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Tortilla Soup Recipe
by Patrick Travis

Tortilla Soup

A couple of nights ago I noticed a couple of leftover tortillas. Obviously I had to do SOMETHING with them, I couldn't just toss them out or let them go stale...Right?

The answer? Tortilla Soup! Well as I went through all of the recipes I could find, it seemed they all used tortilla chips which were placed in the individual soup bowl.

I finally found one where tortillas were fried is a small amount of oil as the first step before adding other ingredients. I made the soup as instructed but found the tortillas disintegrated during cooking.

This recipe is the one I tried but with a bunch of tweaking and...tortilla chips placed in the individual soup bowl. This turned out just the way I wanted with a good chicken base and a good tortilla flavor.

Rating: 4.5/5
Avg. 4.5/5 1 vote
Prep time: Mexico Mexican
Cook time: Servings: 4

Wine and Drink Pairings: beer with lime, Corona beer, Margaritas

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large jalapeño pepper seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 medium onion, ¼" dice
  • 1 29 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon pure ground chili powder (more or less to taste)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
  • 3 boneless chicken breast halves, cubed, plus 2 TB olive oil, 1 ts cumin, 1 TB mild ground chilies, salt and pepper to taste
  • Bag of thick tortilla chips
  • Optional garnish: cubed avocado, sour cream, fresh onion, lime wedges, finely chopped hot peppers

Directions

  1. Heat oil in a stock pot and saute garlic, jalapeño pepper, cilantro, and onion for 2 to 3 minutes.
  2. Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil.
  3. Add cumin, chili powder, bay leaves and chicken stock.
  4. Return to a boil. Reduce heat, add salt and cayenne, and simmer for 30 minutes.
  5. While soup is simmering, cube the chicken breast and saute in a pan with olive oil and spices until lightly browned and cooked through.
  6. Remove bay leaves and stir in chicken and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
  7. Place a large hand full of tortilla chips into each bowl before pouring in the soup.
  8. Place optional garnish in bowls. Let each person add to their taste. Have fun!