The Best, Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

When the Mexican restaurant I'd where I'd worked for two years filed bankruptcy and closed their doors, I search far and wide for a great tortilla soup to match the great one they'd had on the line. Unable to contact the head chef, who had moved, most mysteriously, out of the country within a few weeks of a lawsuit being filed against the restaurant, I need to experiment until I came up with my own version of the soup. Now, I share this delicious and easy recipe with you, in the hopes that you will enjoy the taste as much as I do. This is an easy to make crockpot tortilla soup, but it's just as easy to make on the stove top if you don't have an electric crockpot. Easy to alter for the vegetarians in your life, this is a filling and delicious soup that took me two months of experiments to get just right. With a few cans of vegetables, some broth, and a little bit of free time, this delicious tortilla soup is fast and easy to make. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed (or equivalent amount of cooked beans)

1 can corn, drained

1 jar salsa, 24 ounces, heat is up to you -- I use medium or mild, depending on what's available

1 can diced tomatoes, 28 ounces

4 cups chicken broth

6 - 12 chicken wings (can use boneless, as desired. for vegetarian, omit chicken, add extra beans, and use veggie broth)

1 onion, diced

1 T. minced garlic (3 - 4 cloves)

1 bag tortilla chips - lime flavor or ranch add a nice kick

2 cups(ish) shredded mexican cheese

2 T. olive oil

1 lime, cut into wedges

You will also need a large crockpot or a big pot to make the soup in. This makes enough soup for 6+ people and/or for leftovers, which freeze well.

Method:

Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add onion and cook until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Remove onion/garlic mixture from skillet and add to crockpot. Brown chicken wings. Chicken does not have to be cooked through, but cook until the chicken starts to crisp, a few minutes on each side. Remove from skillet, add to pot. Add beans, diced tomatoes, corn, salsa, and broth to pot. Heat throughly. In a crockpot, cook for around four hours before serving. When chicken is cooked thoroughly, remove from pot with tongs and remove meat from bones. Shred meat and add to pot. Heat through.

To serve:

In bowl, crumble handful of tortilla chips in bottom of bowl. Sprinkle cheese on top. Ladle soup into bowl. Squeeze lime juice over the top. Crack pepper as desired. Yum!