Chicken Tortilla Soup? (664 views)

Is it this one? I've never made it exactly as written.

Tortilla Soup

6 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 corn tortillas, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 bay leaves
6 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 to 6 cooked chicken breast halves, shredded (about 2 cups)


Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add tortillas, garlic, cilantro, and onion. Saute 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Bring to a boil and add cumin, chili powder, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Return to a boil. Reduce heat. Add salt and cayenne. Simmer 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves and stir in chicken. Reheat. Garnish with Monterey jack, avocado, sour cream, and tortilla strips.

Recipe below posted by Sheila in MD with these notes:
Stop and Smell the Rosemary (or Rebecca T's as it is known on this board!) Tortilla Soup does it for me....I am posting my version below but I have tweaked it from the original. It freezes great!
The original recipe calls for the cilantro to be added to the soup but I think the heat of it while cooking destroys the cilantro taste so I add it to each serving. The original also called for shredded, cooked chicken but since I add the black beans and corn (not in the original recipe), I don’t bother with the chicken. I do use petite diced tomatoes rather then regular. Do put out bowls of cilantro, sour cream and cheese though! The tortillas pretty much melt into the soup although there will be little pieces of them that don’t. I also don’t add the cayenne as I am a spice wimp-I do add a shake of chipotle powder but to be honest, probably not enough to make a difference.

1-2 teaspoons oil [if that!]
8 corn tortillas, chopped small
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can crisp corn, drained (I like crisp canned better then frozen in this recipe)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 bay leaves
6 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Fresh squeezed lime juice to taste

Garnish: Sour Cream, grated cheddar and fresh cilantro

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add tortillas, garlic, cilantro, and onion. Saute 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Bring to a boil and add cumin, chili powder, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Return to a boil. Reduce heat. Add salt and cayenne. Simmer 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves and stir in chicken. Reheat.

Serves 6 (1.5 cup servings)

Thanks applecrisp! Your saved me I tried my best to edit my post but failed with recommendation of using less oil.
You also included valuable comments. How to create those crispy tortilla strips they serve on top of soup in restaurants plus adding some lime juice towards the end (I always do that for my version).