Chicken Tortilla Soup with Chipotle and Fire Roasted Tomato-by Rachel Ray

Rain season is here in California, bring on the flooding and leaky roofs. And the best part bring on the SOUPS!!! A really great way to cook mass amounts of food for cheap. If you have a hubby like mine he could eat you out of house and homes in a flash. Soups and stews are bulk cooking and for you women who need a quick easy recipe for a dinner feel free to change up any recipes I post. I post them as they are given. I am always adapting recipes in my house, maybe not using all the ingredients. Or instead of taking the time to cook things separately I throw it all in my skillet and cook it. With this soup and stew season I need to add a crock pot to my kitchen so dinners can cook all day and I don't have step away from the work I bring home to make dinner. Maybe just maybe I might even be able to get back to working out on a regular basis. Ok enough jibber jabber take a look at the recipe below try it out add or subtract what you like, just have fun with it.

Ingredients

* 3 cups chicken stock
* 1 pound chicken tenders
* 1 bay leaf, fresh if available
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
* 4 slices thick, smoky center cut bacon, chopped
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 4 cloves garlic, chopped
* 2 chipotles in adobo, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons sauce
* 1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
* Salt
* 4 cups lightly crushed corn tortilla chips
* 2 cups shredded fresh smoked mozzarella or smoked sharp white Cheddar, 3/4
pound
* 1 lime, cut into wedges
* 1/2 red onion, chopped
* Freshly chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

Bring broth to a simmer and add chicken tenders, poach 6 to 7 minutes with a bay leaf.

While chicken poaches, heat extra-virgin olive oil in a medium soup pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp then remove with slotted spoon. Drain off excess fat, leaving 2 to 3 tablespoons in the pan. Add onions and garlic to the skillet and cook 5 minutes then stir in chipotles and tomatoes.

Remove chicken from stock, dice and then add to soup. Pass stock through a strainer then add to the soup.

Place a pile of crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of each soup bowl. Cover liberally with smoked cheese then ladle the hot soup down over the top. Serve with lime, raw onions and cilantro at table to finish the soup.