Chicken Tortilla Soup
This chicken tortilla soup is easy to make ahead and freeze in individual Tupperware. It can be reheated on the stove if you aren’t running a generator, in the microwave, or over the fire in a cast iron pan or skillet. The best part about this is that there is minimal prep work and it’s so easy to cook! You can sautee your veggies on the stove prior to putting them in the pan, but that isn’t necessary.
Can you tell I love cheese? This tortilla soup is my favorite cold-weather meals. One batch will get you several meals and it freezes so well!
Soup Ingredients (half these if you’re low on space for storing leftovers):
1 bag frozen onions OR 2 large white onions - chopped
1 bag frozen mixed peppers OR 1 red pepper, 2 green peppers - chopped
1 bag frozen sweet corn OR 2 cans sweet corn
4 Jalapeno peppers - chopped
1 sprig green onions - chopped
2 cans beans of your choice (15 oz. ea. I use black and red kidney beans)
2 cans (15 oz. ea.) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
Chicken or vegetable broth (I use 64 ounces but you can vary this depending on your pot size). You may also wish to use a bouillon cube if you’re preparing this in your camper to save on space. I have made this with bone broth as well (both home-made and store-bought). Bone broth will add more protein to the dish and give it a little richer flavor.
1 Rotisserie chicken (or 4 containers/cups of canned or shredded chicken)
Seasonings - these can be adjusted to individual taste - I use a small amount of cayenne pepper, a sprinkle of cumin and smoked paprika, some red chili powder, an ample amount of red pepper flakes, and lots of garlic powder.
Soup Preparation:
In a large pot (the largest you have), combine 64 ounces of broth, tomatoes, corn, and beans. Bring it to a simmer.
While your pot is heating up, sautee your veggies (onions, peppers, etc.) in a little bit of olive oil or with your favorite cooking spray. I typically sautee half of my jalapenos and throw the remaining raw jalapenos in the pot.
Add the sauteed veggies and your chicken into the simmering pot.
Add your spices in (while doing ample taste testing).
Let simmer for 1-2 hours.
*You can also cook this in a slow cooker and leave it on high for 3 hours or so. Your veggies will be a little softer, but it’s still delicious.
Green Topping:
2 Cups of 5% fat greek yogurt - plain. I use Fage, but they all taste the same. Just make sure you don’t accidentally buy vanilla!
2 Medium avocados
1 bunch of cilantro chopped
Juice of two limes
Green Topping Preparation:
Combine all in a food processor and blend until smooth. The lime juice will keep this fresh for over a week. I put mine in an old salsa container and had no issues storing it. If you do not have a food processor, use an immersion blender, a guac grinder, or a fork! It’s delicious all the same.
I love to top mine with cheese and add crumbled tortilla chips to the bowl.
