Tortilla Soup

This recipe will serve 6-8.

Start with 2 chicken breasts.

Slice both pieces in half length-wise.

Season one side with taco seasoning, or chili powder, or fajita seasoning – or your own mix of spices.

Coat the bottom of a Dutch oven with oil, heat to medium-high, and then lay the chicken in,  seasoned side down.

Season the other side. The pan should be hot enough to give the chicken a good sear.

After a few minutes, turn them over.

After the chicken is cooked on both sides, remove from pan and set aside.

The pan should look like this!

Chop an onion,

And cook them in the same pan with the burned bits. As the onions caramelize, they will actually deglaze the pan. No extra liquid needed.

Add four cloves of minced garlic after the onions are browned and the pan is deglazed (in other words, the burned bits left behind from the chicken have all come away from the bottom of the pan)

Prepare four cups of chicken broth

By combining about two heaping tablespoons of broth base

with four cups of boiling water.

Pour into the pan.

Add a can of black beans,

And a can of diced green chiles.

Now that the chicken has been resting for about five-ten minutes, you can cut it or shred it.

Cutting it is faster, but sometimes I’ll shred it because I think it makes a prettier soup.

Add the chicken to the pan,

Along with a can of tomato sauce, which adds a chili flavor to the soup. This is optional, and I don’t always include it.

Fill the empty can with water and add that, too.

Taste and see if you need more salt or seasoning!

Possible condiments include sour cream, grated pepperjack, cilantro, and diced avocado.

Tortilla chips are what make this tortilla soup. So they aren’t actually optional. You could fry your own strips of tortillas instead of the chips, but we like using the chips because they stay crispy longer in the broth.

Pile your condiments into the bowl, then ladle the soup on top.

Enjoy!