Renae's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Lewey Body Dementia is stealing my mother away, and therefore is also stealing her good recipes. This is one that i cannot live without.  I remember her reading this recipe to me over the phone one day, and me complaining about the yogurt.  Mom said, "Don't change the recipe until you've tried it once, just the way it is written."  She was right. The yogurt is PERFECT. And i have kept this advice for all recipes ever since.


2 T olive oil
1/4 c chopped onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 can chicken broth
1 can corn (juice and all)
1 can Mexican stewed tomatoes
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
chicken: i prefer breast meat

*see topping below

Simmer chicken meat in broth until chicken is done; remove and let cool. When cool, shred. Save broth.

In small frying pan, heat olive oil and saute onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne until onion is soft.  Add to broth.  

Add remaining canned items, heat through.  Add chicken back into broth.

To serve:
In individual bowls, add toppings:  a dollop of plain unflavored yogurt and chopped cilantro, and *broken corn tortillas that you fried to crisp while soup is heating.