Chicken Tortilla Soup

I am the first to admit that soup is not one of my favorite things!  I am a meat and potato girl at heart.  After becoming a mother, I had to step up and be an example to my kids.  With that, I added several soups to my recipe file to include this very hearty chicken tortilla soup!!

                                         It's packed with ingredients so lets get the list started!
                
                                                2lbs. cooked chicken chopped or shredded
                                                                   2  scallions
                                                      2 cans of  fire roasted tomatoes
                                                              1 bunch of cilantro
                                                    3 tbsp. of garlic chopped or minced
                                 1 or 2 poblano peppers (depending on how much heat you like)
                                                                1 can of black beans
                                                                1 can of sweet corn
                                                                    1/4 c. lime juice
                                                                       1 avocado
                                                            2 tbsp. Crushed Red Pepper
                                             6 cups of chicken broth (low sodium if possible)
                                                 1/2 c. shredded monterey jack to top with
                                                                 Salt & Pepper to Taste
                                                                 1 bag of tortilla chips
                                                       *optional dollop of sour cream if desired
                                                    * sections of lime to juice on top if desired

                                                  Wow, that's quite the list, but the rest is easy!!!

I always start off by sauteing the scallions and garlic to release the juices in a tablespoon of canola oil. 

                         Next, I add the chicken broth, the beans and corn, and the chopped cilantro.

It's time to add the peppers. I chopped them fairly fine. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly after to avoid having the oils stay on your hands.  If you want more HEAT , it's perfectly fine to add a few of the pepper seeds to the stock.

The salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and fire roasted tomatoes can follow.  Any diced tomato can be used but the fire roasted kind are by far the best for this flavorful Mexican soup!

                                           Stir, cover and simmer for approximately one hour

      Add the chopped chicken and sliced avocado. Cover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes

                         My favorite part is lifting the lid and taking a big ladle to test the first scoop!!

Top with shredded cheese and tortilla chips.  You can break them into bite size pieces which makes it easier to handle.  Also, you can add sour cream and an additional squirt of lime juice if you choose!

This is a fantastic dish to bring to a Mexican dinner.  It's a soup for the mature eater who isn't afraid of multiple ingredients under one roof.

It's hearty enough to serve alone with bread, but also is wonderful with nachos, burritos, etc. 
While I don't have the exact calorie count calculated yet, I'm sure it's low considering the ingredients.

It's not exactly an inexpensive soup to make, but when you take into account what you pay for a cup of soup at a restaurant, it's nothing compared to that!!  Speaking of which, recently I was out and was outraged that a cup of soup was $4.99 and a bowl was $6.99!!  This recipe yields 5 quarts!!! 

My son, Sam, who is currently serving as a minister in Nicaragua, loves this soup!! It's one of his favorites.  His diet there is very limited due to lack of resources and funds to purchase them.  He was talking to me through Face Time yesterday while I was preparing this dinner.  I felt pretty bad when he asked me what I was making!!  No worries, there will be plenty waiting for him when he arrives home in February!!