Chicken Tortilla Soup

If you watch Oprah enough you may have noticed that a question she always asks during celebrity interviews is, "What do you know for sure?" I've often thought about what I'd say if I sat face with Ms. Winfrey and she asked me that revealing, soul searching question. Well folks today I have an answer. What I know for sure is that when it's cold outside, people like to eat soup! Simple but true! So I've decided to kick off Autumn with one of my favorite, most requested soup recipes.

I am a big fan of the Chicken Tortilla Soup at The California Pizza Kitchen. Love that stuff! One day I attempted to make it at home. And like most attempts to copy restaurant recipes, it wasn't quite right. So I decided to leave it to CPK to make that soup and began a search for my own simple, hearty, tasty Tortilla Soup recipe. And so, my friends, after many trials and many combinations of recipes. I finally created....

Melissa's Not-Famous-Yet Chicken Tortilla Soup

Here are some of the highlights of the preparation (the full recipe is at the bottom of this post.)



Another thing I know for sure is that you will need a can opener!



The tool that you're going to need if you want a creamy soup is a hand blender. I absolutely LOVE the one I have because it chops as well! I used it to chop the garlic and onions.



My three most favorite things: Olive oil, onions and garlic! Don't you wish you had a
scratch-n-sniff screen?!
Now if you're thinking, "My kids/husband/significant other won't eat onions" Don't worry! You're going to puree this and they won't even know!



The pureeing part is fun! I'm pouring the flour/water mixture out of the tomato sauce can. Saves me from having another dirty dish and it gets the bits of tomato that are stuck to the bottom. Clever...I know!



Ahhh...smooth and creamy!



The recipe says "2 cups" of chicken but I boiled four small breasts and ended up having about 3 cups of shredded chicken. No biggy!



And after the last step of adding sour cream, the only chunks in your soup should be the chicken, corn and beans (You certainly can omit the beans if you are a non bean eating family!)



Oh la la! So good!

Melissa's Not-Famous-Yet Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Chopped Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 Tablespoons Olive (or Vegetable) Oil
• 1 can (4 Oz. Can) Chopped Green Chilies
• 1 can (15 Oz. Can) Italian-style Diced Tomatoes And Juice
• 1 can (8 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce
• 4 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Pepper
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• ½ teaspoons Hot Sauce (optional)
  
• 4 Tablespoons Flour
• ½ cups Water
• 2 cups Cooked Chicken, Shredded or Cubed
• 1 can (11 Oz. Can) Shoepeg Corn (aka White Sweet Corn), Drained
• 1 can (15.25 Oz Can) Navy Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• ½ cups Sour Cream
• Salt And Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in the oil over low heat for 5 minutes or until onion is softened.

Add green chilies, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, lemon pepper, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cumin and hot sauce.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the flour with the water and incorporate into the soup using a hand blender for approximately 2 minutes.

Bring the soup back to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add chicken, corn and beans.

Simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in sour cream, salt, and pepper to taste.

Top with some shredded Jack, garnish with tortilla chips and enjoy!