This is my Mom's recipe and IT IS WONDERFUL. It's hearty, has awesome flavor (authentic Tex-Mex so it's pretty spicy) and it will spoil you to any tortilla soup you ever try to eat in a restaurant. My snooty, foodie husband says it's got depth.

Now, you know how my mother is about her chili powder. While she insists that Frito Pie can only be made with Mexene Chili Powder, this Tortilla Soup MUST be made with Gebhardt's Chili Powder. Don't question this people. Just to do as she says. It's easier that way.
This, and the fact that my mother-in-law also insisted on a certain chili powder for her Texas Red Chili (McCormick's Hot Mexican Style) is why, at any given time, I have at least 3 brands of chili powder in my pantry.
It must be a Texas thing. Sometimes when I'm out of the one I need for a specific recipe, I'll substitute (the horror!) a different chili powder. But I always feel guilty about it.

Don't be thrown off by the long list of ingredients. Besides being
great, this soup is also quick and easy. I love it when those two
things go together.
Chicken Tortilla SoupThis makes a pretty big pot of soup. Probably 6-8 servings.
Canola Oil
Corn tortillas (yellow or white)
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, sliced
2 quarts chicken broth
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp chili powder (Gebhardt's if you can get it)
1 1/2 Tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
3 bay leaves
1 bag frozen corn
1 large lime
4 chicken breasts
salt, to taste
pepper jack cheese, shredded
avocado
Take about a dozen corn tortillas and cut them into very thin strips. Put about an inch of canola oil in a dutch oven or soup pot and heat it up. Drop one little piece of torilla in there and when it rises, the oil is hot enough. Now batch fry your tortilla strips until they are crisp. Pull them out with tongs and lay them on a plate of paper towels to drain. You can even do this the day before if you want. Once you've finished making all the strips, get rid of the oil leaving about a tablespoon in the pot.
Return the pot to the stove and saute your onion in the oil, when they're almost browned add in the jalepeno & garlic for a bit. Add the cilantro then tear up 3 corn tortillas into small pieces and toss them in too. Stir. Add the spices and stir everything together.
Now add the broth, tomatoes and frozen corn. Stir and bring to nice simmer for a bit. Add the 4 chicken breasts and continue to simmer the soup for another 20-30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Pull out the cooked chicken breasts and shred them with forks on a cutting board then return the shredded chicken to the soup.
Squeeze the juice of one lime into the soup and salt.
Top with the tortilla strips, pepper jack cheese and diced avocado.
This is one of those dishes that's even better on the second or third day. My mom only makes half of this recipe for her and my dad, but I like to make it this way so we have lots left over.
........................................................................................................For more great recipes like this visit my
Comfort Food page.

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