CHICKEN AND LIME TORTILLA SOUP

I LOVE soup! I'm so happy it's fall and it's soup season. I came across this recipe a while ago when a friend pinned it and I knew it was one of the first things I would make when fall arrived. Well, I shouldn't have waited! I think you can make this ANY time, it's that good. I love beans, so I added black beans at the end to the portions that I would be eating because my husband despises beans. They were yummy! 

I hope you like this as much as I did!

Cast of characters. Don't do what I do and buy bone-in chicken.
If you're smart, buy the boneless/skinless and then skip the next few steps. Be smart...

Otherwise, you'll have to skin the chicken...

Then brown the chicken

Then dice the cooked chicken and remove the bones. Be smart, buy boneless...

Dice the onions and garlic and place in a preheated pan with olive oil. 

Saute for 8-10 minutes until onions are soft and begin to brown.
If you were smart and bought boneless chicken, dice it and place it in the pan now.
Cook for 5 minutes until golden and cooked through. 

Dice the chipotle chiles into tiny, tiny pieces

Add the finely chopped peppers and 2T of the sauce to the chicken and onions. 

I used 2 peppers and 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce.
You can adjust to your heat tolerance. 

Stir to combine the peppers and then add the chicken broth. 

Bring back to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes.  

Cut the limes and cilantro.

Squeeze the limes into the soup. I buy seedless limes. If you have seeded limes, use a small strainer. 

Add the cilantro and stir. Try to resist eating it, it gets even better, trust me!

Crush up a small handful of tortilla chips and put in the soup with 2 thin avocado slices.
 If you're like my husband and despise beans, stop here and dig in! 

Otherwise, add the black beans and enjoy! 

This is one of the best soups I've made. And I make lots of soup. LOVE IT!!

Chicken and Lime Tortilla Soup

Print version

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce

6 (48 oz) cups chicken broth (low sodium)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Juice of 2 limes

Salt and pepper (optional)

1 avocado, thinly sliced lengthwise into 12 pieces

Crushed tortilla chips

1 cup black beans (optional)

Directions

In a large sauté or saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, lower the heat to medium and cook until the onion begins to brown, 8-10 minutes. Increase the heat to high, push the vegetables to the side of the pan and add the chicken. Continue stirring and cook the chicken about 5 minutes, until golden. Stir in the chipotles and adobo sauce, then stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice; season with salt and pepper if desired.

Place 2 avocado slices in each of 6 soup bowls and pour in the soup. Top with the tortilla chips.

If you want to add black beans, you can do so now. Add them in each bowl or to the entire dish.

Adapted from Rachael Ray