Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tuesdays are always "Taco Tuesdays" in our house.  If we're not having tacos, we're having some other Mexican- or Latin- or Spanish-inspired dish to keep with the theme.  

I was flipping through my Betty Crocker Cooking Basics cookbook (LOVE!) a few weeks ago and happened upon this little ditty of a recipe.  SO easy and SO delicious!  It's great as-is, or you can add some extras--corn, beans, peppers, whatevs.  The salsa you choose will end up determining how flavorful/spicy the soup is.  The chicken takes the bulk of the prep-work, but if you've got some leftovers it'll be done in a snap!

source

Chicken Tortilla Soup
from Betty Crocker Cooking Basics
Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 medium avocado
10 oz cooked chicken or turkey
1 carton (32 oz) chicken broth (4 cups)
1 cup chunky-style salsa
broken tortilla chips
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges (optional)

Each time I've made this recipe, I've baked the chicken and shredded it with two forks.  I just love the texture of shredded chicken in soup.  And I'll let you in on a little secret I accidentally discovered a few summers ago: Montreal Steak seasoning is amazeballs on chicken.  Seriously.  It's my go-to seasoning.  Just lay out your chicken breasts on a foil-covered cookie sheet (foil makes clean-up a snap!), sprinkle some Montreal Steak seasoning, and bake at 350 degrees for 25-ish minutes.  Then pull apart the chicken with two forks until you have a nice heaping pile like this.

 
In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the broth, salsa, and chicken to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, cut your avocado into a crosshatch pattern to make nice chunks.  Crunch up some tortilla chips, and chop your cilantro.

Divide soup into bowls and top with avocado, cheese, crushed chips, and cilantro.

Enjoy!  Let me know if you try it!