savory sunday // chicken tortilla soup

Today I'm gonna show you how I make my chicken tortilla soup. This is one of my very favorites because a) it's delicious b) it's FAST and EASY and c) it's freezing here and this warms me up.Here's what you'll need:2 Tbsp olive oil2 cups shredded chicken (I get mine from a rotisserie chicken from the store)2 cloves garlic1 small onion1 can of crushed tomatoes (I like fire roasted)1 quart chicken stock1/4 tsp cumin (heaping full if you like it like I do)1/4 tsp some sort of red chili powder depending on your love of heat1 lime (optional)1 avocado (optional, but if you don't like avocado are you sure we are friends??)tortilla chips (optional)handful of cilantro (optional)Begin by heating the olive oil in the pan while you dice the onions and garlic.Then stir them into the pan and cook for 5-10  minutes or until they are soft.Next, add your spices to the onion mix and let that cook for about one minute to infuse the onions with the flavor. I learned that trick from my dear mother.Once the onions are soft and infused with yummy spices, add in the can of tomatoes, the chicken broth and the chicken meat.Try not to knock over the cumin when you do this. Oops.Stir it all up and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.While it's cooking, you should pet the dog. Or set the table. Or make your kids set the table.Also, if you are NOT using the tortilla chips, you should add salt to taste.And viola! That's it! I dish it up, squeeze in some fresh lime juice, add some avocado and sprinkle with cilantro. If you want it thick and tortilla-like, you can crumble some chips into the soup here and stir them in, which is delicious. But don't mix them in the pot! Only the bowl! If you mix them in the pot and then you have leftovers it becomes a thick, goopy slop. Nobody wants that.Without the chips, a bowl of this soup is about 194 calories. And yes, that includes the avocado (yay!).