Chicken Tortilla Soup

I got this recipe over at Mels Kitchen Cafe.  Its SOOOO good.  I have been wanting to make it for a while and was waiting for a cold day and well, we just have not had any cold days!!  It's been such a warm winter!  We are looking at 65-70 degrees today and its the end of January.  Ummmm should we be worried?

Anyway, this soup is A-MAZING.  Again, I am going to say this is something I would expect to get in a restaurant.  I loved the flavor and heartiness of it and loved the fact that I was shoveling tons of good veggies in Ashtons little mouth without him even knowing.  Wait for a chilly day or just make it today - either way it will blow your socks off ;-)

INGREDIENTS:2 quarts (8 cups) low-sodium chicken broth
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3-4 chicken breasts)
1 (3.5 ounce) can chopped green chiles
1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into large chunks
3-4 cups butternut squash cubes (from about 1/2 of a medium butternut squash, peeled and cut)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 cup sour cream, light or regular
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cans white beans, like Great Northern, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
DIRECTIONS:In a large pot, add the chicken broth, chicken breasts, green chiles, onion, potatoes, pepper, butternut squash, garlic, salt and cumin. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. If there doesn’t seem to be enough liquid for the vegetables/chicken to boil in, try adding in 1-2 cups water but don’t add too much extra liquid or the soup won’t be as thick as it should.
Remove the chicken from the pot to a cutting board. Let it cool slightly before shredding or dicing. Ladle the remaining vegetables and broth into a blender (in several batches, if needed) and puree the broth and vegetables until smooth. Take care not to overfill the blender since the mixture will be hot and will expand as it blends! Pour the pureed soup mixture back into the large pot. Whisk in the sour cream and tomato sauce. Stir in the taco seasoning, beans and cooked chicken. Cook until heated through.
Serve the soup with additional toppings: tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, pico de gallo or salsa, etc. The options are endless!