SANTA FE-TASTIC CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

Santa Fe-Tastic Chicken Tortilla Soup image

Provided by DinnerDiva in OK

Time 35m

Yield 4 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 22

vegetable oil, plus
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 ears corn on the cob
1 red bell pepper, split and seeded
1 lb chicken breast tenders
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1/3 palm full
1 teaspoon cumin, 1/3 palm full
salt and pepper
1 medium zucchini, small dice
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 -2 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped (medium to hot heat level)
1 (28 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 cups chicken stock
4 cups blue corn tortilla chips, broken up into large pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or 1 cup monterey jack pepper cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 raw red onion, chopped
2 -3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or 2 -3 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
1 ripe avocado, diced and dressed with
1/2 lemon, juice of

Steps:

Heat a grill pan to high and a soup pot to medium high.
Drizzle oil on corn and place on grill. Add red pepper to grill with corn. Char vegetables 10 minutes, total, turning occasionally. Remove to cool, 5 minutes.
Remove charred skin from the pepper.
While vegetables cook, dice chicken. Add 2 tablespoons oil to hot soup pot. Add chicken to pot. Season with poultry seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper. Lightly brown chicken on each side. Add zucchini, onions and garlic and chipotle peppers. Cook vegetables with chicken 5 to 7 minutes to soften. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and stock.
Bring soup to a bubble, reduce heat to medium low.
Scrape corn off cob and add to soup.
Chop grilled red pepper and stir into soup.
Can simmer for about an hour or serve right away. This just gets better with time.
Add chips to soup in handfuls and stir.
Serve soup immediately with scatter of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.
Top with any or all of the suggested garnishes. Best with big chunks of avacado.