Chicken Tortilla Soup

“No soup for you!”  Do you remember that classic Seinfeld episode?  There really was a Soup Kitchen in NYC and it happened to be a few blocks from where I worked.  We were crazy enough to stand outside in the cold and risk the abuse to purchase a bowl of the soup.  Now, The Original SoupMan has stores nationwide and cartons in the grocery aisle. 

I love soup season (even if it’s shorter in Texas)!  There are as many variations of tortilla soup as there are flavors of enchiladas.  The base of this recipe came from The Junior League of El Paso cookbook, Seasoned with Sun, and was a gift from David’s mom.  I have added chicken and avocado to make this recipe more hearty.  If temps are warm where you are, crank down the AC and let this soup warm you up! 

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Ingredients:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1.      1 small onion, chopped

2.      1 – 4 oz. can chopped green chiles, drained

3.      2 cloves garlic, crushed

4.      2 T vegetable oil

5.      1 c peeled and chopped tomatoes (@ 2-3 tomatoes which I didn’t peel)

6.      10 ½ oz. beef stock

7.      10 ½ oz. chicken broth

8.      1 ½ c water

9.      1 ½ c tomato juice

10.  1 t ground cumin

11.  1 t chile powder

12.  1 t salt

13.  1/8 t pepper

14.  2 t Worcestershire sauce

15.  1 T bottled steak sauce (like A1)

16.  3 corn tortillas, cut in ½ inch strips

17.  ¼ c shredded cheddar cheese

18.  Cooked chicken, cut into bite size pieces, optional

19.  Avocado, cut into chunks, optional

Sauté onion, chiles and garlic in oil until soft.  Add ingredients #5-15.  Bring soup to a boil; lower heat and simmer covered for 1 hour.  Add tortillas and chicken and simmer 10 minutes longer.  Spoon into a bowl and top with cheese and avocado. 

Delicious soup for you and 5 others!