Chicken Tortilla Soup

Throughout this past winter one of my favorite foods to eat for lunch was Tortilla soup. A couple of my local grocery stores made it fresh and hot to go, and I would get a cup just about every week. Hot soup season is slooowly winding down, but since it has been so rainy and blustery around here lately, I thought this was an opportunity to make my own Tortilla soup.
 I went online to hunt for the perfect recipe and came across this one on the Foodnetwork site. I read some of the reviwes and they were all so great. I figured if all theese people think this soup is fantastic, it is worth trying it. It is fun to see how many people take a recipe and make it their own, adding and subtracting ingredients to fit their own personal taste. I took the advice of many reviewers to add Cumin and corn to the  recipe, and to use crushed tortilla chips as garnish instead of adding the extra work of making tortilla strips. I am very happy with the result. This soup is just how I wanted it to be. And I am so glad I tried it because now I have a trusted recipe that I will go back to every time I crave my favorite soup. I served it with baked Quesadillas (recipe to come) on the side, and the whole family was full and happy after this meal.


Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small onion, diced

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 or 2 jalapenos, finely diced

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 (14.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8 ounce) can corn
3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
2 limes, juiced, plus wedges for garnish
2 teaspoons ground cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup broken blue corn tortilla chips
1 avocado, pitted and sliced

Preparation:
In a large saucepan heat the vegetable oil. Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Once the onions have softened add the garlic and jalapenos and cook for another minute. Pour the chicken broth, tomatoes and beans into the pot and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, lower heat to simmer and add your chicken breasts. Cook the chicken for 20-25 minutes. Once chicken is cooked remove from pot. When cool enough to handle shred it and put it back into he soup. Add lime juice and fresh cilantro to the pot. Add seasonings. Serve with tortilla chips and avocado slices for garnish.

Serves 6

Recipe adapted from Danny Boome, Foodnetwork.