Chicken Tortilla Soup

     I love Mexican food and living in Southern California I am constantly exposed to it.  Chicken tortilla soup has been on my to do list for a while.  I can never order it in a restaurant because it frequently has a tomato base and tomatoes floating around in it.  I researched many recipes for chicken tortilla soup and it can be made many ways including leaving out the chicken.
     I started with a can of condensed of bean and bacon soup as a way of introducing some added texture, some fiber and there is some tomato in the base of the soup but not enough to cause my acid reflux or gastritis to be upset.  As with all recipes with beans, I also include some ground savory to conteract the gas you can get after eating beans.
     The two chicken breasts I used were from a purchased roasted chicken at the grocery store.  I'm a big fan of these chickens.  Frequently they cost less than the fresh chickens, they are already cooked and seasoned so all you have to do is pull them off the bone and away from the skin.  The remaining chicken can be used for something else.  If no one in your household likes dark meat then you are going to have to cook the chicken breasts.

                                                                     Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 11-1/2 oz can condensed bean and bacon soup
2 14.5 oz. cans vegetable broth
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut in bite-size cubes
1 cup peeled and sliced carrots
1/2 tsp. ground savory
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
2 corn tortillas
1 avocado
3 tblsp. chopped cilantro
sour cream if you aren't lactose intolerant
tortilla chips

     Combine the first nine ingredients in a crock pot and simmer on low if you are going to be gone all day or on high if you plan to eat in a few hours.  This can be done on the stove top if you want to eat within the hour.
     About 10 minutes before serving, cut the tortillas into strips 1/2 inch by 2 inches and stir gently into the soup.
     This will make 3-4 bowls of soup depending on the size of bowl you use.  Garnish with avocado, chopped cilantro and sour cream if you aren't lactose intolerant.  This is one time when the garnish is more than just to make the soup look attractive.  Mixing the avocado and cilantro especially into the soup as you eat it really enhances the flavor, unless, of course, if you don't like avocado or cilantro.
Serve with tortilla chips.
     Next week I will be sharing my recipe for chicken pot pie.  My husband, who has no eating disabilities and is an expert, he says, on what a good chicken pot pie is, has proclaimed mine to be delicious.  Now what better compliment could I ask for?
     See you next time.