Chicken Tortilla Soup & MzzBev's Mexican Seasoning

Ingredients for Chicken Tortilla Soup
For 6-8 servings
4-5 chicken breasts
2-3 tbsps. MzzBev's Mexican seasoning*
Extra virgin olive oil
6 cups water or broth, plus 5 cups water (reserved)
1 tbsp. Better than Bouillon Chicken Base
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 cups whole corn kernels or 1 can drained
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, drained or 1 can black beans drained
1 tbsp. cooked Hatch chili or jalapeno, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup Orzo pasta
 8 corn tortillas
Olive oil
Kosher salt, optional

*Ingredients for MzzBev's Mexican Seasoning
4 tbsps. chili powder
1 tbsp. ground Cumin
1 tbsp. garlic powder
 1 tsp. onion powder
1-2 pinches Cayenne powder (optional)
1 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tsps. fresh ground pepper
1 zip-loc baggie or small jar with lid

 

In a small bowl, combine all the spices. 

Store in a small jar with a tight lid OR in a zip-loc baggie.  Use on poultry, beef, pork or scrambled  eggs.  Can be used as fajita or taco seasoning.

In a large cookie sheet, rub all sides of chicken breasts with MzzBev's Mexican Seasoning.  Drizzle chicken with olive oil.

Roast chicken breasts in pre-heated oven, for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from oven when done, let sit for a few minutes and then cut into pieces.  Try your best to compose yourself at this point and don't fall into temptation to eat a piece or two or three.....

Save the pan juices.

Add a little bit of water to the pan juices, stir up the bits to make a broth.

Pour into 5 qt. dutch oven.  Pour the rest of the water into broth.  Keep reserved water next to pot just in case you need to add more as it cooks

Add the chicken to the broth and water

Add about a tbsp. more of MzzBev's Mexican seasoning to the chicken soup

Add the Better than Bouillon Chicken base and stir in

Add can of Rotel tomatoes to the soup.  Cover and simmer for one hour

Add the cooked black beans

Add the corn, stir completely.  Add water, enough to just cover all the ingredients.  Simmer for 1 more hour.  Keep a close eye on it so water does not get too low.  You'll always want it above the ingredients.

Add chopped Hatch chili or jalapeno and stir into soup.  Add more if you can stand the heat.

Add Orzo 30 minutes before soup is done and cook until done.

PREHEAT OVEN T0 400F degrees
While the soup is simmering, make the tortilla strips

Take the corn tortilla strips

Place tortilla strips on large cookie sheet.  Spread out evenly.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Season with salt if desired.

Cook for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.  Set aside.

Serve in a large hefty bowl, sprinkled with the tortilla strips.  Sit back and enjoy!

Savory, satisfying, definitely filling and and healthy??  Nothing fattening about this recipe.  Plenty of protein and fiber in the chicken and beans.   So much flavor too and if you like heat, the chilis give plenty of it and it's goooooood!  Between my hubby, my grown nephew and I, there's probably one serving left :(

I've been skeptical about Tortilla Soup for many many years.  I grew up in a Mexican household and we never ate tortilla soup, unheard of!  It did not appeal to me at all when it first came out a decade or so ago.  So I never tried it and had no desire to make it. . . . until now.

I am not sure what made me give in but just out of the blue it appealed to me.  This was around about two weeks ago and here I am making it again!!  I scoured the internet to get an idea of what Tortilla Soup consisted of and this is what I came up with.

I have been making, using MzzBev's Mexican Seasoning for over a decade now but didn't name it until just a few hours ago.   It suddenly dawned on me that I really should be making a batch of the seasoning instead of taking out all the spices and using each of them for what I need in a recipe.  I use it quite often.  Scooping a tablespoon of the seasoning is SO much easier.  I can be slow some times, . . . . really slow.  Anyways, make your own, try it, fill your home with the lovely aromas of like being in a taqueria (real Mexican restaurant).  Plus it's better and cheaper than buying Taco Seasoning.  Let me know what you think if you try it.

Hope you're having a great start to the New Year!

Until next time,