Southwest Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

All of the predictions of a big snow storm made us want to hunker down and make a big pot of soup. We had a leftover rotisserie chicken from Costco (those are always a great deal and a LOT of meat on them) and a bunch of spices and pantry staples so we got to work!

I have made several versions of this soup over the years, but I think this one is the best. It had a secret ingredient (chili verde salsa) and came together so fast! That was great news as we had to prep our snow blower and wage a war on the driveway with its three inches of snow and a thin coating of ice. I did not pass my snow blowing drive test according to my instructor but we did have big bowls of soup to warm us up when we were done!

We crisped up corn tortillas in the microwave (so easy - just 1 1/2 minutes on high, flipping every 30 seconds) and crunched them on top of the soup with some chopped tomato and avocado. Another great addition is thinly sliced radishes (which I forgot to show in this photo). Love how the crunch and the cool texture of these added items contrasts with the warm, spicy soup. A drizzle of sour cream, shredded cheese or cilantro would be nice add-ons as well.

Southwest Chicken Tortilla Soup

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped

2-3 celery stalks, chopped

1 medium green or red pepper, chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 15 oz can of diced or stewed tomatoes with juices

1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2-2 cups cooked dry

beans)

1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2-2 cups cooked dry

beans)

1 1/2-2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels or frozen

1 cup chili verde salsa (Pace was on sale - it was quite good)

2 quarts chicken broth

3 cups of shredded chicken from a purchased rotisserie chicken or leftover 

2 Tbsp taco seasoning

1 tsp cumin (or more to taste)

1 tsp chili powder (or more to taste)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp smoked or regular paprika

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, sauté garlic, onion, carrots, celery and pepper in olive oil until onions become translucent. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for at least 30 minutes. A longer simmer will create a more flavorful soup.

This soup adapts well to a slow cooker. Simply combine all the ingredients and turn the heat to medium-low and let it cook all day.

The idea for using the chili verde salsa came from dontwastethecrumbs.com website