Soup's On! Chicken Tortilla

Last week you all made my mouth water with your great ideas for single-serve cooking. This week we can take one of those tips and apply it to this recipe: once this big pot of soup is made, scoop it into single-serving size containers and freeze for future lunches or suppers.

With Super Bowl coming soon, this is also a good take-along to a party or potluck.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

(Thanks for the recipe, Kelly Creason!) 

1 oven-roasted or store-bought whole rotisserie chicken *
1 onion, chopped
2 packages taco mix
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 bag frozen whole kernel corn
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans
1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans (optional)
1 (15 oz) can black beans
2 (10 oz) cans Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 – 3 cups chicken stock or broth

Top with: crushed tortilla chips (like Tostitos), shredded cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro or chopped green onions

Put a little olive oil in a saute pan on high heat. Add chopped onion, immediately lower heat to medium. Saute onion, stirring occasionally, until translucent.

While onion is sautéing, remove all meat from roast chicken, dice and set aside.

In a small (6-8 qt) stock pot, add all canned ingredients – undrained. Stir in chicken broth, taco and ranch dressing mixes. Add onion and diced chicken. Add a cup of water if you'd like it soupier. Simmer for 2 hours.

Serve with shredded Mexican or Cheddar cheeses, tortilla chips, sour cream and chopped cilantro or green onions – guests can top their soup to their liking. Makes 3 quarts.

*If you buy a rotisserie chicken remember not to get any flavored ones – especially the lemon pepper! Look for Homestyle or Savory on the label.