Chicken Tortilla Soup

We tried this for the first time this week, and it was delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 corn tortillas
• 1 +1 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
• 3 medium tomatoes, cored and
• loosely chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth, low sodium
• 1 lime, juiced
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 cups shredded chicken
• 1 avocado, pit removed and sliced
• 4 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (optional, if you want to go dairy-free)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place fresh tortillas on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 200°F for15 minutes to dry them out. Cut into 1” x 1/2” strips.
2. In a medium stockpot, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and sauté onion and garlic until soft, about 4 minutes.
3. Stir in salt, chili powder, oregano, and tomatoes. Break up tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add broth, lime juice, fresh parsley, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Drop half of the tortillas into the soup to thicken. Stir well.  

For tortilla crisps:
6. In medium pan, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.
7. Fry remaining tortilla strips in oil until light brown and crisp. Remove from pan; drain on paper towels.  

To serve:Ladle soup into 4 individual serving bowls. Top with remaining tortilla strips, avocado slices, and cheese.

*This recipe is for a family of 4. I used 6 tortillas, 5 cups of broth, and 2 avocados to make it stretch a little further. We didn't have any leftovers! Super yummy!

Oh--and I was a hurry when I made this the other day so I used canned chicken instead of shredded chicken. So that's an option if you're in a rush.