Chicken Tortilla Soup

Serves 6.

1 cooked chicken
6 cups (48 ounces) chicken broth
1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
6 corn tortillas, cut in 1/4-inch strips
1/2 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
Lime wedges
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup cubed Mexican cheese, such as queso fresco
    or shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

Pull meat off chicken and dice into bite-size pieces. Refrigerate until ready to use. Discard skin and bones or place in saucepan with chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook about 20 minutes. Strain, discarding skin and bones. Refrigerate broth and discard fat from top. (This is optional; you can use plain chicken broth.)

Put 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet. Working in batches if necessary, add tortilla strips and cook until lightly brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, cover, reduce heat and cook about 10 minutes, until softened. Uncover and add garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes. Increase heat to medium.

Add tomatoes and about half the tortilla strips. Add the broth, then bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Puree in the pot using an immersion blender, or in a countertop blender in batches, working carefully.

Return soup to stove over medium heat. Stir in chicken. To serve, place a few tortilla strips in a bowl. Top with soup, then garnish with lime wedges, cilantro, cheese and avocado.

Per serving: 510 calories, 41 g protein, 19 g carbohydrates, 30 g fat, 130 mg cholesterol, 1,600 mg sodium, 4 g fiber. Calories from fat: 53 %