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Chicken Tortilla Soup

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I cook. My husband doesn’t. We have a system that works really well for us. But when I was leaving town for three weeks to travel with my Mom and sister, I worried about what Charles would eat while I was gone. Would he survive off Domino’s? Cooking isn’t his talent – he can only really make eggs and steak. I wanted him to have some good healthy food to eat, and I also felt a bit guilty about leaving on a three week trip without him, so I made him a massive batch of Chicken Tortilla Soup. I could pack it up in individual servings, leave half in the fridge, and know that he would have a bunch meals ready.

I first started making this soup when Charles and I started dating. Back in 2009, I was unemployed for a couple months and I spent a considerable amount of time watching Food Network and cooking. Somehow I started making this soup and it became Charles’s favorite. I used to make it for him a couple of times a year.

And then I forgot all about it! I hadn’t made this soup in over 2 years. This recipe popped into my head again when I was trying to figure out what I could make for Charles that would freeze well.

Sometimes I make this soup using Citrus Roasted Chicken. This time I just went to the grocery store and bought a rotisserie chicken. It was a huge timesaver.

The spice level of this soup is medium. It has the type of heat that builds as you eat it. It isn’t super spicy. If you want to add extra spice, add another jalapeno. If you want a more mild soup, only add half of a jalapeno. I added black beans and kidney beans to this soup, but you can add any beans that you like.

Nutrition

Calories

995 cal

Fat

51 g

Carbs

86 g

Protein

42 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info
Chicken Tortilla Soup

Yields 8 servings

30 minPrep Time

30 minTotal Time

Save RecipeSave Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 2/3 cup chopped White Onion
  • 3 cloves crushed Garlic
  • 2/3 cup chopped Celery
  • 2/3 cup chopped Carrot
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 chopped Red Bell Pepper
  • 1 chopped Green Bell Pepper
  • 1 chopped Jalapeño Pepper
  • 8 cups Chicken Stock
  • 3 cups diced cooked Chicken
  • 1 can Diced Tomatoes
  • 1 can Kidney Beans
  • 1 can Black Beans
  • 1 can Corn
  • a handful of Frozen Spinach
  • 1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon Cumin
  • 1 Lime
  • 1 cup crushed Tortilla Chips
  • *Garnish with slices of jalapeno, crushed tortilla chips, and cheddar cheese.

Instructions

  1. In a large soup pot saute the garlic in the olive oil. Add the onion, and cook until soft - this will take about 5 minutes. Then add the celery, carrot, bell pepper, and jalapeno. Season generously with salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes.
  2. Pour the chicken stock over the vegetables. Add the diced tomatoes, chicken, kidney beans, black beans, corn, spinach, red pepper flakes, and cumin. Squeeze in the juice from the lime. Bring to a simmer.
  3. Once the soup is simmering, add the crushed tortilla chips. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Serve the soup garnished with tortilla chips, cheese, and slices of jalapeno.
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Charles Charmichael

Friday 13th of October 2017

I made this soup and it was awesome. I did make a few substitutions though. Instead of using chicken, I used cubed beef browned in a pan. I did not have the veggies and spices on hand, so I substituted Mccormick's beef stroganoff seasoning, milk, and sour cream. I served over egg flour noodles. It was fantastic... I highly recommend this recipe.

Ria

Wednesday 1st of November 2023

@Charles Charmichael, Hahaha. You made beef stroganoff not soup at all. That’s funny.

Angelina at Petite Haus

Friday 5th of May 2017

Looks delicious! Thank you for sharing and I have featured you as part of Thursday Favorite Things!

thekittchen

Saturday 6th of May 2017

Thank you!!

DearCreatives.com

Thursday 4th of May 2017

I have a favorite recipe but, yours looks yummy too! Pinned & sharing Thanks for joining the Inspiration Spotlight party.

thekittchen

Saturday 6th of May 2017

It's one of my favorite soups!

Amanda

Tuesday 2nd of May 2017

Delicious! Thank you for linking up to last weeks Creative K Kids' Tasty Tuesday. Don't forget to link up this week, if you haven't already!

thekittchen

Saturday 6th of May 2017

Will do! Thanks!

Shirley Wood

Monday 1st of May 2017

Perfect for Taco Tuesday or Cinco de Mayo this week! This post is a Feature for the new Merry Monday party!

thekittchen

Monday 1st of May 2017

Thanks so much Shirley!

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