Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Another fine bowl to rid the cold humdrum.

This recipe is one I made earlier this week when Mobile shut down from the ice storm which past through. Oh yeah, I know many of you deal with it everyday, for months on end. We do not. We live in a sub-tropical area. Or that is what is was prior to our arctic blast. Many counties shut the roads down to all non-emergency traffic, an unheard of thing. It crippled our area because we have no experience in dealing with ice. I mean, we deal with hurricanes all the time and before and after one hits, we are able to deal with it, at least maneuver around our city. But not when the streets are covered in a thick layer of ice. This is more crippling that a hurricane. We are not equipped to handle ice.

So here is something I whipped up to warm our senses and make us feel a little better. This is one of those 'feel better foods' that everyone enjoys when we're, in our case, literally under the weather. This recipe is altogether different and faster to make than another recipe I posted back in 2011. Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup with Cheese
about 4 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 boneless chicken thighs
1/4 cup diced bell pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
1 -1 oz package No Salt Taco seasoning (Mrs. Dash)
1/4 cup mild salsa
3 cups beef broth
1/2 cup corn kernels
1 -14.5 oz dice tomatoes, with liquid
1 -15 oz red or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
salt
4 -8 inch flour tortillas
1 1/3 cups shredded Mexican melting cheese blend

Remove any visible fat from chicken and cut into smaller-than-bite size pieces. Sprinkle with a little salt.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. When hot, add chicken. Allow to lightly brown before stirring. Add bell pepper and onion, cooking until both are tender. Stir in Taco seasoning. Add salsa, broth, tomatoes with juice and beans. Stir and add salt to desired taste. (I added about 1/2 teaspoon) Allow soup to come to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut tortillas into thin, strips and toast in a 325 degree F. oven for about 5 minutes or until light brown. Remove and when cool, break into 1 to 2-inch lenghts.

When ready to serve, ladle soup into bowls and top each with 1/3 cup of the melting cheese. I like to serve the tortilla strips on the side and add a few at a time.

Note: Use good quality bouillon cubes or granules to make an easy, instant base.