Chicken Tortilla Soup

Happy December everyone!  Do you have all your Christmas shopping done?  I'm about half done, and the only reason it's not all done is because I don't know what to get the remaining people.  So I'm stressing out a little.  Anyway, since I have to drive a ways to get to a mall, and/or any type of shopping, I often find myself eating a meal out while I'm on the go.  There just so happens to be a certain grocery store that sells chicken tortilla soup at their salad bar occasionally, and I absolutely love it.  Sometimes I'll even buy extra and freeze it so I can have it for lunch another time.

So, for a couple of years now I've been trying to find or come up with a similar recipe.  It's been a while since I've had it last, so I'm not really sure how close I've come to their particular soup, however this recipe turned out to be really good also.  One of the things I love most about this soup is that it's filling, which is always what I'm looking for when I have soup for lunch.  We all enjoyed it for dinner with a grilled cheese sandwich the other night.  The boys both really liked the soup as well - it's tasty and it hits the spot.  So now all I need to do is get my hands on the one from the store and do a comparison to see how close I came.  Either way, I'm keeping this soup recipe and I'll definitely be making it again in the future!

Chicken Tortilla Soup (adapted from Tasty Kitchen)

2 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic salt & pepper seasoning
1 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup green pepper, diced
1/4 red pepper, diced
2 tsp garlic, minced
1, 14oz can tomatoes & green chilies
32 oz chicken stock
2 cups hot water
3 tbsp tomato paste
1, 15oz can black beans, rinsed & drained
3 tbsp cornmeal mixed with a little water
Olive oil 
Salt & Pepper

Combine the chili powder, cumin, and garlic salt seasoning in a small bowl.  Sprinkle a little on the chicken, then cook your chicken until no longer pink in the middle - I just put a little olive oil in a pan and cooked it on the stove top, or you can cook it on a baking sheet in the oven at 375 for about 25 minutes.  Once the chicken is cooked, shred it with two forks and set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium-low heat.  Add your onion, green peppers and red peppers and saute for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook another minute.  Add the tomatoes & green chilies, chicken, chicken stock, tomato paste, water and black beans.  Stir to combine, then bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.  Add the cornmeal mixed with water, stir and simmer for another 30 minutes.  Taste and add more seasoning to adjust to your preferences if needed .  Cover and turn off heat and let it set for 15 minutes.  Would be yummy to serve with the following garnishes:  Tortilla strips, diced red onion, sour cream, grated Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro or avocado.