Super Simple High-Protein Chicken Tortilla Soup (GF)

When I saw that Sam’s Club was carrying these new handy grilled chicken snack packs, I got excited. They make salads, quesadillas, and even homemade pizza night a snap! Of course, you can grill and slice your own chicken and refrigerate it, sealed airtight, for up to 5 days. But if you’re short on time or don’t have space for a grill, these are the best quality shortcut I have found. Other brands tend to include a lot of gristle.

Why eat soup in the summer? Because the broth is always restoring! Soup is a great way to sneak vegetables and fiber into your diet. The leftovers reheat great and keep you from grabbing fast food. Soup goes perfect with fruit or a lettuce salad for an easy, nutritious meal.

2 tablespoons cooking oil (I prefer sunflower seed oil)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

½ cup finely chopped onion

½ cup crushed corn chips

3-4 cups chopped grilled chicken*

1 can white chili beans in sauce, not drained

1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed with cold water

1 cup frozen corn or mixed vegetables (optional)

1 32-ounce box chicken bone broth

1 16-ounce jar mild green salsa (make sure this is mild—even it packs a bit of heat)

1 cup Rotel (or petite diced tomatoes for chili or mild salsa)

Freshly shredded cheddar or colby-jack cheese and/or sour cream as a topping

1. Before you start, open all of the packages and jars. Measure everything out.

2. Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, onion, and crushed corn chips. Push it around in the hot oil for 2 minutes. The corn chips act as a gluten-free thickener and give great flavor to the soup.

3. Dump in the chicken, chili beans, additional beans and vegetables, broth, green salsa, and tomatoes. *For the chicken, use 3 of the grilled chicken bite boxes cut up into smaller pieces or shred up 3 to 4 cups of rotisserie chicken.

4. Bring the soup to a boil, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Then turn the soup down to low heat and simmer while you set the table. Cook the soup for at least 15 minutes, but you can simmer it on low for up to 45 minutes while you prepare other parts of your meal.

5. Store leftovers in pint glass jars with lids or glass airtight containers.

6. If you grill your own chicken, I usually go ahead and grill a large package. Use some for soup, then use other for quesadillas or chop and freeze in a pint-size freezer bag, already measured for your next pot of soup!