chicken tortilla soup

I have my friend julie to thank for introducing my to chicken tortilla soup. you see, I am a very picky eater (that's why I cook so much) and I would have never tried chicken tortilla soup, but we were at julie's house for dinner one night and she made chicken tortilla soup and I didn't want to be rude so I tried it and it was love at first bite. since then, I have been perfecting my chicken tortilla soup recipe.

when I make chicken and matzo ball soup, which is quite often, I always have a lot of the chicken broth and cooked chicken leftover and this is my favorite thing to make with the leftovers. if you live in waco, jessies tortilla factory on 13th and webster is the best place to get fresh tortillas

chicken tortilla soup

1 ½ cups cooked chicken
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup diced onion
¼ cup seeded and diced red bell pepper
¼ cup diced celery
¼ cup peeled and diced carrot
½ tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes (I like Hunt’s fire-roasted)
1 quart chicken stock or broth
1 cup frozen corn kernels
10 corn tortillas, torn into ½ inch pieces
¼ cup cheese whiz or velveta
½ cup heavy cream
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
tortilla chips
sour cream

1. pour the olive oil into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and set over medium heat. add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and carrots and sauté for about 4 minutes, stirring often until the vegetables are soft and the onion is translucent.

2. add the garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, chili powder, oregano, and cayenne and sauté, while stirring, for about 2 minutes. add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil.

3. turn down the heat to low and add the frozen corn kernels and 5 of the torn tortillas. let the soup simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until; the tortillas have disintegrated and the soup has thickened.

4. add the chicken, cheese, cream, and the remaining 5 torn tortillas. season with salt and pepper. simmer for 15 to 30 minutes longer until ready to serve.

5. to serve, ladle the soup into soup bowls. top with tortilla chips and sour cream if desired.