Chicken Tortilla Soup

Recipe adapted from AllRecipes

I can say with confidence that I have always been pretty good at baking, although since starting the blog my skill set has certainly improved. My cooking skills however, have not always been so great. I started cooking every once in a while in college, but everything was very basic and usually from a box. After getting married I started to expand my skills, and luckily my husband is very patient. He asked me to make a chicken tortilla soup so I gave it a shot. I don’t remember what recipe I used or what the ingredients were, but I can tell you it was bad. Very, very bad. One of my more memorable cooking fails actually!

Fast forward four years, and I have become much more confident in the kitchen. I actually consider myself to be a good cook now, so I decided it was time to attempt the soup again. I have had a lot of luck with Allrecipes so I looked there first. I followed many of the reviewer suggestions and this soup was far from disaster. Derek actually claimed it to be the best chicken tortilla soup he’s ever eaten! Before baking the chicken I sprinkled it with some Famous Dave’s seasoning just to give it a little extra kick. It’s important to use chicken broth that isn’t condensed, or the soup will be too salty. Make sure you drain and rinse the black beans prior to adding them, or your soup will become a very unappealing gray color. I made my own tortilla strips by brushing  a tortilla with olive oil, cutting into small strips and baking for about 10 minutes. I don’t care much for tomatoes or black beans so I was a little nervous about the soup, but I can’t even begin to tell you how good it was! It is very filling so we had enough for leftovers the next night. I already know that this will become a staple meal in our house. Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup
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4 boneless, skinless chicken tenders
Sprinkle of Famous Dave’s seasoning (or cajun seasoning)
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth (not condensed)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can black beans
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro
1 can corn
1 tsp garlic salt
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp red pepper
1 (10 inch) flour tortilla
1 tsp olive oil
Shredded cheese or sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle Famous Dave’s seasoning over thawed chicken tenders and place on baking sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes or until fully cooked through. Shred with fork.

While chicken is cooking place chicken broth and cream of chicken soup in large saucepan over medium high heat. Stir until blended. Rinse and drain black beans well, then add to soup along with tomatoes, corn, chicken, garlic salt, cumin and red pepper. Heat through.

To make tortilla strips (optional), brush tortilla with olive oil. Cut into thin, small strips and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place in oven for approximately 10 minutes, or until crispy. Serve on top of soup with shredded cheese and/or sour cream if desired.

~Come join Soup-a-Palooza with TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by Bush’s Beans, Hip Hostess, Pillsbury and Westminster Crackers~

~I’m also linking up at Tasty Tuesdays~