Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup... We got our first real snowfall this weekend and Sunday night, after a trek through the fluffy flakes to yoga and back, soup seemed like the perfect option.

The week of Thanksgiving my family ventured to my maternal grandparents house in the foothills of some lovely mountains in CA. It's our yearly tradition and it's really become a favorite for everyone. We arrived late on Tuesday night and so my grandma had planned an easy dinner which could be consumed at different times throughout the night as family members trickled in. She prepared a homemade tortilla soup of sorts, which my aunt had recently turned her onto. The recipe is UBER simple and can be tweaked to be the exact Dahlicious combo you love - but the main ingredients that really help develop that flavor without all the authentic spice adding on your own are the Swanson's Tortilla Soup Broth and the canned Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes. YUM.

What you need:
1 box Tortilla soup broth
1 can Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes (you could go spicier but it already has a good kick with just this)
1/2 14oz can of plain diced tomatoes (I'm saving the other half for another night this week)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can corn (drained and rinsed)
1/2 Lime worth of juice
2 chicken breasts

**Optional additions:
Spanish Rice
Avocado
Cheese
Cilantro
Extra lime wedges
Sour Cream
(the list could go on, tortilla strips, raw onion etc)

Cook the rice according to box directions - mine took 25 minutes. Simultaneously poach two chicken breasts in water. Simply place them in a shallow sauce pan, cover with water, bring to a boil then cover with a lid and let simmer on low until done. Then shred!

For the soup, literally, dump all contents in a pot, give it a stir, bring to a boil then turn down and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

The lineup

I would totally recommend this exact rice if you find it at your store and don't already have a favorite.

Dump in all ingredients except for the rice and chicken which you'll cook seperately

Last night's toppings

Pate the rice...

Then smother in soupy goodness!

When you're ready to serve place a heaping scoop of rice in your bowl, then ladle the soup right over. Add your toppings (I used cheese, cilantro, avocado, and cilantro) and ENJOY this Dahlicious soup.