Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup with 
Avocado-Scallion Garnish & Sour Cream

We had a leftover container of sour cream in fridge that had been staring me down for a couple of days. I searched in vain for creative uses for sour cream. And then this happened - chicken tortilla soup. It was brilliant! A dollop of sour cream made this one truly remarkable. 

ingredients:

1/2 large white onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

1.5 tsp cumin

pinch red pepper flakes

1 tsp paprika

.5 tsp cayenne powder

1/2 can diced tomatoes, with juice
3 corn tortillas, finely chopped

1 can black beans

8 oz shredded chicken (we used a rotisserie chicken from safeway, but our beer can chicken would work really well here)
1 can chicken stock

1 bunch scallions, chopped

1/2 avocado, diced
~6 tbsp sour cream

salt & pepper, to taste
yield: 3 servings

1. in a large pot, saute onion & pepper in olive oil until onion begins to soften

2. add garlic & spices to onion mixture. saute until onions brown, stirring occasionally

3. add tomatoes & juice. stir to combine.

4. add corn tortillas, stir to combine & cook until the tortillas soften & take on a reddish-brown color.

5. add black beans, chicken & chicken stock. bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, cook for about 10-15 minutes.

6. taste & adjust to desired heat level (I found this soup at this point to have quite a kick. I added about 3/4 cup water & 1/2 tsp honey to counter-balance the spices).

7. serve with chopped scallions & avocado. a dollop of sour cream makes the meal complete!