Tortilla Soup for Recipe Friday

I’ve decided to start something new on this blog. I’m going to call it “Recipe Friday.” Instead of my regular post, on Friday I am going to post one of my favorite recipes.

Some might say I should just start another blog for this purpose, because it is unrelated to what I normally post. But when I think about all of the stories in the Bible that revolve around food, and the fact that Jesus is the Bread of Life, I think it is a natural addition to this blog.

So here is my first recipe. It is one I got from my mother-in-law. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Tortilla Soup

 Ingredients

2-3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
Broth from boiling chicken, plus 1 can chicken broth
1 medium onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tblsp butter or margarine
1 Tblsp olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup salsa
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 tsp sugar
cilantro
1 cup Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, cubed
1 avocado, chopped
Tortilla chips
Sour cream

Directions

Saute onions and garlic in melted butter and olive oil. Add chicken broth, chicken, tomatoes, salsa, chipotle peppers, sugar and cilantro. Simmer 20 minutes.

A note about chipotle peppers: These come in a small can with 8 – 10 per can. They can either be chopped (if you want really hot soup) or allowed to just float around in the soup. However, I actually substitute chipotle salsa (increasing salsa to 1 ½ cups) plus add a teaspoon of dried chipotle pepper. But using the whole chipotle does make for a bit spicier soup.

Serving

 To serve the soup, layer tortilla chips, cheese cubes, and avocado in the bottom of the bowl, add hot soup, and top with a spoonful of sour cream.