The Best Chicken Tortilla Soup

I never used to be a huge fan of soup but this chicken tortilla soup (and a few other homemade favorites) converted me. We probably make this soup at least once a week during the winter. It’s super easy, makes great leftovers, and you can top it with all kinds of stuff so everyone can customize it. This is my absolute favorite chicken tortilla soup recipe and it’s one that always has my kids begging for seconds.

Ingredients

• 3 Chicken breasts
• 2 diced onions
• 3 diced bell peppers, (red, yellow, orange, green anything will work here. I like a variety)
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can green chilies
• 32 ounce box of chicken stock
• 4 Tbsp tomato paste
• 3 cans beans, rinsed (again, any combo. I like black, pinto, and kidney)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 4 cups water
• 4 Tbsp cornmeal
• Corn tortillas cut into strips

Optional toppings:

• avocado
• sour cream
• cheese
• diced tomato
• cilantro
• diced red onion

Preparation

Lay your chicken breasts on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (I’m a firm believer that parchment paper makes everything easier). Sprinkle each chicken breast with a bit of taco seasoning and bake at 375° for about 25 minutes.

When your chicken is cooked, remove from the oven, let it cool for a minute, then shred it with two forks.

Chop your peppers, onions, and garlic. Add everything into a large pot with a bit of oil (I like coconut oil for this but any oil will work) and sauté for a few minutes.

Add in your can of tomato, can of chilies, and chicken stock. Stir in the shredded chicken, beans, and spices. Let simmer for about 30 minutes for everything to combine well.

You could use dry beans in this as well, you’d just want to be sure and add some water and increase your cooking time. I LOVE the instant beans from Thrive Life so I’ll often use those in this soup. They are dried beans that have been partially pre-cooked then dried so it dramatically decreases your cooking time and they are so much cheaper than canned beans.

Add the cornmeal and stir well then simmer for another 15 minutes. Just before serving, stir in a handful of tortilla strips. I like to do this in individual bowls so the soup doesn’t thicken up too much as leftovers.

Fill your bowls and top with whatever toppings you like best. I LOVE this with a bit of sour cream and avocado on top . . . actually I pretty much top mine with anything I can get my hands on. This makes awesome leftovers the next day so even though it takes a bit of time to prep it means I have lunches/dinners for 2-3 days already done.

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