Ya’ll know I am a soupaholic right?  Right.  And I love, love, love me some Mexican.  So chicken tortilla soup is a no brainer for me.  One of my favorites ever is the chicken tortilla soup at Catina Laredo here in Shreveport.  I am sure some of you have one near you.  It is so delicious and simple and filling and just the best thing ever.  I have made several different variations over the past few years since first trying it.  This recipe I am about to share with ya’ll is not the same as that one or any of the others, but it is the one I tried last week when every person in our house was down with the flu or a virus.  And Big Daddy was up at my in-laws’ hunting lodge in Arkansas (www.bayoulagruelodge.com) nearly the entire time.  It was not pretty.  It would have been funny had it not been so hard and maybe one day I will laugh, when I am old and senile.   Me plus 4 sick kids equals help me Rhonda, SOS, call in for reinforcements, and making soup.  Chicken tortilla soup to be specific.  This recipe is a Pioneer Woman recipe which means it would be pretty fool proof and guaranteed to be muy delicioso. Unlike most chicken tortilla soups I have made, this one called for 2 cans of black beans, making it a little more filling, packed a good protein punch and added some texture.  Ding ding…we’ve got a winner.  This soup is the perfect thing to make on a blustery winter night.  It will warm you from your head to your toes.  MMMM good.  Yes, that is Campbell’s thing, but it goes for all yummy soups, right?  Right.

 

holy cow that is some good stuff right there!

Chicken Tortilla Soup (from Pioneer Woman’s cookbook The Pioneer Woman Cooks:  Food From My Frontier)

Stuff you need:

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

approx. 1 1/4 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more according to your taste

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup diced green bell pepper

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

one 10 ounce can Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles (I used the kind with cilantro and lime…it was like Ole!!)

4 cups or 1 quart low sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons tomato paste

4 cups hot water

2 15 ounce cans black beans, drained (I use the reduced sodium kind because canned beans have a crazy amount of sodium in them.  I have the best luck finding these at our local Super Target)

3 tablespoons cornmeal

5 small corn tortillas

diced avocado, for garnish

sour cream, for garnish

What to do with the stuff:

Preheat your oven to 375 degreees

Now, mix the spices together in a small bowl.  Drizzle your chicken breasts with about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.  Sprinkle 1 tsp. of your spices over the chicken breasts.  Set your bowl of spices aside for later.  Bake your chicken busoms (Kylie , that is for you) for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink inside.  Remove from oven and shred the chicken using two forks.  Set aside.

Now, you are going to heat the remaining olive oil in your soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat.  Toss in your veggies and a teaspoon of your spices you used to season the chicken breasts.  If you are feeling frisky, toss in an extra dash of chili powder for some added heat.  Stir the veggies around until they begin to get a nice golden brown color, about 5 minutes or so.   Inhale.  smells good doesn’t it?

Throw your shredded chicken breasts into the pot.  Now, pour the can of Ro-tel in, juice and all.  Stir in the chicken broth, tomato paste and the 4 cups of hot water.  Stir this around to combine and bring this pot o yumminess to a boil.  Reduce to heat to low once it comes to a boil.  Now, add in your drained black beans.

Ok, now in a small bowl, mix together the cornmeal with 1/2 cup of water.  Whisk this mixture into the simmering pot o’ yum.  (What?  I am like 1/8  Irish too! ha ha!!  but I am)

Cut the tortillas into uniform 2 to 3 inch strips.  Cut those in half.  Stir them into the soup. Your tortilla soup is almost ready.  Are you ready?  Smells so good, huh?  Mouth is watering.  Ladle some of this wonderful stuff into bowls.  Garnish with chunks of avocado, shredded monterey jack cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and maybe some cilantro if you feel like it.  Serving it with extra tortilla strips is great or some crushed tortilla chips.

Enjoy!!