Recipe for cooking chicken tortilla soup

Soups for Salads :: Chicken and Poultry Soups

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Servings 6.

1 cooked chicken
6 C. (48 oz.) chicken broth
1/4 C. canola oil, divided
6 corn tortillas, cut in 1/4-in. strips
1/2 lrg. onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
Lime wedges
1/2 C. chopped cilantro
1 C. cubed Mexican cheese, such as queso fresco
    or shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

Pull meat off chicken and dice into bite-size pieces. Refrigerate until ready to use. Discard skin and bones or place in saucepan with chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook about 20 min. Strain, discarding skin and bones. Refrigerate broth and discard fat from top. (This is optional; you can use plain chicken broth.)

Put 2 Tbsp. oil in a skillet. Working in batches if necessary, add tortilla strips and cook until lightly brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a lrg. saucepan over med. heat. Add onion, cover, reduce heat and cook about 10 min., until softened. Uncover and add garlic. Cook 1-2 min. Increase heat to med..

Add tomatoes and about half the tortilla strips. Add the broth, then bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Puree in the pot using an immersion blender, or in a countertop blender in batches, working carefully.

Return soup to stove over med. heat. Stir in chicken. To serve, place a few tortilla strips in a bowl. Top with soup, then garnish with lime wedges, cilantro, cheese and avocado.

Per servings: 510 cal., 41 g protein, 19 g carbohydrates, 30 g fat, 130 mg cholesterol, 1,600 mg sodium, 4 g fiber. Cal. from fat: 53 %