Now that the weather is getting cooler I thought it’s time for another soup recipe. And this Chicken Tortilla Soup fits in nicely with Mexican Monday!

I made the chicken stock on Sunday so that my weeknight prep time would be shorter. If you want to shred your chicken instead of cubing it, it’s best to do while it’s hot out of the poaching liquid. Because I cooked the chicken/stock the night before I simply cubed it before adding it to the soup Monday evening. Even though my prep time was much shorter, the soup cook time was longer than the original recipe declared, I left the soup on the stove for about an hour and a half. But with soup, the longer it stews the better!

I also left the heat factor out of the soup because I was making this for childhood taste buds. I provided hot sauce on the table for the adults to flavor our soups.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients for stock:

• 3 large chicken breasts
• 8 C water
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 onion, left whole
• 1 jalapeno, left whole
• 1 tsp pepper

Ingredients for soup:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can diced roasted tomatoes
• 1/4 C cilantro (I used 2 ice cubes)

Steps:

1. Make stock by combining all ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken and shred/cube. Strain and reserve the broth.
2. In a large pot over medium-high heat saute onion and bell pepper in olive oil. When translucent add in garlic until fragrant. Stir in spices. Pour in the chicken broth. Bring to a gentle simmer and add in the cooked chicken, beans, corn, tomatoes, and cilantro. Allow soup to cook for at least 20 minutes for the flavors to combine and chicken to be warmed through.
3. Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips for garnish.

*This recipe is modified from Patricia at http://www.patriciaspatticakes.com/2013/10/spicy-chicken-tortilla-soup.html*