McAlister's Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 cloves garlic, minced (or a 2 teaspoons garlic powder)
1 onion, chopped
3 Tablespoons margarine
2 Tablespoons flour
3 14oz cans chicken broth (or 5 c bouillion)
4 cups half and half
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup salsa
1 can creamed corn
4-6 boneless chicken breasts (cooked, skinned, torn)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 packet dry fajita seasoning
3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro-if you have it

To serve:
tortilla chips
shredded cheese

*In a large pot sautee garlic and onion in butter for 5 minutes.
*Add flour. Stir well. Cook 1 more minute.
*Add broth and half and half. Bring to a low boil then reduce heat to low.
*Add soup, salsa, corn, chicken, cumin, fajita seasoning and 2 T cilantro.
*Stir well, continue to heat 15 minutes more.
*Crumble tortilla chips into individual bowls or serve chips on side of plate. Top with shredded cheese.
*Top with more cilantro if you wish.

Notes:
I just made this last night and Jon told me that our family now loves this recipe! When he walked in from work he told me that it smelled JUST like McAlister's soup! I got in on the internet, and don't even remember where!

As far as making it...I followed the recipe exactly and the soup seemed awfully thin and watery....so.... I mixed some flour and milk to add in and thicken it up. I think I got it a little too thick, so in the future I will just increase the flour in the recipe to 4 Tablespoons. I served dinner as soup and baked potatoes and it was a great!

Beef or Chicken Marinade

1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 green onions chopped
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Mix together and let meat marinade before grilling. The longer you soak it the better the flavor. Then...grill 'er up!

Notes:
I found this recipe on the internet...don't even remember where...and our family LOVES it! We have used it 3 times this summer already! After our Memorial Day cookout a couple of friends have asked what we cooked our chicken in. It's a very easy way to get dinner out of the way in the morning, set it in the fridge and let the hubby cook when he gets home! I usually put it in a large ziplock bag. Then I squeeze most of the air out and use a straw to 'vacuum seal' it. This way there is marinade touching every surface of meat. If you only have a small amount of meat, it will probably just be fine in a bowl.

I want to list some substitutes I have used...the first two times I didn't have the EXACT ingredients but using some close substitutes still yielded some YUMMY chicken!

If you don't have:
Soy Sauce.....Use teriyaki sauce or marinade
Honey....Use brown sugar
Distilled white vinegar....Use apple cider vinegar or red or white cooking wine
Green onions....Use chopped regular white or yellow onions