Tortilla soup

Contributed by Preston Maring, MD


Tortilla soup

It’s rare when a family member whose opinion I totally trust calls one of my dinners “delicious” and “wonderful” 5 or 6 times in a half-hour. That’s what happened with this hybrid tortilla soup.

Hybrids are in so I looked at a bunch of recipes online and came up with this. It’s another great way to use the leftover chicken from the one you roasted a day or two before.

Make it all and freeze some for 1  to 2 more dinners pre-made for busy days.

Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • Baked tortillas or baked pita chips
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 inch jalapeño, seeded and minced
  • 1 tablespoon diced mild green chilies
  • 2 heaping teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 heaping teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 14.5 can no added salt diced tomatoes plus juice
  • 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 2 thighs, 2 legs, 1 breast leftover roasted chicken, shredded
  • 1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh chopped cilantro to taste
  • 4 limes, juiced
  • 2 avocadoes, sliced

Directions

  1. Cut tortillas or whole wheat pita bread  into wedges, spray with olive oil spray, sprinkle with a little salt, and bake at 350 degrees on a baking sheet until crisp
  2. In a large soup pot, heat the oil. Sauté the onion, garlic, jalapeño, and mild green chilies until soft.
  3. Stir in the oregano and cumin. Add the tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 10 minutes.
  4. Add the chicken and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Add the corn and simmer for another 3 minutes. Season to taste.
  5. Add to each serving bowl that has three tortilla or pita chips on the bottom the juice of half a lime. Ladle in soup.
  6. Top with cilantro and sliced or diced avocado. More chips around the edges?

Nutrition information (per serving)

  • Calories: 350
  • Total fat: 15 g
  • Saturated fat: 3 g
  • Trans fat: 0 g
  • Cholesterol: 44 mg
  • Total carbohydrate: 35 g
  • Dietary fiber: 6 g
  • Sodium: 299 mg
  • Protein: 24 g