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This recipe was pulled off of the internet back when the internet was noisy. Lol! For about two decades, my mom, my cousins Laura and Pamela, and I would meet up with one another for lunch, and most of the time we would go to Applebee’s. I remember one afternoon, my cousin Laura was raving over Applebee’s Chicken Tortilla Soup. I had it myself, and I did enjoy it. Still, I thought, “Man, I can do better than this!” Lol! So, I went online and plugged the following into my browser, “easy chicken tortilla soup” because at the time, I was a very busy taxi mom, delivering my boys to football, basketball, baseball, wrestling, golf, and their fundraisers. I searched for one pan dinner recipes, which I could serve with bread, and in this case it was tortillas. One of the reasons I used this recipe is because it was convenient. There were ways to tweak it and make it my own if I wanted to. There are so many ways to make this soup. I will include the general recipe, and then add some variations that I have used over the years due to time constraints or dietary changes.

First, you have to decide what type of chicken to use. You can use boneless, skinless chicken if you prefer, but remember that this version will not get the goodness inherent in boiling bone-in chicken for stock, so include chicken stock, and maybe some chicken bullion as needed, if you choose. I prefer to use bone-in chicken breast. There are also several different ways to season your chicken. The ingredients I list below are easy to find at most stores, and I do this for practical purposes. This recipe should feed 5-8 people, give or take a few. There are ways to reduce the serving size as well, just reduce the amount of ingredients. 

Ingredients: 

• 6 bone-in chicken breast halves
• 16 oz. bag of frozen corn
• 26 oz. black beans (canned or fresh, depending on what’s on hand)
• 26 oz. of pinto beans
• One 16 oz. jar of salsa
• One medium onion
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 3 Tbsp. of Goya seasoning
• 2 packets of Sazon seasoning
• 1 Tbsp. of cumin
• 2 Tbsp. of pink Himalayan salt, or your choice
• 1 Tbsp. of pepper 
• 8 to 16 oz. of rice, preferably Mexican rice but you can use any type of rice. 
• 6-10 cilantro stems

Cooking the chicken: 

So, there are a few ways to get your chicken prepared. If you’re an insanely busy mom like I was when I was younger, you can stop and grab a rotisserie chicken from any hot food counter, and use that. My suggestion is to boil your chicken, so you can use the stock you get from it. The flavor of your soup, and virtually anything you make will always be so much better by boiling bone-in chicken. However, I do understand time constraints and busy schedules, so move accordingly. My next suggestion is to marinade the chicken, if you have time, because it adds flavor and contributes to its tenderness. You could also find your chicken pre marinated, again just saving time. Once you have your chicken seasoned and ready for the pot, there are different variations you can use to start this dish. You can boil it in a stock pot, like in traditional recipes or you can use your slow cooker which will require some adjustments, or maybe you’re using an instapot? Honestly, I don’t have one of those nifty things, so I can’t speak to it. Lol! There are lots of choices for how to prepare your chicken. 

The Guts:

Add the chicken to the pot, and boil for 30-45 minutes or until the chicken falls off the bone. You have to debone all of the chicken, and add it back to the pan. Now, you want to add your corn since it’s frozen. You can use a can of corn, if that’s all you have or what you prefer because I have used a few methods. My husband and I have a fairly large garden, and we were fortunate enough to have our own corn on hand by freezing it so I used that. Now, you want to add your beans. You can use any type of bean, but I prefer pinto beans and black beans, myself. Here you also want to add all of the dry seasonings on the list, in addition to the onions, garlic, and jar of salsa. I always use my mom’s salsa recipe for this, but if I do not have it on hand, I will use my next best choice. Put this on medium heat, and bring to a boil after about 15 to 20 minutes. Now add your rice and cilantro. Put the stems on the top of the soup and allow them to float the boil. Allow everything to meld by simmering an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Pull off cilantro before serving. 

Serving your soup:

I prefer to serve my soup with flour tortillas or corn chips, or I get unlazy and fry flour strips. I also provide a serving area with sour cream, cheese, onions, jalapenos, or other preferred toppings to pick from. Personally, I like sliced limes and avocados. There’s been a few times when I ran out of broth, so I used the bulk of the soup as a topping, and made homemade botanas. This recipe can be transformed into virtually anything you are looking for, you just have to be creative. I also think cornbread, specifically jalapeno cornbread would also go very well with this dish. I truly hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I have.