Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

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Cold, cold day today, and I spent several hours outside at the barn this afternoon. Soup was definitely a good choice to help me warm up when I got home.

Ingredients

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp Tastefully Simple Wahoo! chili seasoning (or 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp paprika, and a pinch of cayenne pepper)
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 medium onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo + about 2tsp of the sauce
• 28oz can petite diced tomatoes
• 3 cups frozen corn
• 2 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup masa harina
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Monterey jack cheese
• Tortilla strips (store bought or homemade)
• Salt

Instructions

Dice onion and jalapeño (after removing seeds). Mince garlic. Rough chop chipotle pepper. Don’t worry too much about having perfect knife skills because you’re just going to puree it all later.

Boil chicken breasts in a medium pot. Salt the water! Set the chicken aside when finished.

Melt butter in a dutch oven (or other large pot) over medium heat. Cook onions, jalapeño, garlic, & chipotle+sauce until the onions are translucent.

Add tomatoes and chili seasoning. Cook for a few minutes, then add chicken stock.

Use an immersion blender to puree everything in the pot. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender. Just be careful because hot/steamy stuff + blenders aren’t always a good combo.

Add the masa harina. Use the immersion blender to get rid of any chunks that form. This is a good time to taste it and add salt. Don’t worry if you think it’s too spicy right now. The cream will take care of that later. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Add the corn. (Get the tortilla strips in the oven now if you’re making them)

Pull or shred the chicken. I use the stand mixer for this. Toss the chicken in and use the beater on speed 2 for about 30-45 seconds. I always cover it with a towel because sometimes pieces like to fly out. You can also pull it with a fork instead.

Add the chicken to the soup. Stir in the heavy cream. Taste again, and add more salt if needed. Let it cook on low for about 10 more minutes.

Serve and garnish with the cheese and tortilla strips.

Tortilla Strips

Use a pizza cutter to cut tortillas into strips. I cut small tortillas into quarters, then cut into strips. You have two options – fry until golden, or bake. I baked these since they were going in soup. Coat in olive oil, season with salt. Line up the strips on a baking sheet and bake on 350 until golden.