Cafe Rio Tortilla Soup (copy cat)

I made two great new recipes yesterday. This is the first. I found this recipe on pinterest awhile back and I was so excited. My sister and I LOVE Cafe Rio's tortilla soup. I have often craved it and wish instead of eating out I could just make it at home. It just didn't seem like it would be so hard, but never looked much further into it. When I saw this, I knew I had to try it out and see if it really was a good replica of the original. I bought some costco Avacodos with this purpose in mind. They ripened faster than I expected so even though Mexican was on the menu the night before we had Mexican again last night. And you know what??! It was DELICIOUS! I dare say better than the original.
It isn't a difficult recipe but it does take a little bit of planning ahead because there are few different elements that go into it. Overall, it was a success, and you can bet I will be making it again and again.
Click HERE to visit the actual website where I found the recipe. In case you need any clarifications. I will include the changes I made here. Also if you haven't tried this item at Cafe Rio, I encourage you to try it the next time you visit so you can see better how the layering of the ingredients really puts it over the top.

Sorry I didn't take my own photo

Cafe Rio Tortilla Soup

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• a dash (or two) cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 5 c. chicken broth
• 3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• juice of 1/2 lime (I used a full lime, because I like it!)
• pepper, to taste
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
• 1 Tbsp. paprika (I didn't have this in my pantry, and didn't miss it.)
• vegetable oil (to taste)
• pico de gallo (Click HERE for this recipe, Note: I always use more lime than called for, and if you don't have the dash of hot sauce, it isn't necessary: Tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime, and salt are the main ingredients you need for a good basic pico de gallo)
• 2-3 avocados, diced
• 2 c. pepper jack cheese (I used Monteray Jack cheese and it was delicious as well)
• tortilla strips (They make their own just by cutting and frying corn tortillas, I used tortilla chips)
• cilantro (for garnish)
• lime wedges (for garnish)

Instructions

• In a small skillet, saute onion in 1 Tbsp. oil until onions become slightly soft. Stir in cumin, cayenne, and chili powder and saute an additional minute or two.
• Transfer seasoned onions to a small crock pot (or medium-sized saucepan). Add chicken broth, cliantro, lime juice, pepper and pinto beans to onions and simmer on low-heat for at least 2-3 hours.
• In the meantime (when you are close to serving), combine taco seasoning and paprika. Brush chicken with oil and rub with taco seasoning/paprika mixture. Grill chicken over medium-heat until cooked through (try to turn only once during the grilling process). Remove from grill and shred. (I don't have a grill, I just marinated the chicken in the taco seasoning and oil, and baked it in the oven and shredded after)
• In individual bowls layer chicken, about 1/3 c. pico de gallo, 1/3 c. diced avocado, and 1/3 c. pepper jack cheese. Ladle about 1 cup of chicken broth directly over the layers. Top with tortilla strips and garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.