Mary's Tex-Mex chicken soup

okay, some might call it tortilla soup but since it is only a topping and not an ingredient in my soup, i gave it my own name...

cook time: min 1 hour - its soup, you can let it simmer most of the day
prep time: less than 20 minutes

ingredients:
chicken [this can be whole or pieces, white or dark meat - what you prefer]

large can of tomatoes - my fav are the roasted ones, diced or whole okay

can of black beans, rinsed and strained [you can put dry beans in the beginning but it will color the entire soup and make your chicken meat look purple - taste is fine]

can of hominy, rinsed and strained [corn may be substituted, can or frozen]

onions and peppers to taste [i 'cheat' and use the onion/pepper stir fry frozen veggies]

carton of stock plus water to cover everything [i use veggie stock but you can use chicken if you prefer]

spices
salt and pepper to taste
two to three teaspoons of the following [you can add more later after you taste]
cumino
mexican oregano
aniote or paprika [mainly for color]
cilantro [use fresh as a garnish, a bit of dried while cooking is good too]
garlic powder unless you want to use fresh then diced finely and toss in with stock
and a sprinkle of dried red pepper flakes [optional]


put a little oil in a large pot and brown chicken thoroughly then remove and set aside

put in onions and peppers, tomatoes in juice and a little stock; loosen up all the crumbly brown bits from the bottom of the pan; return chicken and add spices and stock

bring up to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover and stir every once and a while
after chicken is cooked, remove and de-bone it then add meat back in
at this time, add your can of beans and hominy [or corn]
cook at least 20 more minutes to meld all the flavors

for garnish, i slice up corn tortillas into strips and fry them quickly in very hot oil
[i use at least 2 or 3 inches of oil in a small cast iron pan]
other goodies include
shredded cheese
sliced avacado
fresh cilantro
salsa

freezes great!