Thanking the Soup Gods

Amazingly, I had chicken, tortillas and an avocado left over from dinner earlier this week.  Sounded like the makings of a chicken tortilla soup, and sure enough, it was!  Here's the recipe I tried (minus the fresh jalapeno peppers and the cilantro as I'm not a fan).   Really easy to make -- I had a great lunch in less than 15 minutes because the chicken was already cooked.  I also topped mine with a little low-fat sour cream.  Yum!

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 2 (6 inch) corn tortillas, julienned 
• 2-1/4 teaspoons olive oil 
• 1/2 white onion, sliced thinly
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced 
• 1/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into thin strips 
• 2 cups chicken broth 
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 
• 1/2 tomato, seeded and diced 
• salt and pepper to taste 
• 1/2 avocado - diced 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 

 Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Arrange tortilla strips on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook onion, garlic and jalapenos (if using) in olive oil until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in chicken, chicken broth, lime juice, tomato, salt and pepper. Gently simmer until chicken is cooked, 3 to 5 minutes.  If using cooked chicken, simmer until warm.  Stir in avocado and cilantro and heat through. Adjust seasonings and serve.

SoupMom