Chicken Tortilla Soup I Made It Ii

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Cosmicmother 4 years ago
~Made for January 2020's "Bean and Legume" Recipe Challenge~

Chicken Tortilla Soup by Icecreamuffin

I was searching and searching for chicken and bean recipes and finally settled on a tortilla soup. I saw that Mommyluvs2cook made this and loved it so I had to try!
I've never seen a tortilla soup recipe with rice before, and thought that was a good thing-- so it would fill up my "always-hungry" men of the family! I followed the recipe to spec with the exception of using 5 tiny chicken thighs (1lb total) instead of the 2 chicken breasts called for. And one 19oz can of black beans instead of two cans, which I assumed were probably the smaller cans.
Once the soup had simmered, after adding the chicken back in, I added the rice and cilantro last. (The rice had finished cooking earlier and sat at room temp.) I then served the soup immediately, which is the first picture. Nice and soupy, but thick and chunky. The second picture shows what happened after sitting for 20 minutes in the pot (off heat and covered). The rice soaked up all the liquid! It was still good that way though, but it certainly was more of a rice bowl than a soup. I would either add more liquid to it, or use less rice next time. Or perhaps not add the rice to the soup, rather spoon it into the bowls first. Or maybe instead of tomato paste in the recipe use a large can of crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes for the added liquid? But we didn't mind the rice bowl! ;)
I didn't make the seasoned tortilla strips in the recipe, I just served it with some whole grain tortilla chips that I needed to use up (also added a little sprinkle of cheddar and Monterey jack). But since I was missing the chili powder and garlic seasoning from the tortilla strips, I added those seasonings to the soup as I found it a bit bland. I also added more of the same spices that were rubbed on the chicken (cumin, paprika, coriander, salt and pepper). It definitely needed the extra seasonings, but perhaps I didn't add enough to the chicken in the beginning. Otherwise a great soup, or rice bowl! ;)
Flag
LindaLMT 4 years ago said:

Beautiful picture Shona but Yikes that the rice soaked up all the broth in such a short time. Maybe just add the rice per bowl when serving. The recipe looks good! Good to know about the seasoning. I like a well season tortilla soup.

Flag
Cosmicmother 4 years ago said:

Thanks Linda! I know, right? I thought I might have mistook the rice for 1 cup cooked instead of dry--but nope, I had the right amount! Perhaps chilled rice wouldn't have soaked up as much liquid? In any event, adding some rice per bowl like you mentioned is probably the best way to go. :)

Flag
DIZ3 4 years ago said:

Great photos, Cosmicmother! It looks really good! I'm always up for Mexican food. I have a hamburger soup recipe that uses rice. It does the same thing. The rice absorbs all of the liquid the longer it sits. Sometimes I will add water when reheating and other times I look at it has a hearty stew.

Flag
Cosmicmother 4 years ago said:

Thanks Diz! :)
My DH preferred it really thick, he could eat rice everyday and be quite happy. He also has a hard time considering soup as "dinner", Lol...so he appreciated it! ;)

Flag
eastcoaster 4 years ago said:

Lovely photo Shona. Adding rice or pasta to soup is tricky isn’t it?
I always cook the pasta or rice separate unless I’m making a small pot just for hubby and I. I find cooking it in the soup it does soak up the liquid. Cooking it separate helps if there are leftovers, even if the recipes calls for adding it in I don’t. Just personal preference:))))
It does look delicious😋 .

Flag
mommyluvs2cook 4 years ago said:

Glad you enjoyed it too Shona!! Its not mentioned in my review so not completely sure, but I think I would have added the rice to the bowls then ladled the soup on top, that's what I do with most soups calling for rice. Your picture is making me want a bowl of this right now!!

Flag