Chicken Tortilla Soup

The rumors and whisperings in hushed hushed corners are true - I am now a resident of Seattle!  I'm living in the Magnolia district and my condo overlooks the Lake Washington Canal.  So far every morning I have woken up to the sound of seagulls and shipbells with the sunlight (it does exist here!) streaming in.  No complaints.  The condo is beautiful too. And the kitchen, OH, the kitchen!  Mahogany cupboards, marble counter tops... and all new appliances.  Pinch me, I'm in post-grad foodie heaven!

Sadly, I feel like it will take a while for me to get up and running in the kitchen at my new place.  I have a few recipes that I made in Michigan that have yet to be posed, this being one of them.  As most of you know, I started eating chicken at the beginning of the summer.  It was a hard decision to make, but has vastly improved my health.  Once I got comfortable with the idea of eating meat, I slowly began to cook more with it.  I'm still a little uneasy when working with a raw breast of chicken, but hopefully that will subside with time.  This chicken tortilla soup requires a shredded rotisserie chicken, some vegetables, spices and stock.  The pot that I used wasn't large enough for all the stock, so I gradually refilled the soup stored in the fridge with a little bit of stock.  Best part about this soup (other than that it tastes wonderful?) it that it heats up well and stores for a good length of time in the fridge.

Chicken Tortilla Soup 

Seasoning mix

• 4 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder

Soup

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 2 cups onion, diced
• 2 cups carrot, sliced
• 2 cups zucchini, sliced
• 2 cups green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 10-11 cups chicken stock
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup canned roasted green chilis
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (2-3 limes)

 Garnish

• Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• Tortilla chips
• Cilantro
• Lime wedges
• Sour cream

Directions:

1. Combine all of the dry seasoning, mix and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil and butter in a stockpot. Add a third of the onion, garlic and seasoning mix and sweat. After 7 minutes, add another third of the onions, garlic and seasoning mix and cook for another 7 minutes while stirring. Add the remaining onion, garlic and seasoning mix and cook for 7 minutes.
3. Add the carrots and bell pepper and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the canned tomatoes, chicken stock and tomato sauce and stir. Cook for about 20 minutes.
5. Add the corn, shredded chicken, zucchini, black olives, green chiles and stir to combine. Cook for another 25 minutes on medium heat.
6. Add the lime juice and stir.
7. To serve, ladle about 1 cup of soup into a warm bowl, sprinkle with cilantro sprigs, cheese, crushed corn chips, a dollop of sour cream (if desired) and a healthy squeeze of lime juice.