Chili's Enchilada Soup

I have to say, this is one of my all time favorite restaurant soups. I get every single time I go to Chili's. The first time I made a copy cat recipe was about 1999 and it was an absolute hit but it was painstaking and a lot of details and ingredients so I only made it a few times. So with the help of millions of mommy bloggers, the obsession with recipes and food networks and all that,there are a plethora of tweaked and scaled down versions of this same recipe and while I looked at a dozen, I still tweaked it to my own liking and I think it turned out smashingly! Here is exactly what I do:

I stew a whole chicken to make my own broth and have chicken for 2-3 recipes. I don't like this soup loaded with meat so I only use about a cup of shredded cooked chicken. So stew, boil, roast your chicken and get you a cup of it. I also do not spend the money on Masa Harina flour because I never use it and I've found it is NOT necessary. I ALWAYS have tortilla chips on top of the fridge. Those work perfectly in enchilada soup. I use about 20 round Tostito chips(any brand will do..this is just a size reference, you don't want too many because it will be too thick and TOO "corn" tasting.

I also use a stick blender to blend it until smooth...this is a HUGE help but not necessary, you can always use your blender. The stick is just a lot more convenient.

2 Tablespoons of oil
1 cup or one whole diced onion
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 28 oz can of tomatoes(crushed, whole, stewed, diced..any will do)
1 quart of chicken broth (homemade, canned, box...)
2 tsps. of chicken base(I use Better than Bouillon paste)
1 10 oz. can of red enchilada sauce
1 can of ranch style beans
20-25 round tortilla chips
1 tablespoon of Adobo
1 packet of Sazon (if you don't know what this is...get to the Hispanic isle and get you some to ALWAYS have on hand)
1 tsp. of black pepper
1 cup of diced, cooked, chicken
1 cup of shredded colby jack cheese

If you are THIS kind of cook...add more cumin, add more coriander, add more onion or garlic powder or whatever spice you want MORE of. I tweak with sprinkles of this and that if I need to. It's not an exact science and sometimes just throwing in similar spices will get the EXACT flavor you are wanting. ADD HEAT IF YOU WANT (I can't because of my little one

In LARGE dutch oven, soup kettle, TUB, heat the oil and add onions and garlic, Adobo, Sazon and chicken base. Cook until onions are soft (5 minutes). Add tomatoes, broth, enchilada sauce, ranch style beans and tortillas. Cook on med. high for 10 minutes. Blend all ingredients until smooth in blender or with stick blender. Simmer for one hour then add chicken and CJ cheese. Heat through and serve with tortillas strips and more cheese, sour cream, diced avocado, etc. (I leave out the lb. of velveeta that Chili's puts in their soup because of the fat and calories. It is creamier and richer with it so add it if you want. It's VERY VERY good but I think this is a little healthier alternative and just as tasty!

ENJOY!