Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

I drove back to Champaign for my last semester of law school yesterday and did the miraculous task of actually unpacking all of my suitcases right when I got them inside.  If this does not mean I am becoming an adult, I don’t know what does.  I’ve been known to live out of suitcases for a good week or so, but I was determined to not live like a backpacker in my own apartment.

It may have helped that I was having company over.  And by may, I mean it really, really helped.  Nothing kicks you into cleaning gear than knowing people other than yourself and your Netflix account will be in your apartment.  While, admittedly, the cleaning was a lot of throw-this-in-the-closet-until-later (which, let’s be honest, we’ve all done) my apartment DOES look super clean.  It’s amazing how much larger an apartment looks when there isn’t random crap everywhere.  I can actually see the floor!  And see how much it needs to be vacuumed!

I was going to make a soup for my friends but I ended up going the risotto route.  It was pretty delicious, if I do say so myself – I DO – and you can expect that recipe later this week!  Today you are getting this soup.  Which, isn’t the one I was going to make.  This soup really has nothing to do with anything I just made you read through, but it’s good!  I promise!  Shredded chicken gets spicy – literally – with some diced tomatoes, black beans, carrots, and green chiles.  It’s the perfect antidote to cold winter weather.

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp salt

8 cups chicken broth

1 4 oz can diced green chilis

1 cup hominy (if you cannot find this just omit)

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 14 oz can fired roasted diced tomatoes

juice of 2 limes

cheddar cheese for serving

Directions

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.  Add the onion and cook until softened, about five minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Mix in the chili powder and cumin.

Pour in the chicken stock and diced tomatoes, hominy, black beans, green chiles, shredded chicken, and salt.  Bring to a boil.  Cook for 45 minutes.  Finish off with a squeeze of lime juice!

Source:  Slightly adapted from Eat, Live, Run