Leftover roast chicken makes this soup fast to put together. It’s a meal in a bowl. Have fun customizing your soup with the garnishes. Use leftovers from a whole chicken or chicken breasts. A market roasted chicken will work as well. Don’t let the list of ingredients concern you. A lot of it is spices, garnishes and options.
¼teaspoonground chipotle powderoptional for spicy soup
115-ouncecan diced tomatoesnot drained
115-ouncecan pinto beansrinsed and drained
5cupschicken or turkey broth
9ouncescooked shredded chicken about 2 ¾ cups
Tortilla Strips (optional)
8small corn tortillas for strips, make ahead, directions below
½teaspoonolive oilto make tortilla strips
salt
More Garnishes (optional)
4ouncesgrated Jack or Mexican cheese blend
1-2limesquartered
2tablespoonsfresh chopped cilantroor parsley
1largeavocadosliced, diced or mashed
2radishesthinly sliced
1jalapenosliced
Instructions
Crispy Tortilla Strips
Pre-heat the oven to 350°F degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Cut tortillas in half, then crosswise into thin strips. Toss with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil. Bake strips 12-15 minutes or until crisp and golden. Watch so they don’t burn. Timing depends on whether your oven is convection or not; convection is a little faster. Directly after removing from the oven, sprinkle with sea salt. They will crisp a bit more as they cool.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
If not already done, chop the onion, carrot and celery into small pieces. Slice off the top of the jalapeno, then lengthwise into quarters. Scrap out the seeds and the inner membrane if you want to reduce the heat. Chop the pepper small.
In a 5 quart pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and jalapeño and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. If they start to brown, turn your heat down. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
Add the spices, oregano, salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes to release the flavors. Add the tomatoes, beans, broth and chicken and heat through, about 10 minutes. Serve with garnishes on the side or on top.
Notes
Nutrition label is calculated without the optional garnishes.Be careful when handling and chopping hot peppers. It protects your hands to wear disposable food handling gloves. Do not touch your eyes or face after handling chilies.