Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is adapted from my Ski Town Soups cookbook from Crested Butte Mountain Resort. I have tried many different chicken tortilla soup recipes, but this is our favorite. My kids don’t love soup, but they willingly eat this one. It is so delicious and it’s pretty easy to make, especially if you use a pre-made rotisserie chicken. It is also more hearty than a typical chicken tortilla soup because of the chips. I think the chips and the roasted red peppers are what set this soup apart.

*This is DAIRY FREE and GLUTEN FREE*

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 1/2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1 can mild green chilis
• 1/4 cup jarred roasted red peppers, diced
• 2 14-ounce cans tomato sauce
• 32 – 64 ounces chicken broth (we like a thick soup so we only use 32 ounces to start and add a little more after it sits, but you can add more to get your desired consistency)
• 1 can sweet corn, drained
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (and add more to taste), we like 1 teaspoon, but it’s a little spicy
• 4 cups chicken, cooked and chopped or shredded
• 3 heaping cups or large handfuls tortilla chips (we love these Siete tortilla chips)
• 1 cup sour cream – optional to add creaminess

Directions

Add oil to a large soup pot and sautée onions, peppers, green chilis and garlic.

Add 1 teaspoon only of chipotle chili powder and the remaining ingredients except only add 32 ounces chicken broth and then only add more at the end if you want a thinner soup. Also, wait to add sour cream until the very end and only for optional additional creaminess.

Bring to a boil. Adjust seasonings and add one teaspoon of chili powder if needed, more broth and/or sour cream if desired.