Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is one of our favorite recipes. I hesitate to order tortilla soup in restaurants because I've almost never had a version I like as much as this one. It comes from my friend, Taylor, and I think it's a family recipe. When it starts getting cold outside, this is one of the first things I make. This recipe is double the original one Taylor gave me. The leftover soup is even better the next day and it freezes well (if it makes it that long) so I always make this amount. If you're not a spice-lover (well, you probably don't like a lot of my recipes if that's the case) you can leave out one of the jalapenos but serve some Cholula on the side for your guests. Hope you love this as much as we do!


Time: 1 hour and a half
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4 TBSP olive oil
• 2 cans beef broth
• 2 cans chicken broth
• 2 small cans tomato paste
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 fresh jalapenos chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire
• 6-7 tomatoes from a can of whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
• 6 corn tortillas (optional, for homemade chips to top soup with)
• avocado
• jack or pepper jack cheese

Prep

1. Peel and chop your onions. You should wind up with around 2 cups of onion.

2. Peel and finely chop your garlic.
3. If you need to cook your chicken, do that and shred it. You can also use a rotisserie chicken or any leftover chicken you might have on hand.
4. If you're making your own chips, cut your tortillas into strips.

Cook

1. Heat your 4 TBSP of olive oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.
2. When your oil is hot, add your onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, until onion is soft but not yet browned.

3. Add your 2 cans of tomato paste and stir it in with the onions and garlic.

4. Once it's combined, add both broths, cumin, chili powder, jalapeno, salt and worcestershire sauce. Turn your burner to high to bring the soup to boil, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 45 minutes.

5. While the soup simmers, you can make your chips. Add vegetable or canola oil to your smallest frying pan until it coats the bottom of the pan by 1/4 of an inch or so. Heat the oil on medium-high for about 5 minutes until it sizzles when you drop some water in the skillet. Cook your tortilla strips in batches in the oil until browned - about 3 minutes per batch. As you cook, remove them to a plate lined with paper towels and top with kosher salt.
6. Towards the end of your simmering time, chop your avocado and grate your cheese.
7. After your soup has simmered for 45 minutes, add your tomatoes, crushing them with your hands as you put them in. Also add your chicken and simmer the soup for another 15 minutes.

8. Top soup with condiments and serve.