What's For Dinner Wednesday: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Happy Wednesday! It's a rainy day in Texas and a perfect day to share this Chicken Tortilla Soup!

Speaking of sharing, I added a Cheeseburgers on China "What's For Dinner Wednesday" board on Pinterest to make it easier to find all of these recipes. You can follow by clicking here. I also made a permanent link on my blog so you will be able to navigate to the Pinterest board directly from my blog in the future.

Business aside…

This soup feels a little more like short-order cooking than the rest of the recipes I've shared but only because I get two pots going at once. No extra chopping required and the kids get the feel of eating the adult meal. It's super yummy and freezes well!

(Note: I attempted to write the directions in the order that I cook the two pots at once. Holler at me if this is confusing!)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

6 tbsp vegetable oil

4 corn tortillas, chopped into bite sized pieces

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 small can green chilies 

1 ear of corn, cooked and off the cobb (or 1 can sweet corn if corn not in season)

4 cooked chicken breast halves (or a whole shredded rotisserie chicken)

2 tbsp cumin (plus a bit extra to season kid soup)

1 tbsp chili powder

3 bay leaves

8 cups chicken stock

1 tsp salt (plus a bit extra to season kid soup)

1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne

(Garnish: sour cream, green onion, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, avocado)

1. Heat 4 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large stock pot (adult soup) and 2 tbsp of oil in a large saucepan (kid soup).
2. In the kid soup add: about a small handful of tortillas, 1 clove garlic and 2 tbsp of onion. In the adult soup add the remaining tortillas, garlic and onion plus cilantro. Saute both pots for 2-3 minutes.
3. In the kid soup add about 2 tbsp of tomatoes. In the adult soup add the remaining tomatoes plus the green chilies. Bring to a boil.
4. In the kid soup add 2 cups of chicken stock, 1 bay leaf,  and cumin to taste (approx. 1/4 tsp cumin). In the adult soup add 6 cups chicken stock, 2 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp chili powder and 2 bay leaves. Return to boil.
5. Reduce heat. In the kid soup add salt to taste (just a pinch) and about 4 tbsp corn. In the adult soup add salt, cayenne pepper and the remaining corn. 
6. Simmer both pots for 30 minutes.
7. Remove bay leaves. In the kid soup stir in a small handful of chicken. In the adult soup add in the remaining chicken. Heat for about 5 minutes or until chicken is heated through.
8. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, green onion, shredded cheese, tortilla chips and avocado…or whatever else you and your kids prefer!

Adult soup on the left, kid on the right…simmering!

Chicken Tortilla Soup, adult version

Chicken Tortilla Soup, kid version