Chicken Tortilla Soup

I've been making this soup for over a year. One day my mom decided she wanted a chicken tortilla soup and tossed ingredients into the pot and cooked it. I LOVED the soup and asked for the recipe so my mom had to remember what she'd put in the soup so she could write the recipe down. I still have the index card with the ingredients, but I've made it so often I don't measure or look at the recipe any more. I've tweaked it since the original, but it's mostly the same.


Here is my Chicken Tortilla Soup 

(There are two onions because all I had this day was small onions, and I used more than the one can of chicken broth shown)
Ingredients
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
cooking oil
1 tps cumin
1 tsp chili powder
sprinkle of dried pepper flakes
salt to taste
pepper to taste
3-4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded (or cubed if you prefer)
1 (15 oz.) can sweet corn, drained
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes (plain or tomatoes with green chilies)
16-20 oz chicken broth or stock
Toppings:
sour cream
tortilla chips
shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
In a large pot cook onions and garlic in oil until unions become transparent. Add in spices and stir. Add corn, black beans, tomatoes, and chicken stock or broth. Simmer together until warm.
Hint: the longer you simmer the more the flavors blend. 


Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream, crumbled tortilla chips, and shredded cheese. 

Enjoy!