Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cooked chicken
• 6 cups (48 ounces) chicken broth
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
• 6 corn tortillas, cut in 1/4-inch strips
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• Lime wedges
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 cup cubed Mexican cheese, such as queso fresco or shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
• 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
  

Instructions

1. Pull meat off chicken and dice into bite-size pieces.
2. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Discard skin and bones or place in saucepan with chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook about 20 minutes. Strain, discarding skin and bones.
4. Refrigerate broth and discard fat from top. (This is optional; you can use plain chicken broth.)
5. Put 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet. Working in batches if necessary, add tortilla strips and cook until lightly brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
6. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, cover, reduce heat and cook about 10 minutes, until softened.
7. Uncover and add garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Increase heat to medium.
8. Add tomatoes and about half the tortilla strips. Add the broth, then bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
9. Puree in the pot using an immersion blender, or in a countertop blender in batches, working carefully.
10. Return soup to stove over medium heat. Stir in chicken.
11. To serve, place a few tortilla strips in a bowl. Top with soup, then garnish with lime wedges, cilantro, cheese and avocado.