Chicken Tortilla Soup (Minus the Tortillas)

I hope y'all are having a great week so far!  I have loved getting to be home for a few days.  It is so nice to actually have time to do the laundry, clean the floors, and be in the kitchen...each of which I used to take for granted :-)

If you live in Texas (or anywhere in the deep south), the word fall is relative.  Yes, it is actually the end of October, but yesterday temperatures reached above 90 degrees here!!  On Tuesday, it wasn't quite so hot, so I decided that, if I waited until it was actually cold outside to make soup, I might not ever get the chance.

I am a huge fan of soups.  They are filling, satisfying, and (sometimes) healthy.  When I was trying to shed the extra college lbs., soups were one of my go-to meals.  I got so sick of eating grilled chicken breasts and broccoli, so I came up with a bunch of soup recipes using lean meats and vegetables as the main ingredients.

Chicken tortilla soup is one of my favorites of all time.  Ever since I went over to Emily’s last weekend I have been craving another bowl (or two or three) of it!  I wanted to start my soup-cooking season off with a bang, so chicken tortilla soup was, in my opinion, the obvious choice.

Serious tortilla soup connoisseurs are probably going to be offended by the fact that there are not actually any tortillas in my tortilla soup.  I have tried the recipe a thousand different ways, and have concluded that I prefer the soup topped with crunchy tortilla strips (rather than having soggy remnants of them floating in the soup).

That, of course, is my own personal opinion, so please feel free to adjust the recipe to your liking.

Here's how I do mine:

 You will need:  cooked chicken (not shown), onions, bell peppers, garlic, Rotel, diced tomatoes, frozen corn, chicken stock, Worcestershire, cumin, chili powder, s/p.

First, preheat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium high heat.  

 While that's happening, start chopping your veggies.  There are a thousand different ways to cut a bell pepper, but this is my personal favorite.  Begin by slicing each side off one at a time (like you're cutting an apple).

 By doing this, you are cutting around the seeds and membrane (aka white stuff).

 This is what you are left with:  Four somewhat straight side pieces and one core.  Toss the core into the trash pile - it's no longer of any use to you.

 Next, slice into thin strips.

 Then turn those strips horizontally and chop through them.

 Like this.

 Until they are about a medium-small dice.  Chop them into whatever size pieces you like.  I don't like big chunks of bell pepper in my soup, but I like them large enough so that I know they are red bell peppers.

After chopped, set aside.

Next, the onion...

 This is how I dice an onion.  First, slice off each end.

 Then, place the onion on the (now) flat end and slice in half.

 Remove the outer layer.

 Take each half and put cut side down on your cutting board.

Start slicing thin strips with your knife, but be sure to not go all the way to the tip of the onion.  Leave the tip uncut so that it won't all fall apart.  This takes practice...the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

 Next, rotate the onion 90 degrees and slice horizontal layers into the onion.

 Then chop through it to make a small dice.

 Once I get to the end, I put the end piece face down on the cutting board and slice through it.

Continue running your knife back and forth over the onion pile until it's about the same size as the red bell peppers (this will ensure they cook evenly).

 Put about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of your pot and toss in your chopped onion and bell pepper.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook until translucent (7-10 minutes).

 While that is happening, smash a couple cloves of garlic.

 Mince them.  (The term "minced" basically means a really small dice).

Once the onions and bell peppers have softened, add in the chopped garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.  (You don't want the garlic to burn.  If you are ever cooking with garlic and it turns brown, toss it and start over, because when garlic turns brown it tastes bitter...and bitter garlic can ruin any good recipe).

 While your garlic cooks, open up your Rotel and canned tomatoes.

 Add to the pot.  While adding, be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with your spoon.  This will loosen up any brown bits from the bottom...that's where all the flavor is!

 Open up your corn.

*Note:  I use frozen corn in many of my soups.  They cut it from the cob when its freshness is at its peak, so when corn isn't in season, the frozen stuff is a great substitute!

 Add about 2 cups into your pot.

 Next, add in the chicken stock, Worcestershire, cumin, and chili powder.

*Note:  Mexene chili powder is unlike any other.  My MIL (Mother in law) turned me onto this when she shared her chili recipe with me.  It has SO much more flavor than its competitors!  Believe me, if you can get your hands on it, it is well worth the extra dollar or so...it will revolutionize your chili and soups :-)

 Bring the liquids to a boil.

 Then add in your shredded chicken and turn the liquid down to a simmer.  Simmer with the top off for 3 hours (if you can wait that long).  This soup gets better the longer it cooks, because the flavors have time to meld.

You can substitute grilled chicken for Rotisserie chicken if you don't have time to grill your own.  It tastes just as good!

 Here's the finished product.  SO good!!  I like to top it with tortilla strips, but I didn't have any.  I don't know about you, but I ADORE Fritos :-)  I topped it with mozzarella cheese and seasoned sour cream.

Do you season your sour cream?

If not, you definitely should start.  I got that trick from my grandmother (Maw Maw) who was one of the first people to introduce me to the world of cooking.  I season mine with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  It makes such a big difference!  I feel like sour cream usually takes seasoning away from a dish and can make it bland...but if you season your sour cream, your food will taste better!  

Try it and let me know what you think!  I promise you'll thank me (and Maw Maw).

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Look what I did:

I just couldn't help myself.  After making my arm muscles sore from mixing up my guacamole and ruining all of my plastic spatulas from shoving my hummus into the blade, I decided it was time for me to go out on a limb and buy myself a real food processor.  I am SOOO (overly) excited about it, it's a little embarrassing.  I think it was well worth the $$, and I know I will have it for years and years to come.  Well, at least that's how I rationalized my purchase :-)

This is what I decided to make with my new Cuisinart...The Pioneer Woman's salsa.  Do you know the Pioneer Woman?  If not, I feel sorry for you.  She is so much fun to learn from and laugh with.  You have to check out her website:  www.thepioneerwoman.com and buy her cookbook.  It is full of fun, easy, no-fail recipes that you and your family (and your booty) will love.  Trust me, she knows what she's doing out there in the country.  She will have you rolling laughing and make you forget you are reading a blog.  Have fun and let me know how you like her!

There's no one better to show you how to make this Restaurant Style Salsa better than the Pioneer Woman herself.  It was my first time making it, and it turned out perfectly.  I love fresh salsa, and this is better than any I've ever made.  I will never go to the store to buy fresh salsa again!!  It has definitely made it into the "favorites" file in my kitchen.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!  Click on the link to see how she does it.  O, and please don't compare my blog to hers, because hers is in an entirely different league (as if you needed me to point that out to you) :-)

Well, I hope y'all have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!  I'm off to bed (yes, it is 9:15 a.m. but I just got home from a 12 hour shift at the hospital and I'm working again tonight).  But then Phillip and I are headed to Dallas for the weekend!  I'll let you know how it goes :-)

Chicken Tortilla Soup (Minus the Tortillas)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 red bell pepper, minced

1 onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups chicken broth

3 cups cooked chicken, shredded

1 can Rotel (mild)

1 (14 ½ oz) can stewed tomatoes

2 cups frozen whole kernel corn (or 1 can, drained and rinsed)

2–3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon ground cumin (or more to taste)

1 Tablespoon chili powder

Salt, pepper

Sour cream (seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder) (optional)

Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (optional)

Tortilla strips, tortilla chips, or Fritos (optional)

Directions:

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Drizzle olive oil in skillet.  Cook on medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes per side (or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear).  Set aside to cool.  When cool enough to handle, shred chicken.  Set aside.

Preheat a heavy bottom Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add oil.  Add bell pepper and onion – sauté until tender (5–7 minutes).  Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Add chicken broth, Rotel, tomatoes, corn, Worcestershire, cumin, and chili powder – season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil then simmer for about 2 hours.

After 2 hours, add in shredded chicken.  Continue to cook soup for 1 hour.  The longer the better!

Ladle soup into bowls.  Top with seasoned sour cream (salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder), shredded cheese, and tortilla strips.  If not using tortilla strips, serve soup with fresh tortillas, tortilla chips, or Frito scoops for dipping.  Enjoy!!

*****HAPPY HALLOWEEN*****