Chicken Tortilla Soup

In a large pot, add the chicken and water to cover – about 8 cups. This is the base broth for the soup. Add the salt and pepper and 1/2 of the sliced onion. Cook on low to medium heat until cooked and tender, about 45 minutes. Remove chicken and strain the broth into a bowl to use a little later in the process.

Add 2 Tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil to the chicken pot. Dice the other onion half and the seeded jalapeno peppers and saute until tender. Add can of Ro-Tel Tomato, New Mexican Green Chile Powder, Aleppo Pepper, 2 cans of chicken broth and the chicken broth made from the chicken breasts. Simmer about 10 minutes. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the soup pot. Add the cilantro and heavy cream and simmer until soup is hot. Salt to taste before serving.

While the soup is simmering, add 2 Tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil to a small fry pan. Slice the tortillas into strips and when the oil is hot, fry the strips until crispy. Use these as a crunchy topping.

Serve with shredded cheese, crispy tortilla strips and avocado slices, sour cream and green onions.