Foodie Friday: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Alrighty, this time I REALLY wanna know:  What have you been cooking lately?

I made a pot of my favorite soup this past week and have been enjoying leftovers for lunch!

I love tortilla soup, but only when it resembles the brothy, green chile based tortilla soup I first fell in love with at the Armadillo restaurant in town.

When I set out to make my own some 8 years ago, I found a preponderance of recipes online were nothing more than chicken chili recipes.  So I played with it for awhile and developed my tortilla soup recipe:

1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts*	32oz reduced sodium chicken broth*
2 Tbs canola oil	2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced	2 cans diced tomatoes w/chiles
1 Tbs kosher or sea salt	1 Tbs cumin
32 oz frozen mild green chiles, diced**	5-10 soft corn tortillas
4 flour tortillas, optional	monterey jack cheese, shredded
tortilla chips	sour cream

Place chicken breasts in broth and bring to boil. Turn down, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.  *I sometimes use a whole chicken cooked in enough water to cover it in lieu of the breasts and broth.  Meanwhile, sautee garlic and onion in the oil until translucent.  When chicken has been cooked through, remove and shred.  Add garlic, onions, tomatoes (undrained), salt, cumin, and green chiles to broth.  Tear corn tortillas in pieces and add to liquid.  This is your thickener.  If you use the flour tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch x 1 inch rectangles and put in soup.  They will transform into a sort of "noodle".  Cook all ingredients together at a low simmer for 30-40 minutes.

Serve in bowls with tortilla chips and monterey jack cheese.  Add a dollop of sour cream if desired (usually helpful with kids if they aren't likely to enjoy the spice!).

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