Chicken Tortilla Soup

Jamie has a cold, so I wanted to make him a warm soup to make him feel better - and I also love soup and the weather is cold and rainy, so I was in the mood. He requested chicken tortilla soup - one of my favorites. It's not too tricky to make and it's so flavorful and also pretty healthy. This recipe serves 6-8, so we'll be eating it for lunch for a while too, but I don't mind. I definitely suggest making this soup this week to ward off the fall dampness creeping in.

Ingredients:
3 large bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
olive oil
1-2 tbsp canola oil
2 yellow onions, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 quarts chicken stock
1 28oz can whole tomatoes, crushed
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
2 minced jalapenos
4 gloves garlic, minced
4 corn tortillas, cut in strips
1 bunch cilantro, rinsed (half the bunch, including stems, minced, other have roughly chopped for topping)



to top: avocado, tortilla chips or strips, cilantro, grated cheese, radish slices, lime wedges, sliced jalapeno

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Put chicken breasts on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper and roast until cooked, about 40 minutes. (You can toast the tortilla strips at the same time - toss with a teeny bit of oil.) Heat 1-2 tbsp of oil in a large soup pot. Add onions and carrots and saute until soft and starting to brown (8-10 minutes). Add garlic and spices and stir for 30 seconds, then add tomatoes, chicken stock, jalapenos, 1/2 cilantro (the minced part), and tortilla strips. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer about half an hour or until the tortilla strips are mostly dissolved. Meanwhile, discard the chicken skin and shred the breast meat. Add to soup and season to taste, adding more salt, pepper, or chipotle depending how you like it. Serve with slices of avocado, cilantro, cheese, tortilla chips (or strips), radish slices, sliced jalapenos, and lime wedges. Enjoy!