Cafe Rio Chicken Tortilla Soup Copycat

1 small/med 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

pepper, to taste

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 Tbsp. taco seasoning

1 Tbsp. paprika

vegetable oil

pico de gallo

2-3 avocados, diced

2 c. pepper jack cheese

tortilla strips

cilantro (for garnish)

lime wedges (for garnish)

1.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.

2.Transfer seasoned onions to a small crock pot Add chicken broth, cliantro, lime juice, pepper and pinto beans to onions and simmer on low-heat for at least 2-3 hours.

3.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.

4.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.

* When I saw this recipe over at favfamilyrecipes.com I was so excited I have lookd for a copycat recipe to Cafe rio soup for so long my family loves it and get it everytime we go to rio so I was so excited. I have to say its a pretty good clone. Its not dead on but its still got some good flavor to it. The chicken was awesome and had great flavor I think I will just make the chicken from time to time with the season so overall sadly its not just like rio but its still a good chicken tortilla soup. I give it a 4 1/2