Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

Tortilla Strips

• 1/4 cups olive oil
• 8 corn tortillas (6" tortillas)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

• 2 tbsp light olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion (chopped)
• 4 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers (seeded and diced)
• 32 oz chicken broth
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 lb chicken breasts ((2 medium), or leftover rotisserie chicken*)
• 15 oz can corn (drained and rinsed)
• 15 oz can black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/3 cups cilantro (chopped, plus more to garnish)
• 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice (from 1 lime, or to taste)
• 1 large avocado (diced)
• 1 lime (cut into wedges, to serve)

Instructions

1. Preheat a pan with 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat. Cut tortillas into thin strips and fry them in batches in the hot oil until crisp. Remove from the pan and allow them to drain on a paper towel. Repeat with remaining tortilla strips, adding more oil as needed then set aside.
2. Preheat a pot or dutch oven with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, garlic, and chopped jalapeño and sauté until veggies soften.
3. Add chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, chicken breasts, corn, beans, chili powder, cumin, salt. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through and easy to shred.
4. Remove chicken from the pot and shred it using 2 forks. Add shredded chicken back to the soup and simmer another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and lime juice.
5. Serve the soup garnished with some tortilla strips, diced avocado, fresh cilantro and lime wedges, or use your favorite toppings.