Can 14oz Hunt's Fire Roasted Tomatoes
• 1 Can Black Beans
• 1 Can Corn
• 1 4oz Can Mild Green Chilies
• 1 Cup Shredded Mexican Cheese
• Sour Cream for garnish
• Tortilla Strips for garnish

Seasoning Blend

• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

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Instructions

 

• Add 6 cups of water to medium size saucepan, bring to a simmer on medium heat. Slice hot peppers, cut stems off of cilantro bunch.
• Make Seasoning Blend
• Add chicken breasts to pot of water along with 1 Tablespoon of seasoning blend, sliced hot peppers and stems from Cilantro bunch. Bring to a boil and reduce heat until the liquid is at a rapid simmer. Cook chicken about 25 minutes.
• Chop Vidalia onion, celery and bell peppers. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to stock pot and saute onions and celery for 5 minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon of seasoning mix.
• Peel and slice carrots, chop zuchinni and add to pot. Stir.
• Add 4 Cups of Chicken Stock, fire roasted tomatoes, canned corn, can of green chilies, drained black beans.
• Remove chicken from simmering liquid and allow to cool slightly. Shred with a fork. Add to pot and allow soup to simmer for about 20 minutes. Taste and add more seasniing blend if needed or salt and pepper. Add 1-2 cups of chicken stock if soup is too thick. Make sure to tatste after adding chicken stock and adjust seasonings.
• Top with chopped cilantro, Mexican cheese, tortilla strips.
• Serve and Enjoy!

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