Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is one of our regulars. I think I have been making it for 3 or 4 years. Which makes me feel old. This is a Rachael Ray recipe, but I have modified it a bit.

I have to tell you a story. My two friends, M and N, made this about 3 years ago after I gave them the recipe for Christmas. So, the recipe calls for 2 chipotles in adobo sauce. Chipotles in adobo sauce come in a little mini can, like 6-8 ounces. They read that as two cans of chipotles in adobo sauce. They thought maybe they would like it less spicy than me, so they only used one. CAN! They put the whole can in!!! Holy cow! There are probably about 20 peppers in one can. Maybe 10. I don't know. Anyways, they could not eat it. Not any of it. So sad. Yet so funny. And so typical of M. In particular. I have many more stories to tell about this girl. I like to call her the substitute queen. And other things too.

I actually put three chipotles in the soup with as much sauce as I can get out of the can. If you don't like spicy food, then that is probably too much. But it is hard to say? If you aren't sure, I would add it slowly because these peppers are hotter than you would expect. But, they add so much flavor.

I just love this soup. I love the toppings and the texture of soup after it is poured over the tortilla chips. And how it is more than substantial enough for dinner.

Last thing to note, I have always added cooked chicken to this. Rachael's original recipe has you poach chicken tenders in the broth first (gross!). I kind of hate the chicken tender. It has the little tendon that is impossible to remove quickly (and it is ALWAYS left in when you buy the pack of chicken tenders at the grocery store, can't the butcher man take care of that for me???). When I buy whole chickens, I usually just add the chicken tender to the chicken stock pile. Ok, but anyways, I have used various cuts and methods of adding chicken to this soup. This time, I was like, "do I even need the dumb chicken?" I never like when it is in the soup. So, I didn't add it, and I loved the soup even more! And it makes the meal so much easier/quicker. I have been removing unnecessary filler meat from my recipes more and more recently. Sometimes I feel so brainwashed when I think I always need to add meat to dishes! Bye!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

adapted from Rachael Ray

some olive oil

a few slices of bacon, diced (optional)

1 yellow onion, sliced

6 cups of chicken broth

1 28 oz. can of fire‐roasted tomatoes

2 chipotles in adobo sauce, finely chopped + a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce

(more or less depending on how spicy you like it)

lime juice of one lime

a couple of handfuls of tortillas chips, smashed

1 cup of mozzarella, shredded

Toppings:

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

lime slices

In a large pot or dutch oven, crisp up bacon in a little bit of olive oil. Once crisp, remove from put and drain on paper towel. Discard of most of the bacon grease (or leave as much as you’d like). Add some more olive oil and sliced onions. Cook for about 5 minutes until slightly softened. Add chicken broth and deglaze pan. Add tomatoes, chipotle peppers and sauce. Cook for about 15 minutes until all warmed through. Right before assembling, add lime juice.

To serve, place crushed tortilla chips in bottom of the bowl. Place some shredded mozzarella on top of chips. Spoon soup over the chips and cheese. Top with cilantro and bacon. Serve with lime wedge.

(Servings: 2, Prep time: 20 min., Cook time: 30 minutes, Difficulty: Easy)

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