When I sat down to type up this post, I emailed my husband at work and asked him what his favorite dinner is. (I was pretty sure what his answer would be!) He quickly replied back with this soup as his answer. It must be pretty good if it beat out spaghetti for my pasta-lovin’ husband!
This soup costs a bit more than $5 total, but it makes a gigantic pot that could cover two dinners easily for a family of four, making it just over $5 a meal including the bread. I usually make the full recipe, split it into two portions, and then freeze one half for another night.
The prices listed below are an average of what you might typically pay per the amount needed for the recipe. Depending on your location, your prices may vary. Since spices are used in very minimal amounts and are typically low-cost household staples, I don’t count those toward the meal price.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic- 50 cents
1 medium yellow onion, chopped-40 cents
4 – 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes (about 58 oz total)- $2.50
2 – 14.5 oz cans of corn (frozen works well too!)- $1
2 – 15 oz cans of black beans – $1
8 cups chicken broth- $2
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 tablespoon ground cumin (or to taste)
1 teaspoon dried bay, chopped bay leaves (you can substitute whole leaves if that’s what you have on hand)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped- 80 cents
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast- $2
Juice from one lime- 25 cents
Directions
1. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.
2. Saute onion for 2 minutes, then add garlic. Saute for additional minute.
3. Add tomatoes, beans, corn, broth, bay leaves, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, and cilantro. Bring to a boil.
4. Add raw chicken and reduce to medium-low heat. Cook for approx. 30 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. As chicken breast sizes vary, so will cooking times.
5. After chicken is cooked through, remove chicken from pot and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
6. Shred chicken and place back in pot.
7. Add lime juice.
8. If you wish to freeze half for a second dinner, let soup cool and place in gallon freezer bag. Lay flat in freezer. Simply thaw, heat, and serve for another quick dinner!
You might like to serve this dish with a side of crusty bread -$1.00 (split loaf between two meals)
Final cost of soup and side: $11.65
If used for two meals: $5.82
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
This soup is awesome (and healthy too). Dana made it for my family when I gave birth to our daughter last month. We ALL loved it (even my picky son)–he actually asked that I get the recipe. Perfect for these cold nights we’ve been having.
Thanks for posting Dana!
How can this be a tortilla soup without tortillas
That’s why it’s Chicken Tortilla Soup (Minus Tortillas!). It’s the traditional soup w/o the tortillas. My family just found them unnecessary for the soup, but you can feel free to fry or bake some tortilla strips for the soup if you prefer.
Wow… thanks for the recipe! I made this tonight and my husband and I really enjoyed it. We had a great time in the kitchen making it together too!