Simple, Quick Chicken Tortilla Soup

Finally feeling like Fall. Professional and college football, golf and baseball....sweet. Actually I like having sports on TV during the weekend. I guess it reminds me of being a kid. Some sort of event was always in the background or someone was over to watch the big game. I find my house becoming the same way, which I love.

The basics of this recipe are from my good friend Patsy Teuton, a Long Beach native. Every time she makes this meal, it is a guaranteed good time. It's easy, fun, fast, festive and fantastic. It also looks great in a bowl - so colorful. I am putting two different versions below. When you are short on time, you can take 10 minutes to prepare the soup and then simmer for 30 min - 40 minutes - start to finish. However, if you like soup in homemade stock, feel free to boil your chicken and use the broth. Either way, yum.

Ingredients:
3 C chicken (shredded or cubed)
5 C chicken broth (Homemade or purchased)
3 green onions (chopped)
1/2 yellow onion (chopped)
1 can navy or cannellini beans
1 yellow and 1 red pepper (roasted and chopped)
1 jar of your favorite salsa
2 cloves garlic (pressed)
2 t cumin
Dash of S&P

Toppings:
5-7 flour tortillas (cut into strips)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
1 avocado (sliced)
2 tomatoes (diced)
1/2 C cilantro (chopped)
Dollop of sour cream
1 C Shredded cheddar

Directions:
#1 - Toss all ingredients into a pot...stir and simmer for 30 min –or toss in crock pot on low… Seriously.

#2 - However if you want to make your own stock and roast your own peppers…

Fill the pot with 5-6 cups water, add onion and raw chicken (either a whole chicken or bone in breasts). Boil for 30 min. Shred or cube chicken and add back into stock.

To roast bell peppers, simply cut them in half and toss the core/seeds. Rub them in olive oil and place on a cookie sheet (the skin should be facing up). Broil the peppers for about 10 min or until they start to bubble and turn dark. After you take the peppers out of the oven, you can then place them in a paper bag for 10 min. This will help you more easily remove the skin.

Then chop the peppers and add the remaining ingredients into the pot and simmer for another 30 min.

For the topping, turn the oven to broil. Take the flour tortilla strips and place on a cookie sheet. Spray the strips lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Broil for 5 min or until brown.

Ladle soup into the bowls and top with tortilla strips.

Serving Ideas:
Use a serving dish with various compartments to display the diced tomatoes, sliced avocados, cilantro, shredded cheese and sour cream. This looks beautiful in the center of the table and guests can add what they like to their bowl of soup.

Patsy also serves this with corn bread, which is a great accompaniment. Another thing I do is serve the soup with a tamale. Many local Mexican joints are now selling frozen packages to your grocery store or fresh at the farmer’s market.