Chicken Tortilla Soup

 Cookbook club tonight and we "slurped up some soup"  :)  This was SUPER awesome - but VERY spicy!!  Not the "every spoon makes my mouth burn" kind of spicy, but a "whoo - this has a kick and I LOVE it" kind of spicy!!  The best thing about this is you can make the  Grilled Taco Chicken - Taco Salad the night before for dindin - and then use the leftovers for this amazing soup!!  I'm a sucker for leftover meals!!

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Ingredients:

1 recipe Grilled Taco Chicken - Taco Salad

1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
4 cans chicken broth
1 15-oz. can chopped or diced tomatoes
2 jalapeno peppers (if you’re scared, try serrano peppers; they’re milder)
1/4 c. fresh lime juice (3-4 limes). Don’t even think of buying the stuff in a bottle.
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

TOPPINGS:

Store-bought tortilla chips, or 2-3 corn tortillas, plus oil for frying
Sliced avocado or guacamole
Shredded pepper jack cheese

1/4 c. cilantro

Early in the day, begin marinating the chicken. Right before you start preparing the soup, start grilling it.

In a large stockpot, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and minced jalapeno and cook a few minutes more until pepper is softened and garlic is fragrant. Add chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer 15-20 minutes.

While soup is simmering, juice the limes and set aside. Start preparing the toppings: grate the cheese, chop the cilantro, cut up the avocado, and fry the tortillas. Right before serving, add lime juice and chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into the bowls and add desired toppings.