Tortilla Soup for the Less Adventurous Crowd

Today...dreary, chilly, damp.

Soup and crusty French bread...necessary.

Soup of the day...Chicken Tortilla.

Challenge...my Man does not like tomatoes, a main ingredient in this dish. Or onions. Or peppers.

Happily, my Man loves chicken in soup AND he's a big fan of tortilla chips.

Everything else...well, I can work around it, right?!

You'll need:
(Printable Recipe here)

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tablespoon canola or olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin (more or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (more or less to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 to 1 teaspoon minced garlic
juice of 1/2 lime or 1 Tablespoon bottled lime juice
4-5 cups chicken stock (or 3 - 14 oz cans)
2 cups bottled salsa (shhhhhh don't tell)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
4 oz tortilla chips (for about 2 1/2 crushed)
shredded cheese for garnish

**other ingredients as desired like: sour cream, chopped avocado, guacamole, sliced black olives, jalapenos, black beans...what ever you might add to a plate of nachos!

Here's what to do...
First, pour oil into skillet and heat. While oil heats, cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Add chicken pieces to skillet and sprinkle cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper over chicken.

Add minced garlic to the pan and stir chicken and garlic. Squeeze or pour lime juice over chicken as it finishes cooking.

Pour entire contents into a dutch oven (soup pot) and return to heat. Next, add chicken broth and salsa UNLESS...you are cooking for anyone who may not enjoy tomatoes, onions, green chilies or peppers. If you have such a person at your table, add the salsa to a blender or food processor and puree.

This adds the flavors without all of the objectionable textures.

"Hello...Dad? Mommy just added a whole bunch of salsa to dinner!!"

Add contents of blender to soup pot along with the frozen corn and bring soup to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed (add salt, pepper, lime juice etc).

Crumble tortilla chips into bottom of soup bowls and add soup. Add cheese, and any other toppings desired.

Serve with crusty bread or corn bread. Enjoy!

My Man declared this a Do-Over and said that the level of heat in the soup was just right for him. Next time, however, I'm adding a bit of Texas Pete to my bowl!