The crunch happens at the table, not in the pot.
Six cups of broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, a small can of green chilies, black beans, frozen corn, cumin and chili powder. Simmer it, then stir in three cups of rotisserie chicken and let it warm five minutes.
Tortilla strips in one bowl, shredded cheese in another, avocado sliced, a lime cut into wedges. Put all four out before you leave and a nine o'clock bowl still tastes like somebody made it on purpose.
Ingredients
The recipe serves 6. Plan on 10 minutes to reheat (soup cooked earlier).
- 3 cups cooked shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Toppings: tortilla strips, shredded cheese, avocado, lime
How to Make It
- Earlier: combine the broth, tomatoes, green chilies, black beans, corn, cumin, and chili powder in a pot and simmer 20 minutes.
- Stir in the shredded chicken and warm 5 minutes until heated through.
- Cool the soup and refrigerate it in the pot.
- After practice, reheat a bowl until steaming hot, then add tortilla strips, cheese, avocado, and a squeeze of lime.
Do the Slow Part Early
Use a rotisserie chicken and simmer the soup earlier, so after practice you only reheat and top. The crunchy toppings go on fresh at the table.
- Shred the rotisserie chicken and simmer the soup in the afternoon
- Set out the tortilla strips, cheese, and lime before you leave
- Cool the pot so reheating a bowl is the only step
Store and Reheat
The soup reheats fast and tastes even better the next day. Keep the crunchy toppings separate so they stay crisp.
- Microwave a bowl 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once, until it steams
- Stovetop: 6 minutes over medium, stirring, with a splash of broth
- Add tortilla strips and avocado after reheating; soup keeps 4 days
- Serve with: cornbread, lime wedges
Make it fit tonight
Small changes that make this one fit your night
Fire-roasted, not plain
The charred cans cost the same and do the work of an hour of browning.
Strips beat broken chips
They hold their shape in hot broth for a few minutes longer.
Lime wedge at the end
A squeeze over a reheated bowl wakes the entire thing back up.
Loosen day-two soup
It tightens in the fridge; a quarter cup of broth per pot fixes that.
Freeze the base only
It holds two months frozen, but avocado and tortilla strips never survive it.
Plan the next step
Plan your make-ahead soups
Use the planner to keep a reheatable pot ready for the next long evening.