Two years ago, Mr. CG and I were dining at our favorite local Mexican food restaurant.  He ordered the chicken tortilla soup.  I tried it for the first time, and fell in love.  All the flavor of a delicious taco, in a bowl, but healthier and lower in calories ?  Sign me up, señor.  Since the restaurant was reluctant to share their recipe, I spent over a year trying to capture the same flavor by tweaking my own recipe for sopa de tortilla de pollo.

On a cold winter day, there’s nothing I want more than a hot bowl of soup  And a nap.  But the latter is not happening.  Here’s my recipe for ‘taco in a bowl’.  It’s yummy yummy to your tummy.  Muy bueno.  Enjoy.

Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup

Pantry (Dry) Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Four 14 oz. cans chicken broth (or equivalent with bullion)

1 package taco seasoning

1 tbsp red taco sauce (mild or medium)*

4 oz. can diced green chiles (mild or medium)

6 oz. can tomato paste

8 oz. petite diced tomatoes – half the can and completely optional

3/4 tsp ground cumin

*add another tbsp taco sauce if you like it spicy

Fresh Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

14 oz. water

1 medium onion – finely diced

1.5 cups diced celery

1.5 cups diced carrots

1.5 cups roasted or frozen kernel corn

4 corn tortillas

1 cup shredded jack cheese

Sliced avocado (optional, if available)

Fresh cilantro (optional)

Start by dicing your onion, celery, and carrot.  In a large pot or dutch oven, soften your onion, celery and chiles in 1 tbsp vegetable oil for 3 – 4 minutes on medium low heat.

Add chicken broth, and then fill one can with 14 more ounces of water and add to pot.

Add carrots, corn, tomato paste, taco sauce, and cumin.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then reduce heat to low. 

Meanwhile, coat your chicken breasts in taco seasoning.

Grill chicken breasts on an indoor grill or a panini maker for 6 to 8 minutes.  You can also broil in your oven for the same amount of time, but to me, the grilled chicken tastes better.

Once cooked, dice your chicken into chunks, then toss into soup pot.

Cook soup on low for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ten minutes before your soup is done (or before you intend to serve) thinly slice your corn tortillas.

Toss in pan with 1 tbsp vegetable oil, and stir on medium heat until lightly browned.

Soup can be made one day in advance, stored in fridge and reheated.  Serve hot by garnishing with fresh corn tortilla strips, shredded jack cheese and fresh avocado slices (if available).

Other optional garnishes: fresh chopped cilantro, squeeze of lime, sour cream, or diced fresh tomatoes.

One note on ingredients:  If celery, or diced tomatoes, or corn is not your thing, then simply leave it out.  No worries, amiga.  The great ‘taco’ flavor comes from the combination of the liquid ingredients and the dry seasonings.

This recipe serves six.  Total calories per serving: 300 including garnish of cheese and tortilla strips.  Add another 60 calories per serving for the avocado.  But it’s worth it.

Quiero sopa de tortilla de pollo.  Y usted?

My criteria?  It’s gotta be easy to make.  So here’s my recipe for a good ol’ bowl of home cooked chowda.  Potatoes + Corn + Cream + Butter + Thyme = Yum. 

I made this again last night.  Oh boy is it good. 

Your thighs won’t thank you.  Your stomach will. 

Recipe: Easy Potato & Corn Chowder with Bacon Crumble

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 inch pat of butter

1 small yellow onion (or 1/2 large yellow onion)

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

6 medium yellow potatoes

3/4 teaspoon thyme (or sprig of fresh thyme)

1/2 tsp white pepper

Salt to taste

1  1/2 cups frozen corn

2 cups half & half

Dash tabasco or hot sauce (optional)

Crumbled bacon

Sour cream topping (optional)

Heat olive oil and butter in pan.  Dice your onion very fine and soften in butter/oil mixture for 8 – 10 minutes on medium low heat.  Meanwhile peel your yellow potatoes and chop them into small cubes.  Add chicken broth to your softened onions and bring to a boil.  Add potatoes and thyme and cook on medium heat (low boil) for 15 minutes until potatoes are soft. 

If you have one of these blender babies, you’re in luck.  I use mine to break up the taters and make them all soft and chowder like.  If you don’t have one, then pour half of your cooked soup into a heat safe blender and give it a good whirl. 

If you have neither, that’s fine too.  You’ll just have more chunky chowder.  Cooking your soup a little longer than the recipe will help to soften your taters without the blender option.

Now add your frozen corn and your half & half, white pepper and salt to taste.  Mix it all together.  Let it simmer for another 5 minutes.  If you like spice, give it a dash of hot sauce or tabasco sauce for kick.  Just a dash !   

Mmmm, a hint spicy.   Me likey. 

Add a dollop of sour cream and some bacon crumble and you’ve got yourself a happy home.  And a happy stomach.

Perhaps some unhappy thighs, but who cares.  It’s comfort food.  Enjoy !

I’m linking up with Rhoda’s Recipe Party.  Join us !

Now you know I love a good transformation.  Especially one where a raw bland object with hidden potential gets transformed into sweet and sassy goodness.  And I’m a sucker for a great before and after.  It must be why I love how a yellow onion becomes the most savory gourmet delight in an hour. 

I have a serious love affair with caramelized onions.  I could eat them on my scrambled eggs, over potatoes, on steaks, over flatbread, and always with cheese. Glorious oozing melting cheese.  They are one of those culinary delights that make a germ sensitive mom like me lick her fingers without any regret.

And with my caramelized onions, I make the most fabulous French Onion Soup.

Onions and apples, squash and sage.  Fall cooking is pure comfort food.  My caramelized onions find their way into plenty of hors d’oeuvres and light meals.  For special guests and occasions, they go one step further and become the ultimate first course. 

Simple Caramelized Onions

Caramelized onions couldn’t be easier.  To start, grab a bag of yellow onions from the local store.  I cook up an entire 10 pound bag in two pots. 

Slice them up in small strips. 

There will be an opportunity at the end to share your secrets to cutting onions and avoiding tears.  Mine is simply this little food processing tool.  It does all the dirty work for me.  Confession: I fell prey to one of those late night infomercials several years ago.

Melt a stick of unsalted butter in your pot, and add two teaspoons of cooking oil.  Am I alone in this, or do you also find melting butter rather attractive?  I do.  Hence, the photo. 

Add four to five pounds of sliced onions to your pot, and stir every few minutes for about 45 minutes.  Once your onions start to brown, watch them so that they don’t burn.  Then observe the magic happening.  The natural sugars buried deep inside transform during the cooking process to become your best culinary friend.   

Once they are a rich caramel color, I like to add about 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.  Then I reduce them in the liquid for about 10 more minutes.  When they’re done, I spoon them into jars for future use, and I refrigerate.  ** Author’s note after several comments:  They will keep in a cold fridge for up to two weeks.

Use them in this Cranberry and Cream Cheese appetizer recipe from Southern Living.

   Image: Southern Living

Or drizzle them with cheese over a baked potato in this recipe from Cooking Light at MyRecipes.com.

Image: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Or try Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Cornbread.

Image: Smitten Kitchen

This next recipe is my own time tested version of French Onion Soup.  It has the simplest ingredients, and is almost too easy to justify it’s amazing flavor. 

French Onion Soup for Eight:

1. 5 lbs yellow onions, thinly sliced in strips
2. 1 stick unsalted butter
3. 2 tsp vegetable oil
4. 1.5 cups dry sherry
5. Four 14 oz. cans low sodium chicken broth (or 8 cups)
6. 6 oz. gruyere cheese (or similar style of cheese)
7. Sliced sourdough rounds

Melt butter in pan and add oil.  Cook onions over medium low heat for approximately 50 minutes until caramelized (see above).  Add dry sherry and bring to a boil.  Reduce for 5 minutes.  Add chicken broth and simmer soup on low for another 45 to 50 minutes.

Entertainer’s tip:  If preparing in advance, then cover and refrigerate earlier in the day.  Later, you can bring the soup to simmer, then spoon soup into ramekins or soup bowls. 

These miniature Brunswick Soup Pots I picked up for $4 each at Crate + Barrel last year.  This year’s version comes in creamy white.  They’re oven-safe and make a nice homey presentation for your family or dinner guests. 

Cut your sourdough crouton by turning the soup bowl upside down and carving a perfect size round.  Lightly toast to achieve browned edge. 

Layer with a few slices of gruyere or similar style cheese.

Place on a baking dish under low broiler for 3 to 4 minutes to allow cheese to melt.  Serve hot to table.

On a crisp autumn evening, there is nothing like the bubbling goodness of melted gruyere over a sourdough crouton in a soup bowl. 

And as any lover of French Onion soup knows, the best part is the moment your spoon hits the cheese and penetrates that sourdough crouton.  It’s magical. 

I like to serve mine with sliced pear and some additional cheese.  Très élégant.  Add some extra bread and a glass of red, and it’s a little piece of heaven.

I once served it to my in-laws and watched their eyes roll back in their heads. 

Here’s a final touch.  Send your guests home with their own little jar of your own savory concoction, with a personalized label.  You’ll kill ‘em if you include a recipe for them to recreate the soup later in the week.  Translation: “Why yes, I am the perfect hostess, thank you very much.” 

How many of you know and love the Soupe à l’Oignon?   What secrets can you share about cutting onions without crying a river of tears?