CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

Soup weather is here. I'm not a fan of the cold weather. I'm more of a summer girl. But since it's autumn and the weather is getting cool, I’m in soup mood right now and taking advantage of the weather to try out some soups. I don't usually make soups. They don't really fill me up or satisfy me. However, I love, love, love Chicken Tortilla Soup. It one of my favorite appetizers when I go to a Mexican Restaurant. This Chicken Tortilla Soup is very simple to make and is a little hearty and a little spicy. As always, you can modify the ingredients based on what you like. Add beans to the soup, or add corn kernels, or omit an ingredient you don't really like. Really, anything goes here! I love this recipe so much because it’s easy to modify, it takes very minimal amounts of work, and it's seriously so delicious.

Ingredients:

• 3 Chicken Breasts

• 3 quarts Water

• 1 Red Onion, diced

• 1/4 cup Tomato Paste

• 2 Bay Leaves

• 2 Garlic Cloves, finely minced

• 1 teaspoon Chipotle in Adobo Sauce

• 1 teaspoon Pickled Jalapeños, finely minced

• 1 teaspoon Oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin

• 1 teaspoon Salt

• 1/2 teaspoon White Pepper

• 2 Zucchinis, diced

• 2 Yellow Squash, diced

• 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced

• 1/2 Orange Bell Pepper, diced

• Juice of 1 Lime

• 3 tablespoons Sherry (I like the Harvey Bristol brand best!)

• 2 tablespoons Chicken Bouillon Powder

• 2 tablespoons Mint, finely minced

• 5 tablespoons Cilantro, finely minced

• Avocados, diced

• Tortilla Chip Strips

Directions:

1. Add the chicken breasts, water, red onion, tomato paste, bay leaves, garlic cloves, chipotle in adobo sauce, pickled jalapeños, oregano, cumin, salt, and white pepper into a pressure cooker. Seal and cook for about an hour. (If you do not have a pressure cooker, it's fine. You can use a regular pot, it will just take longer. Simmer till chicken is cooked and you can shred it easily.)

2. Once cooked, remove chicken from broth and let cool in order to shred.

3. Add zucchinis, squash, bell peppers, juice of the 1 lime, Sherry, and chicken bouillon powder to the pot. Bring to boil then lower heat to medium and cook for about 10 minutes.

4. In the meantime, shred the chicken. After the 10 minutes are up, return shredded chicken to pot and continue to cook for another 15 minutes.

5. Add the mint and cilantro, stir, and remove soup from heat.

6. Serve topped with diced avocados and tortilla chip strips. You can also top with red onion, cilantro, cheese, and sour cream, if you like! Add a lime wedge on the edge of the bowl & enjoy!

If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a photo and hashtag it #EATDRINKPLAYLA. I'd love to see how yours turned out!