Best Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe You Can Make Ahead and Freeze

What's for dinner?

Our customers bestowed the honor of best chicken tortilla soup on this recipe! It's full of flavor, hearty and healthy. Use light ingredients for a low-fat version and the slow cooker or crock-pot when you are crunched for time. Of course, it's a make ahead meal!

The Make Ahead Meals Philosophy

Package the ingredients in the serving size that meets your needs (we show you how to "split" a six-serving portion of soup below.) Another option is to assemble and cook a large batch of soup and freeze individual portions. Make ahead recipes allow you to take control of your time by preparing foods you love when you have time and enjoying them with minimal preparation.

See more tips and feedback from our customers below the recipe.

Gather the following ingredients and prepare them as indicated:

• 2-3 cups Chicken, cooked, diced or shredded
• 1 cup Onion, diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced or crushed
• 2 teaspoons Chili powder
• 1 teaspoon Oregano
• 3 cups Crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup Corn, drained or frozen (no need to defrost)
• 1 cup White hominy, drained
• 1/4 cup Mild green chili peppers
• 2 cups Black Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
• 2 cups of chicken stock or chicken base

Optional toppings to use on serving day:

• Tortilla chips
• Shredded cheese
• Sour Cream
• Sliced Avocado
• Green onions

1. Place an empty ziplock bag in a cylinder. Add the following ingredients to the empty ziplock bag:

2. Stir contents of ziplock bag with spoon.

3. Follow cooking directions below to enjoy this entree now.

4. To freeze the soup and enjoy later, seal the bag tightly, removing excess air.

5. Place the ziplock bag with the contents inside another ziplock bag for extra protection.

6. Print and cut the cooking directions below. Place the cooking directions between the ziplock bags.

7. Freeze ziplock bags in a flat position for efficient storage and so the soup will defrost quickly. (See picture.)

Best Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Instructions: Thaw in refrigerator for approx. 36 hours. Put soup mixture in cooking pot. (If cooking base was used add 2 cups of water for full serving and 1 cup for a half serving.) Bring to a slow boil and then simmer on low for approx. 15 minutes.

Serving Suggestions: Sprinkle with crushed tortillas and other toppings as desired...cheese, green onions, sour cream, avocado.

Servings:_____________________

Preparation date:______________________________

The #1 question that came up at our store for this recipe: What is hominy? The answer: It is corn with the germ and hull removed through a process that traditionally involves boiling the corn in a lye solution so the hulls can be easily washed away under running water. The hominy is served whole or can be ground. Hominy is served as a vegetable or a cereal (aka hominy grits.)

• Use whole wheat tortilla chips and low-fat toppings for the healthiest recipe.
• This recipe is great with leftover rotisserie chicken, roasted chicken, etc.
• Make up the recipe, except for the chicken, and freeze it. Add chicken after you have defrosted it to use up leftover chicken.
• We often use chicken base instead of chicken stock because you only need to add water at the time of preparation and it reduces the mass that is frozen. Either option works fine. Or, you can make a note and add the chicken stock when you are ready to cook it.
• Leave out the chicken and use vegetable stock for a very tasty vegetarian soup.
• Use the slow-cooker or crock-pot for serving. Add all ingredients (except for the toppings) and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
• The corn, white hominy and tortilla topping make this a South Beach Phase II dish.
• Onions will soften during the cooking process. Saute in a little olive oil to soften in advance of assembly, if desired.
• Use a garlic press for quick preparation of fresh garlic.
• Substitute fresh herbs for dried herbs using a 3:1 ratio of fresh to dried.
• Consume with 2-3 months of freezing for the best quality. Soup freezes really well and you will probably be able to store it even longer.