Chicken Tortilla Soup

I thought I'd give everyone a little mood music to go with the tortilla soup, but I'm afraid Luis Miguel is a little more exciting than the soup.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I've had a chicken tortilla soup recipe that I've used for years, but recently I decided it needed to be modified. We were tired of the same old soup. My favorite Mexican joint in this area, Casa Blanca, has a chicken tortilla soup to die for. I didn't think I'd succeed in talking them out of their secret recipe, so I decided to take my recipe and modify it to be more like theirs. I tried it last week and we both loved it, so I thought I'd post the recipe. It's easy and quick.

1 chopped onion
2 minced garlic cloves
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/4 to 1/2 c. dry white wine
1 1/2 t. ground cumin (to taste)
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
3 14 oz. cans chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (any Mexican variety with added peppers)
1 can tomato soup
3 sliced carrots
2 potatoes cut into chunks
2 stalks celery sliced
1 zucchini, squash, or anything similar chopped
Crushed tortilla chips or tortilla strips
Chopped avocado chunks
Shredded cheese (three cheese Mexican blend)

Saute onion and garlic in Dutch oven that's been sprayed with olive oil. Add cans of soup, tomatoes, wine, cumin, and Worcestershire to pot. Once the soup base comes to a boil, add the chopped vegetables and shredded chicken. Allow soup to simmer about an hour. Ladle soup into bowls, topping with tortilla chips, cheese, and avocado chunks. (I sometimes pop the soup into the microwave to melt the cheese, then add chips and avocado!)