Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Chicken Tortilla Soup


 The day after Christmas, all of us girls went out shopping {or bummin' as our family likes to say} and after hitting some sales, it was approaching lunch time. I don't know why - but consistently I love to go out for lunch the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas. It just feels special to me and part of the tradition. I don't know, it's just fun to me!

Anyway, we had planned to go to Chick-fil-A, always a hit in this family! And, while we were there, a lady came around offering free samples of their Chicken Tortilla Soup.

I'd been wanting to try it for a while as it always looked and sounded good but I was never brave enough to order it. For one thing, I do not like tomatoes and I had yet to see a tortilla soup without tomatoes in it. So, I was thrilled for an opportunity to try this when I saw it was tomato-free :)

It was soooo yum! And, I was instantly trying to figure out what was in it to see if I could make it. After searching on line with no success in finding a recipe, I did consult their website for ingredients and then made this up. My version is not quite as spicy as theirs, but still really yummy! And, their version has sour cream and cream, but after trying this I don't think they are needed.

Speaking of Chick-fil-A, we also stopped once in Atlanta on our way home and it was raining. Only at CFA, would someone come out with an umbrella to walk you in! Amazing.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 can Black Beans, drained
1 can Great Northern Beans, drained

2 c. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, cooked and cubed
1 c. Corn or 1 can corn drained
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 c. Carrots, diced
1/2 c. Onion, minced or diced
1 Tbsp. Cumin
1/4 c. Red Pepper
1/4 c. Green Pepper
3 c. Chicken Broth
2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Garlic
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 c. masa
1 c. water
Corn Tortilla Strips, for garnish
Cheese, for garnish

I just dumped everything except for the tortilla chips and cheese into the Crock Pot around lunch time and let it cook on low all afternoon. It smells divine and was super simple! Enjoy!

UPDATED: I like to add 1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce to this now and it just adds the right amount of liquid. For those who have asked about the masa, this is a trick I learned from Pioneer Woman. You mix the masa and 1 c. water together until smooth and stir into the soup. It gives a little thickening {not doughy} and southwest flavor. You can use cornmeal instead but masa would be smoother. 

14 comments:

LynnMarie said...

Thanks. We have only 1 CFA in the entire state and it's far from us but we do love going when we can. This soup looks wonderful.

Mary Ann said...

This looks delicious!

We stopped at a CFA on our way home from our Christmas travels (the Atlanta area, I believe) and an employee was at the door to open it for us both coming and going--so nice! And it was during the busy lunch rush!

angie said...

Very enterprising of you to taste a small sample and then figure out the recipe! I have ordered this soup at CFA and enjoyed it before. However, since my husband is allergic to chicken (and turkey and their broths), I rarely cook with those meats. Since this soup looks so simple, I may add this to my soup reportoire.
We were also impressed when an umbrella carrying gent came to escort us into the restaurant. Chivalry lives!

Mom said...

I'll give this soup a try (especially since there is no sour cream, Dad might eat it!). Wow -- I never heard of having someone bringing an umbrella to walk customers in during the rain -- love CFA!!
Love, Mom

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this recipe! I'm not a big fan of tomatoes in soups either, so I think this will be a hit!

Alice

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the recipe! I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes either and have been wanting to try a chicken tortilla soup. I think this will be a hit!

Alice

*carrie* said...

Squeal--so excited to try this! (And so fun that we got to go to CFA together!!)

*carrie* said...

What is masa?! Cornmeal?

Heather said...

I am SO excited to try this as I LOVE the restaurant and their peppermint shake at Christmas time. Thanks for posting this!!!
Heather

Elise said...

Sounds delicious!!! Chick-Fil-A does have wonderful customer service!
Can't wait to try your version of this soup!
Elise

Angelia said...

I turned my auto correct off my ipad so I can comment on this grea recipe! It is raining here in TX the next two days and I just had to make a double batch of your creation! It is "quietly" cooking away in the crock pot now. I know my family will love this! I have one sweet heart who does not like tomatoes either and all three guys love what We call Tex-Mex! Thank you Monica. Also, I loved hearing about the loving kindness at CFA. Talk about being under the umbrella of protection in action! Love, Angelia

Anonymous said...

I wondered what masa is also???

The soup was good when we tasted it but yours sounds better!

Love you, Grandma

Monica Wilkinson said...

masa is kind of a corn flour used in Mexican cooking - it is much finer than corn meal, but I accidentally used corn meal one time and it was fine too - so perhaps just try that if you don't want to buy something new! :)

Stephanie in SC said...

I was wondering if you could leave the masa out...is it just for thickening, or does it make it 'doughy' ?