Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

I made this soup for the sole purpose of freezing it for later, but the recipe made such a huge batch after doubling that we were able to enjoy a meal of it, plus stash away two gallons in the freezer. This is a keeper in our house. Even my veggie-wary son said it was great, and my husband, who really isn't too fond of soup, has already asked if we can thaw out a frozen batch.

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

"Baggie" gloves...since I'm a compulsive face-toucher, I'm not about to take any risks with jalapeño juices. The cans of tomato soup seen here were not used in this recipe, but for a different soup I made later. 

Should've grabbed a bigger pot!

Ah, but it was worth the destruction of the stovetop!

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Yield: about 8 2-cup servings

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1-1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 medium)
• 1 Tbsp, minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped (add two if you like a spicier soup!)
• 1 32 oz. carton chicken broth
• 1 tsp. each of chili powder, cumin, and paprika
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 1-1/4 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 2 cups pre-cooked diced chicken)*
• 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1-1/3 cups milk
• 1/3 cup masa harina**
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add onion and jalapeño and saute 3 minutes, adding garlic during the last 30 seconds of sauteing. Add chicken broth, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken breasts (if using raw, otherwise add diced pre-cooked chicken later) and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover pot with lid and gently boil until chicken has cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Remove chicken and allow to rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add diced tomatoes with green chilies to pot. Then in a bowl, whisk together milk and masa harina until well blended. Pour mixture into pot and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture boils and starts to barely thicken. Dice chicken and add to pot (this is where you'd add pre-cooked chicken if you have leftovers to clean up from the fridge), then add black beans, pinto beans, and corn. Then stir in cream and sour cream and cook until heated through.

Serve warm with options to top with extra ingredients listed above.


*If chicken breasts are fairly thick, slice them horizontally to make them thinner. They will cook faster, cook more evenly, and be more tender.

**To make this gluten-free, make sure the masa harina you use is labeled gluten-free, and the same goes for tortilla chips. Masa harina (corn flour) can be found in the Latin section of the grocery store.

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