Charred Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is real-deal tortilla soup, here.
True to its name, the entire base of the soup is thickened with charred corn tortillas that add a delightfully authentic and deliciously complex flavor to this cold-weather favorite. This is a stick-to-your-ribs dish loaded with antioxidant- rich tomatoes, fiber-filled black beans and plenty of lean-protein-packed roasted chicken. Top with a few spicy capsaicin-loaded jalapenos slices and you may even increase blood flow, reduce inflammation and boost those good gut bugs, too!

SERVES 8

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 (4-oz) can diced green chilies
1 (16-oz) container refrigeratedfresh salsa
1 (32-oz) carton reduced sodiumchicken broth
4 corn tortillas
1 (14.5-oz) can black beans,rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
2 cups roasted chicken, shredded

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 7 to 8 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add cumin, salt, and chili powder; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add green chiles, salsa, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 10 minutes.

While soup simmers, very carefully toast tortillas on a gas burner or under a broiler until lightly blistered, turning frequently (be careful not to burn).

Tear tortillas into several pieces; add to soup. Simmer 10 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, blend soup mixture until smooth. Alternatively, you can place soup in a blender or food processor (working in batches), processing until smooth. Return soup to Dutch oven.

Add beans, corn and chicken to soup mixture. Stir and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Serve with cheese, cilantro, avocado, sour cream, jalapenos, hot sauce and/or tortilla chips.

FOR SERVING: shredded cheese, light sour cream, ripe avocado slices, fresh cilantro, thinly sliced jalapeno peppers, hot sauce, fresh lime juice and multigrain tortilla chips

SPICE IT UP.  Add a few fresh jalapenos to increase blood flow, reduce inflammation and boost those good gut bugs.
This dish has antioxidant-rich tomatoes and fiber-filled black beans.

Sidney Fry is a two-time James-Beard-Award-winning food and nutrition writer who loves creating simple, healthy recipes and thoughtful, actionable content for the hungry consumer. A healthy living proactivist, Sidney is also a registered dietitian nutritionist, recipe developer and mama of three based in Birmingham, Alabama.