Chicken Tortilla Soup
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Cook time: 
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Serves: 6-8
 
A hearty chicken tortilla soup that's on the table in less than an hour!
Ingredients
  • 3 - 4 boneless skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 3 c Water
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 1 clove Garlic, minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
  • 1 Tbs Olive Oil
  • 1 med Green Pepper, chopped
  • ½ c Onion, chopped
  • 1 c frozen (thawed) or fresh corn kernels
  • ½ - 1 tsp ground Cumin
  • ½ - 2 tsp Chili Powder
  • 1 Tbs Lemon Juice
  • 1 15 oz jar Chunky Salsa
  • 1 15 oz can Black beans, rinsed well and drained
  • 1 6oz can Tomato Paste
  • 1 32oz box Chicken Broth
Toppings
  • Shredded Colby Jack cheese
  • Sour Cream
  • Tortilla Chips
  • sliced green onion - optional
Instructions
  1. In large pot, add chicken water, garlic and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then turn heat to medium and simmer, covered, until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken to plate and set aside. Reserve poaching water.
  2. Into same pot heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add green peppers and onion and saute 5 minutes or until onion is almost translucent. Add corn and saute for a few seconds to give it some color.
  3. To onion mixture, add cumin, chili powder, lemon juice, salsa, black beans and tomato paste. Stir.
  4. Slowly add reserved poaching liquid. Break reserved chicken into bite side pieces and add to pot. Stir in half a box of chicken broth at a time until desired thickness is reached. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer gently for 10 - 15 minutes to heat and meld flavors.
  5. Serve hot bowls of soup topped with cheese, sour cream and broken chips.
Notes
You can also break the chips into the bottom of the bowl, then add soup. They get mushy but are still quite tasty. Leftover cooked rice is very good stirred into individual bowls at the last minute! There is no salt added to the soup because the salt on the chips is plenty!
Recipe by A Hen's Nest - NW PA Single Woman Mom Blog at https://ahensnest.com/2011/09/chicken-tortilla-soup-easy-dinner-recipe.html