Amazing Chicken Tortilla Soup!

Valerie Marie's Note:

This recipe has been a huge hit with everyone who has ever tried it. We make it almost weekly, and the leftovers are eaten immediately. It is also very healthy! It is a little spicy, so if you don't have too much of a tolerance for spicy foods, you may choose to leave out the seeds of the jalapeño. If you love spicy, like we do, extra cayenne pepper adds even more zing. Enjoy!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 10

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1/2 medium green pepper
• 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

Topping

• 1 cup non-fat tortilla chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Sauté onion, garlic, jalapeño and green pepper with olive oil in a large pot until soft.
2. Add all the rest of the ingredients to the large pot and bring to a boil.
3. After about 15 minutes, remove the chicken breasts and shred.
4. (Two forks work well to pull the chicken apart!).
5. Return shredded chicken to the pot and simmer an additional 45 minutes.
6. Serve, topped with crushed tortilla chips if desired.

Reviews

[Faux Chef Lael]

DH, who considers himself a tortilla soup connoisseur, said "Baby, this is the best tortilla soup I have ever had, hands down." And then he helped himself to another huge bowl. :) I changed a few small things: 1 bag of frozen southwestern corn mix instead of plain corn; 1 can of green chilis instead of jalapeno; 1 can of tomato paste instead of tomato sauce; omitted the white wine; added a can of drained/rinsed black beans, 4 stalks of celery (chopped), 2 small zuchinnis (sliced thick) and a teaspoon of smoked paprika. Served with sour cream, chips and sliced avocado, then emailed the recipe to everyone I know. Everyone who has tried it, raves about it. Freezes very well. Freeze in portion-sized freezer safe bowls, then take to work and pop in the microwave for a fast, tasty lunch. This is a 10 star recipe. Healthy and delicious.

[jlsheetz]

Terrific recipe. Just perfect. When I make this, I use one rotisserie chicken, minus skin and bones, of course. It is the perfect quantity of chicken and makes this recipe super fast.

[Cathy17]

See edit at bottom:
Wow!!! THIS IS FABULOUS!! Didn't have to adjust very much at all. Used Rotel instead of canned tomatoes, omitted tomato sauce, used my homemade stock (Rescued Turkey Stock Lennie's Rescued Turkey stock) which didn't require me to use canned broth since my stock is concentrated and I add water to that. I was a bit worried as it simmered and I tasted it that it would be too spicy even for us, so I added a dollop of sour cream to our bowls and we both lapped it up. Served with a side of guacamole, sour cream and tortilla chips on the side and crushed in the soup... and salad. What a great cold night meal. We both LOVED this!
ETA: This freezes extremely well! 8/23/2011 - I don't know why I forgot to put stars on so many reviews. Updating to add the very deserved 5 stars to this FABULOUS recipe. I have to say, this is my FAVOURITE recipe here.