Chicken Tortilla Soup

You Will Need
3 corn tortillas (6 inches each), cut into 1/4-inch strips
4 tsp. olive oil, divided
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 large onion, chopped
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 lb. red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup frozen corn
1 can (4 1/2 oz.) chopped green chilies
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 tbs. lime juice

What to Do
1. In large resealable plastic bag, combine tortilla strips, 1 tsp. oil, and salt. Seal bag and shake to coat. Arrange tortilla strips on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp, turning once. Remove to paper towels to cool.
2. In large saucepan, sauté chicken in remaining oil until lightly browned. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is tender. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add corn, chilies, cilantro, and pepper, and heat through. Stir in lime juice. Top each serving with tortilla strips.

Yield: 6 servings ($1.62 per serving)

-- M. M., Traverse City, Michigan

Nutrition Facts: One serving (1 1/2 cups) equals 221 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 33 mg cholesterol, 757 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 19 g protein.

I got this recipe from the Reader's Digest Magazine. I just made this for our dinner tonight and I can hardly wait to serve it. It's nice to be able to use fresh limes from our lime tree. (I also added 1 cup homemade or store bought salsa for extra flavor.) I didn't have any frozen corn on hand, so I used canned corn. I also used fresh chopped jalapeño pepper sautéed with the onion instead of the canned green chilies. I serve this soup with store bought tortilla chips and don't make my own tortillas as shown in step #1. That's the nice thing about making homemade soup.... You can take the original recipe and doctor it up any way you want to suit your taste .

January 29, 2022

I can't believe I've been making this recipe for over 10 years.  I have more more changes (added to the changes above) that I use as I make this.  Soo, this is what the above recipe has morphed into:  

I use a rotisserie chicken from Costco for the meat.  I'll buy the chicken, debone it, and divide the chicken meat into 3 portions.  As I debone the meat, I put the skin and bones into a pot, cover the bones and skin with water, and boil it for about 1 hour.  Then I remove the bones and skin, skim off the grease, and divide  the broth into 3 equal parts. (It's about 1 1/2 cup broth x 3)  I will use one portion of  the meat and one portion of the broth for each time I make this recipe.  I put the other 2 portions in the freezer to use the next time I make the recipe.  

As I make the recipe, I first cook the cubed potatoes for 14 minutes in enough water to cover the potatoes. (Before I cook the potatoes I rinse them to rinse off the starch)  As the potatoes are cooking, I cook the onions, jalapeño peppers, and some minced garlic in butter with some Mrs. Dash seasoning (to taste) in a sauce pan.  When the potatoes are done cooking, 

I add the following ingredients to the pot of potatoes including the water the potatoes are boiled in.:

Cooked onions, jalapeño peppers, and garlic

1/3 Costco rotisserie chicken

1/3 broth made from 1 Costco rotisserie chicken bones and skin that has been boiled (it is about 1 1/2 cup broth

1-2 cups frozen corn

1 cup salsa

lime juice to taste

chopped cilantro to taste