Chicken Tortilla Soup

This soup is always a crowd pleaser! It is super easy to make and it freezes very well! Melty cheese, tender chicken, flavorful broth...it will have you saying "mmmmm!"

Ingredients

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
5 large garlic cloves, minced or grated on a micro plain
1 jalapeño, minced
1 medium green pepper, finely chopped
64 oz. low sodium chicken broth
¾ c. white wine
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
15 oz. tomato sauce
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
2 c. frozen corn
4 chicken breasts, quartered
juice of half a lime
tortilla chips, for topping
shredded sharp cheddar cheese, for topping
cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Heat olive oil in large pot until fluid and hot.
Add onion, jalapeño, green pepper, and garlic. Sauté until soft.
Add all of the rest of the ingredients to the pot except for the lime juice, chicken and toppings/garnish.
Bring the mixture to a boil and add chicken. Reduce heat and allow mixture to gently simmer until the chicken is cooked through (about 15 minutes).
Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Continue to simmer the soup mixture (without the chicken) for an additional 45 minutes.
When the 45 minutes is up, add shredded chicken and lime juice and stir to combine.
Serve each bowl with tortilla chips and plenty of shredded cheese on top!

Notes

For little to no heat, remove seeds and membrane from the jalapeño. If you like a little kick, leave them in. I usually meet somewhere in between by removing half.
I prefer to buy a block of sharp cheddar and shred it myself. It melts better and has more flavor!