Chicken Tortilla Soup

From Michelle - Are the hard shells or the soft shells better?

Ingredients

  • 1 cup carrot, diced
  • 1 cup celery
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, diced or 1 fresh garlic clove, diced
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons corn oil
  • 4 (15oz) cans chicken broth
  • 1 (15oz) can tomatoes, diced (optional)
  • 1 (10oz) can Rotel tomatoes & chilies, diced
  • 1 (1.25-1.5oz) packet taco seasoning
  • 1 (6-8 count) package corn tortillas (broken or cut into small pieces)
  • 12oz chicken, poached, diced or 1 rotisserie chicken, diced
  • 1 cup milk (skim milk or 1 can evaporated milk)
  • 6oz monterey jack cheese or Mexican blend cheese, shredded
  • Corn tortilla chips, broken into small pieces

Directions

  1. Saute carrots, onions, celery in corn oil, garlic, salt and pepper until tender.
  2. Add chicken broth and bring to boil.
  3. Add tomatoes, Rotel, taco seasoning, and chicken.
  4. Cut Tortillas into small pieces and add to broth mixture. Pizza cutter works great for this.
  5. Let boil for 20 minutes or until tortillas are thoroughly incorporated into soup stirring occasionally to keep from sticking.
  6. Reduce heat and add 8 oz. cheese. Simmer for additional 10 minutes.
  7. Add milk and simmer for additional 10 minutes.
  8. If thicker soup is desired, add more diced tortillas and let incorporate into soup.
  9. Garnish with shredded cheese and broken tortilla chips.