Tortilla Soup

Going to take a break from reporting about our trip to California to report on a delicious Tortilla Soup I made last week! And it gave me the perfect excuse to try out my new ceramic pot!

While watching the View one morning, Tyler Florence was on. He was cooking for Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who is tricky to cook for because she is on a gluten-free (g-free) diet for her celiac disease. Anyways, one of the things he made was a Mexican Tortilla Chicken Soup. It looked delicious and so simple to make that I had to try it. The part that makes is so simple is to buy a whole roasted chicken from the grocery store. You shred it up and can make quesadillas for dinner the following evening! PERFECT! The only ingredient I didn't use were the jalapenos, and I substituted the cheese for regular shredded cheese. You can use whatever cheese you prefer. Check it out.

Mexican Tortilla Chicken Soup

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium white onions, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 jalapenos, seeded and minced

3 ripe medium tomatoes, chopped

1 quart gluten-free chicken stock, store bought

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Canola oil, for pan-frying

1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (from gluten-free deli-roasted chicken)

2 avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced

1 cup crumbled coitja cheese, optional

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

1 lime, cut in wedges, for serving

Place a stockpot over medium heat and coat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, jalapenos, and tomatoes; cook, stirring for 15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked down and pulpy. Pour in the stock, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1-inch of canola oil in a skillet over medium-high flame. When the oil begins to smoke, add the tortilla strips in batches and fry until they are crisp on all sides. Remove to a paper towel-lined platter and sprinkle with salt while they are still hot.

Ladle the hot soup into 4 soup bowls and put a pile of shredded chicken on top of each. Top with the diced avocado and fried tortilla strips (and cheese if using). Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence; Yield: 2 quarts

Prepping the vegetables. onions, tomatoes, garlic, in olive oil for 20 min.

After 20 min, you add the chicken broth. And boil for another 20 min.

While the soup cooked, I shredded the chicken and put it in a plastic container to save for later. You add the chicken to the soup when you are ready to serve in the bowls. No need to put in the pot, because the chicken is already cooked and it will get dried out.

Also, I cut up the rest of the ingredients!

At the very end when the soup is done, you throw in and serve the rest of the ingredients (chicken, avocado, cheese, lime, and cilantro , which makes the soup by the way!) right into the bowl.

It made enough for 2 dinners in a row. We absolutely loved it. So hearty, yet, healthy and filling. Enjoy!