This hearty and healthy chicken tortilla soup has all of your favorite southwestern flavors. It's topped with crumbled chips and avocado, and has a nice spicy kick.
Place chicken breasts in a large mixing bowl and season with garlic powder, chili powder, salt, pepper, parsley, and olive oil. Mix until well combined.
Transfer the chicken breasts to a baking dish in a single layer.
Bake for 35 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken breasts.
In the meantime, work on the soup; heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot set over medium-low heat.
Add the onions, carrots, and parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
Cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently.
Stir in the bell peppers, jalapeño, and garlic, and continue to cook for another 4 to 5 minutes or until the peppers are tender.
Remove the cooked chicken from the oven; let it rest for a few minutes then cut it into cubes or shred it.
Transfer the chicken to the soup pot.
Stir in the tomatoes and black beans and season with chili powder, paprika, and cumin.
Add the chicken stock and bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat.
Turn down to a simmer and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Taste for salt and pepper; adjust accordingly.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish it with tortilla chips and avocado slices.
Chicken: This recipe involves cooking raw chicken breasts, but you can skip that step and use cooked rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked and diced chicken breasts.
Chicken Broth: One of my delicious secrets when making soup is to use homemade broth. However, you can use whatever broth you have on hand, including vegetable broth. Also, if you like a brothier soup, add more than the suggested amount of liquid.
Spice: I like a kick of spice in my soup, so I added jalapeños and chili powder, but if you want a milder soup, dial back on those ingredients. You can also add more of them if you want extra heat.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for 6 months.
Reheat on the stove over medium heat or in the microwave on 80% power in 20-second increments.
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.