Chicken Tortilla Soup

My mom gave me her recipe for chicken tortilla soup years ago – over time I’ve combined it with a few other recipes and tweaked it here and there, and now it’s one of my favorite quick soups to make. We have leftovers for days and it’s the perfect dinner with a small quesadilla or nachos. I’ll definitely keep this tried and true recipe because it’s fast and foolproof; maybe someday after wrangling children and working hard all day I’ll crank this out like my mom did when we were kids. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 10 corn tortillas;
• 3 tbsp canola oil;
• 3 red onions, chopped;
• 6 cloves minced garlic;
• 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced;
• 3 tbsp oregano;
• 1 tsp garlic salt;
• 1 tsp chile powder;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 2 4.5oz can chopped green chiles, drained;
• 1 15oz can black beans, drained;
• 1 28oz can chopped tomatoes;
• 8 cups chicken stock;
• juice from 5 limes;
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro;
• 1½ pound chicken breast, grilled and shredded;
• salt and pepper.

Toppings:

• crumbled feta or shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend);
• avocado, diced;
• sour cream;
• cilantro.

Recipe Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice tortillas into thin strips and spread evenly on cookie sheet.
2. Heat oil in a large dutch oven and sauté onion until 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and chipotle chiles and stir for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, green chiles and black beans and allow to cook 3 minutes, then add stock, lime juice, oregano, garlic salt, chile powder and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add chicken and cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
3. Meanwhile: Bake tortilla strips for 15 minutes or until browned, flipping halfway through. Top individual bowls with tortilla strips and other garnishes to your liking. Enjoy!