Chicken Tortilla Soup

If you're feeling lazy or pressed for time, you can always skip frying the tortilla strips and substitute store-bought tortilla chips, instead. But it's not the same.

Ingredients:
about 1/2 cup canola oil
about a dozen corn tortillas - depending on how many strips you want to fry
1 onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (okay, if you are feeling even lazier, get the kind already seasoned with onions and garlic, and skip the step where you saute the onions and garlic)
8 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups of corn, frozen is fine
1 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
4 skinless chicken breast halves, or even thighs
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
juice from 1 lime
For garnish: diced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream or plain yogurt

Use your big soup pot for everything.

Cut at least 6 tortillas into strips and fry them, in batches if necessary, until golden brown in a few tablespoons of oil. Drain on some paper towels and salt to taste. You'll probably want to fry extra to compensate for the ones that other people will try to sneak before dinner.

Heat more oil in the same pot and saute the onions first, then add the garlic. Tear 3 or 4 more tortillas into pieces and toss them into the pot, too.

Now add about half of the chopped cilantro (you'll use the rest for garnish), the tomatoes (including the juice), chicken stock, cumin, and chili powder. Bring to a boil. Add the corn, chicken, and cayenne. Now simmer the chicken for about 20 minutes, or until fully cooked. Remove the chicken; set aside to cool. Take the soup off the heat.

When the chicken is sufficiently cool, shred the meat and return it to the pot. Add the lime juice and adjust spices, if necessary.

Reheat the soup and serve garnished with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream or plain yogurt, and extra cilantro.