Chicken Tortilla Soup (Veggie-Loaded!)

This hearty recipe for homemade chicken tortilla soup is my family's favorite soup! Made with a slew of colorful veggies, black beans, canned green chiles, shredded chicken breast, and cream cheese for creaminess, it's truly a meal in a bowl. Filling enough for dinner and leftovers taste even better! Top with tons of crunchy tortilla chips, duh.

📝 Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp mild chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups frozen or canned corn
• 1 cup mild chunky salsa
• 1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 5oz cans diced green chiles
• 1 lb chicken breast (2 medium-sized breasts)*
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 oz cream cheese

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Set out cream cheese to come to room temperature. Warm olive oil in a large pot (I use my Dutch oven) over medium heat. Once hot, add onion, pepper, and carrot and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt and pepper and cook 1 more minute.
2. 2Add corn, salsa, beans, chiles, chicken, and broth. Bring to a gentle boil then reduce heat to low and simmer (covered) for 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked (internal chicken temp should be 165F). Remove from heat.
3. 3Transfer the chicken to a shallow bowl to let it cool down a bit. Use two forks (or your hands) to shred it. Return to pot.
4. 4Stir in shredded cheese and cream cheese (cream cheese will take a bit longer to stir into soup). The soup will get thicker as it sits. Serve garnished with tortilla chips, cilantro and avocado if you fancy!