Chicken Tortilla Soup

With 6 mouths to feed in our family, dinners can be tough to find something that everyone agrees on and enjoys. This is especially true when you are trying to put a focus on healthy nutrition. We were constantly standing in the pantry or with the refrigerator door open asking; “What’s for dinner?” It was annoying and at times, stressful…

About 2 years ago, I stumbled upon a concept that intrigued me, buy 20 ingredients, prep for roughly 1 hour/week and have 5 unique and healthy dinners for the week. This is the idea behind a website and book called; “The Fresh 20”. I actually purchased the cookbook from Amazon.com and while we haven’t followed it exactly as it is laid out, we have accumulated several tasty recipes that are pretty simple to make and the entire family enjoys!

Aside from the stand-alone cookbook, you can also purchase a “subscription” to the website’s menu planning service, which offers a new menu each week delivered to your email inbox. The menu includes a grocery list as well as the recipes planned for the week. At $65/year, it’s pretty good option if you are in need of something new each and every week/month. There are other plans available as well and you can even sign-up for a free sample plan at the Fresh 20 website here: The Fresh 20

The following is a recipe straight out of the free menu plan that I received from the website and I thought I would share it here with you. This has quickly become a family favorite, especially during the winter months, it’s a great dish to warm-up with!

INGREDIENTS:

4 corn tortillas
1 +1 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
1⁄4 teaspoon red chili powder
3 medium tomatoes, cored and loosely chopped
4 cups chicken broth, low sodium
1 lime, juiced
1⁄4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 cups shredded chicken, see prep
1 avocado, Pit removed and sliced
4 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

PREP AHEAD OF TIME:

COOK CHICKEN: 3 chicken breast halves, each cut in two 6 cups water

Heat water and in large stock pot until boiling. Reduce heat to simmer.
Drop chicken into water and poach for 12 minutes or until no longer pink inside. You could also roast the chicken in the oven @ 350 degrees for 25 minutes. If roasting, season with salt and pepper and cover.
Once cooked, let cool and shred using two forks.
Store in airtight container until dinner night for up to 3 days.

DIRECTIONS:

Place fresh tortillas on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 200°F for15 minutes to dry them out. Cut into 1” x 1/2” strips.
In a medium stockpot, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and sauté onion and garlic until soft, about 4 minutes.
Stir in salt, chili powder, oregano, and tomatoes. Break up tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add broth, lime juice, fresh parsley, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Drop half of the tortillas into the soup to thicken. Stir well.For tortilla crisps:
In medium pan, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.
Fry remaining tortilla strips in oil until light brown and crisp. Remove from pan; drain on paper towels.

Pro-tip

From my wife, Debbie: “A couple things I do different from this recipe-I put 3 chicken breasts in the crockpot-Add a little white onion and minced garlic, cover with water and set on low for the day. The chicken falls apart when it’s time to add to the soup. I use 8-10 small corn tortillas for the chips so we have a little extra.”

To serve:

Ladle soup into 4 individual serving bowls. Top with remaining tortilla strips, avocado slices, and cheese.

Have You Tried This Recipe?

Let me hear your feedback – comment below

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