I know. LA was 90 degrees yesterday. Let’s disregard that, because I’ve got the perfect fall recipe for you, folks. This is the first and only chicken tortilla soup recipe I’ve tried (adapted from here), but I kinda love it so I’m sticking with it.
Ingredients (recipe serves 6):
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts*
- ~45 oz. low-sodium chicken broth (roughly 3 cans)
- 1.5 cups chunky salsa
- 1 can corn kernels
- 1 can black beans, rinsed
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic + 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon olive oil
- tortilla chips
- Optional (to garnish): shredded cheese, cilantro, avocado, green onions, sour cream
*LAZY PEOPLE– Substitute chicken breasts for one of those rotisserie chickens you can buy at the market… you know, like Ralph’s or something. Cuts down on cooking time + dishes to wash.
Pictured above– soup ingredients + optional garnish ingredients
Boil chicken in water with one clove of garlic. If you’re using a rotisserie chicken, skip this step, obvi. Chop onion. I mentioned this last time, but how to properly/easily chop an onion here. Remove chicken from heat and let cool.
While chicken is cooling, saute chopped onion in olive oil until browned. Heat chicken broth on med-high heat in large pot. Shred chicken– careful, it’ll probably still be hot! If you’re using a rotisserie chicken, just shred that. Boom.
Add shredded chicken, salsa, onion, corn, black beans (rinsed), lemon juice, cumin, garlic, chili powder to pot. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for at least an hour.
To serve– Break up tortilla chips and put in bottom of bowl. Pour soup over chips and sprinkle cheese on top (optional). Garnish with additional toppings of choice (e.g. cilantro, avocado, green onions, sour cream). I chose avocados and cilantro.
Note: If the soup tastes watery or bland, just wait! It will taste exponentially better as time passes (err…until it spoils, of course). I would highly suggest that you make it in the morning to eat for dinner, or make it at night, then eat it the next day.