Tortilla Soup

WhatsCookinGoodLookin?!'s Note:

This divine recipe is from Rachel Ray on FoodNetwork.com, with a slight modification from me. She calls for corn on the cob - I throw in a bag of frozen!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

Soup

• vegetable oil
• 3 ears corn on the cob
• 1 red bell pepper , split & seeded
• 1 lb chicken breast tenders
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• salt & pepper
• 1 medium zucchini , small dice
• 1 medium yellow onion , chopped
• 3 garlic cloves , minced
• 1 -2 chipotle chile in adobo , bell pepper, chopped (medium to hot heat level)
• 1 (28 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 4 cups blue corn tortilla chips , broken into small pieces
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or 1 cup monterey jack pepper cheese
• ½ cup sour cream

Optional Garnishes

• red onion , chopped
• 2 -3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or 2 -3 tablespoons parsley
• 1 ripe avocado

Directions:

1. Heat a grill pan to high and a soup pot to medium high.
2. Drizzle oil on corn and place on grill.
3. Add red pepper to grill with corn. Char vegetables 10 minutes, total, turning occasionally. Remove to cool and remove charred skin from the pepper.
4. While vegetables cook, dice chicken. Add 2 tbs oil to hot soup pot. Place chicken in the pot.
5. Season poultry with poultry seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper. Lightly brown chicken on each side. Add zucchini, onions, garlic, and chipotle peppers. Cook vegetables 5-7 minutes to soften.
6. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and stock. Bring soup to a bubble, reduce heat to medium low.
7. Scrape corn off cob and add to soup. Chop grilled pepper and stir into soup.
8. Add chips to soup in handfuls and stir gently. Serve soup immediately with scatter of cheese and a dollop of sour cream.
9. Top with any garnishes and ENJOY!
10. Side Note: Instead of grilling the corn and pepper, I've sauteed them along with the other vegetables that are added to the chicken. The dish still earned rave reviews from my guests!