Join us on Saturdays (October 21st-March 30th) at the Carmel Winter Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to Noon! The market is at a NEW location this year: 611 3rd Avenue SW in Carmel. See you there!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Early last week, a few hours before dinner time, it occurred to me that I did not have a solid dinner plan in mind {again}.  So, after taking a quick inventory of the fridge and assessing what I could magically transform into a meal, chicken tortilla soup it was.  Served with a side of corn muffins and watermelon, it turned out quite nicely and is a dish that I will definitely make again.  

Ingredients
  • ~3 cups of cooked, diced/shredded chicken 
  • ~3 cups of corn (we had leftover sweet corn on-hand, but frozen or canned would work well too)
  • 2 TBSP oil 
  • 1 can (~15 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (7 oz) green chiles
  • 1 can (~15 oz) of black beans
  • 2 cups chicken stock*
  • 1 1/2 cups water 
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno, finely chopped (I incorporated half of the seeds and discarded the other half)
  • 3/4 tsp cumin
  • 3/4 tsp chili powder
  • juice of 1 lime
  • ~1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Salt, to taste
  • For garnish, as desired: shredded Monterey Jack cheese, diced avocado, and tortilla chips 

*I always use homemade stock, since I have it on-hand; if using store-bought chicken stock, omit the 1 1/2 c of water and use the equal amount of additional stock. 

Directions
  1. Add the oil to a large (~6 QT) stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno and cook until fragrant and onions are translucent (~5-7 minutes). 
  2. Add the chicken stock, water, chicken, tomatoes, chiles, beans, corn, chili powder, and cumin; stir together.  Increase heat so the mixture comes to a gently boil, then reduce heat to simmer for about 15 minutes. 
  3. Add the cilantro and lime juice and cook for another ~5 minutes.  Add salt to taste (if using un-salted homemade chicken stock, you will definitely need to add salt).  
  4. Garnish with the cheese, tortilla chips, and avocado as desired.  Enjoy!

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