On the Border Chicken Tortilla Soup, I know the secret!

Just in case I get sued for printing this recipe, I'm changing the name a little! My favorite Saturday lunch out has got to be a hot steaming bowl of On the Border's Chicken Tortilla Soup... oh baby, it warms my cockles! I've tried many recipes and never found anything that comes close to their signature taste. Their salsa is distinctive and we love it too; fresh tomatoes, serranos, cilantro, lime but it's another thing I can't seem to copycat no matter how hard I try. 

They always send home salsa and chips with us, a trick I know... they have us HOOKED already! Most of the time, we use the salsa for Sunday omelets or weekday breakfast tacos, delish. But yesterday, when I saw that On the Border container setting on the top shelf in the fridge it just clicked...Signature Taste, that's the distinctive flavor that I couldn't quite place! So, I got my soup pot out and made the closest knock-off Chicken Tortilla Soup to theirs I've ever tasted! Before I do one more thing, I'm going to copy this one down. And then I'm going to share it with you guys!

One more suggestion, if you do have an On the Border near you... go for lunch and just smile and tell them you would like to take the rest of your salsa and chips home. The waiter always brings a container of fresh salsa and hot chips back with our ticket and then you have the beginnings of this great soup!

Almost On the Border, Really Close Chicken Tortilla Soup
1/2 c. On the Border salsa 
4 cups good quality chicken broth, I used Knorr Homestyle Chicken Broth 
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 c. diced onion
1 carrot sliced thin
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small yellow squash, diced
bite size rotisserie chicken breast for each bowl
1/2 c. finely chopped cilantro, for topping
1/2 c. shredded Monterey jack cheese
2 ripe avocados
On the Border tortilla chips

Heat chicken broth to boiling in a large saucepan. Add salsa and rice to broth. Add onion, carrot, zucchini and/or yellow squash and simmer 15 minutes or until veges are just tender. To serve, break a small handful of On the Border chips into bottom of each bowl. Ladle soup over tortilla chips. Top with chicken, cheese, cilantro, more chips and 1 fat slice avocado. 

*If you don't have an On the Border close to where you live, no problem... they sell their salsa and chips at Walmart. Not quite the same but pretty close!