Jen In The Kitchen: Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup (AKA taco in a bowl)

I always look forward to cooler weather – fall scented candles, college football (Go Hokies!), pumpkins, oh my! But another reason is because the fall weather also brings with it hearty comfort food. One of my favorite things to make as the weather turns cooler is soup and today I’m sharing one of my go-to recipes – Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup.

I love love Mexican food – what’s not to love about cheese and spice – I also love creamy soups so this recipe speaks my love language. And the best part, it only takes one pot and 30 minutes!

The first time I tried this recipe, I was a little skeptical about the cooking method for the chicken, thinking I would just use a store-bought rotisserie chicken and shred it. But I decided to follow the recipe and I’m so glad I did because the chicken was cooked perfectly. Cooking it in the chicken broth kept it super moist!

Once the chicken is cooked, you take it out of the cooking liquid to dice. Add the rest of the soup ingredients, throw in the chicken, and voila!

For serving, you choose the toppings. Think TACOS – cheese, fresh tomato, fresh jalepeno, cilantro, sour cream, avocado, hot sauce, etc. You can also serve with tortilla chips for dipping! Not into the cream? Just omit the heavy cream and sour cream or try this one!

Here’s the full recipe courtesy of Cooking Classy.

• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion (1 medium)
• 1 Tbsp finely minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 1 jalapeño , seeded and chopped (1/4 cup)
• 1 (32 oz) carton low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp of each chili powder , cumin, and paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
• 1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts*
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1/3 cup masa harina 
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sour cream

1. Heat canola oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add onion and jalapeño and saute 3 minutes, adding garlic during last 30 seconds of sauteing.
2. Add chicken broth, chili powder, cumin, paprika and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken breasts and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover pot with lid and gently boil until chicken has cooked through, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove chicken and allow to rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add diced tomatoes with green chilies to pot. Then, in the 2-cup liquid measuring cup used to measure milk (or a bowl), whisk together milk and masa harina until well blended.
4. Pour mixture into pot and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture boils and thickens slightly (it won’t thicken much). Dice chicken and add to pot, then add black beans, pinto beans and corn. Then stir in cream and sour cream and cook until heated through.

Live Life. Eat Well.