Chicken Tortilla Soup

Passed on by Laura Georgy

Ingredients:

1 medium sized onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (or 3 tsp of canned minced garlic)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (32 ounce) can/box condensed chicken broth
1 1/4 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can white corn
1 (15 ounce) can white hominy
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1 (15 ounce) can black beans (negroe frijoles), rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
crushed tortilla chips
shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1. Dice (or shred when cooked) chicken and cook on stovetop in oil, handful of onions and 1 tsp garlic.
2. In a medium stock pot, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, cumin, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips and cheese.
5. If too thick, add a can of tomato juice, more broth or water.

Cook's Comments:
- love it, a true favorite, make it all the time
- always end up adding more crushed tomatoes or broth
- freezes really well....I usually double for that purpose