Chicken Tortilla Soup, version II

First off, I'm a big believer in giving credit where credit is due. This is my second chicken tortilla soup recipe - see my first blog entry for the recipe I made awhile ago. It was good but, as I said, it just didn't do it for me. A friend of a friend had this second recipe on her cooking blog. I think it's so fun to try different recipes for the same thing until one just jumps off the plate. I can't honestly say that I will go hunting down new chicken tortilla soup recipes in the future because it doesn't get much better than this. Be warned, it's pretty spicy. It's the kind of spice that hits in your throat rather than on your tongue..had I gone to chef school, I probably would know some sweet french word to describe what I mean.

I thought of "Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee" while making this soup. It's basically different cans (such as Rotel, refried beans) put into one big stockpot. Not counting the joy of shredding chicken, its super simple, lasts all week.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Medium onion
3 Tbsp Butter or olive oil
3-4 chicken breasts, shredded
1 can Refried Beans
3 cans Chicken Broth
1 pkg Taco Seasoning
1 can Rotel
1/2 block Velveeta

Crushed tortilla chips
Sour Cream
Chopped Avocado
Shredded Cheese

Saute onion and butter/oil. Add remaining ingredients except Velveeta. Cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Add Velveeta and stir until melted. Add toppings as desired.