Among others, one of my new years resolutions is to be easy to please in life. Given that a complete sense of happiness came over me this morning when I stepped out of the shower onto a straight out of the dryer, perfectly laid bath mat, I feel I’m doing pretty well. It’s the little things right?

Other joys in my life include selecting a pistachio that is super easy to open, when I come home to ironed and folded knickers and a personal favourite… crunchy bits in soups and salads. Let’s just all take a moment to thank the Mexican gods for this idea and to me for putting it together for you. Aaaand you’re welcome….

Tex-Mex Chicken Tortilla Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 large corn tortillas
Olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 large green chilli, finely chopped
1 yellow capsicum, finely chopped
2tsp smoked paprika
2tsp ground cumin
1tsp cayenne pepper
2tsp tomato paste
1 can chopped tomatoes
1tsp sugar
1.5L chicken stock
2 chicken breasts, cut into 3
Bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
1 can of corn, rinsed
1 can of black beans, rinsed
Juice of 1 lime
Handful of chopped baby spinach
Handful of grated cheese

Method

Pre heat your oven to 170. Slice the tortillas lengthways then place on a lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until golden and crispy.

Heat a big glug of olive oil in a large pot and gently sauté the onion, garlic, chilli and capsicum over a low heat for 15 minutes. Stir regularly – you don’t want to colour the veg rather sweat them out. Add the spices and tomato paste and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Pour in the can of tomatoes, sugar and chicken stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer then cook for 10 minutes. Add in your chicken breasts and cook gently for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the pot and using two forks, shred.

Add the corn, black beans, coriander, lime and spinach to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.

To serve, add the chicken back to the soup and top with the tortillas, extra coriander and the cheese.

Kitchen notes...

Of course, you can make this vegetarian by not adding the chicken and using veg stock. It’ll still taste delish.