Chicken Tortilla Soup

Atlanta has finally gotten the memo that it's mid-November and it's time to put away the open-toe shoes and instead bust out some fuzzy toe socks (yaaaaasssss!!!). So in honor of the chill in the air, I'm warming it up at my house with some of my favorite soups. First up to bat is this chicken tortilla soup. It's got a little kick to it that I believe is just right. And, one of my personal faves about this soup is it freezes well! We're usually over the same food after having it for dinner and lunch the next day, so I like to freeze whats left. Put about 2-3 servings in each ziplock bag until all the leftovers are put away. That way you can just pull out what you need instead of thawing out the entire batch when you're ready for this soup again. Oh, and don't skip out on the garnishes that I suggest. They really take the soup to the next level!

Ingredients

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 T olive oil

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1- 1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup sweet yellow onion, diced

1/4 green bell pepper, diced

1/4 yellow or red bell pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped (or 3 teaspoons garlic paste)

1 (10 oz) can of Rotel Original

32 oz chicken stock

3 tablespoons tomato paste

3- 1/2 cups hot water

2 (15 oz) cans blacks beans, drained

3 tablespoons Cornmeal

6 corn tortillas cut into strips (about a "finger's" width)

________

Garnishes:

________

Sour Cream

Red Onion

Diced Avocado

Diced Toamto or Pico De Gallo

Shredded Mexican Taco Cheese

Cilantro

1/ 2 cup Frying oil (vegetable, canola, etc.)

1 lime

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Mix all spices together in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil over chicken and toss to coat. Sprinkle both sides of breast with a little of the spice mix. Reserve the remaining spice mix for the soup.

3. Line a baking sheet with foil and bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Shred the chicken with two forks and set aside.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Stir and let them cook and add the remaining spices. Stir to combine.

5. Add chicken stock, tomato paste, Rotel, drained black beans and hot water. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Mix cornmeal with 1/4 cup of hot water. Pour into the soup and allow to simmer another 10-15 minutes . Now is a good time to do a taste test and add more seasonings. I found i needed a pinch more salt, and chili powder. And I also added a couple dashes of green chile sauce (found in the Mexican food aisle) for a bit ore of a kick.

7. While the soup is simmering dice up your garnishes and set those aside. Heat up the frying oil in a small skillet and fry up to tortillas worth of strips for garnish. Once they're fried golden and crisp, lay them out on a paper towel to drain and sprinkle on kosher salt and a squeeze of lime juice.

8. To serve, ladle the soup into bowl, Add garnishes, a squeeze of lime juice, and serve!!