Chicken Tortilla Soup

I liked this soup, but anyone that knows me knows that I don't like spicy food at all so I would have cut back the rotel a bit next time.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Recipe came from Mom

1/4 cup Butter or Margarine

1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour

3 cups Chicken Broth

1 cup Milk

8 oz. Velveeta- cubed

10 oz. can Rotel

2 cups cooked, shredded Chicken

1 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon Chili Powder

Salt and Pepper-to taste

Flour Tortillas-as needed

Shredded Colby Jack Cheese or Mexican Blend Cheese-as needed

In a pot, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.

Slowly whisk in small amounts of chicken broth at a time, then whisk in milk.

Reduce heat to low and stir in velveeta cubes; stir until melted.

Stir in rotel, chicken, and spices.

Once soup is heated through, it is ready to serve at this point. However, if you wish to make tortilla strips, it can sit over low heat while they are made. Stir the soup occasionally.

For tortilla strips, cut tortillas into strips and deep-fry in 350 degree vegetable or peanut oil until golden, then drain on cooling racks.

Spoon a ladleful of soup into a bowl, add a handful of shredded cheese, then spoon another ladleful of soup over cheese. Sprinkle tortilla strips over top. Repeat for remaining servings.

*If you want to save a lot of time, use crumbled tortilla chips instead of tortilla strips. As a substitute for rotel you can use 1 1/2 cups of salsa. Spiciness can be easily adjusted by using spicy rotel or salsa and/or adding cayenne pepper to the soup.