A Take on Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup: Final Product

Ingredients

• 2-4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Large Yellow Onion, Cut In Half
• 4 Garlic Cloves, Whole
• 1 Jalapeno, Cut Off Stem End
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, Ends Cut Off & Seeds Removed
• 2 Ears of Corn, Cleaned with Ends Cut Off
• 2-3 Limes (1 used directly in soup, the rest as wedges for garnish)
• 1 Bunch Cilantro, Split In Half (1 half chopped finely, and the other left for garnish)
• 1-2 Avocados, Sliced (for garnish)
• 4 Cups Chicken Broth
• 1 Small (4oz) Can Diced Green Chilies
• 1 Medium (15oz) Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
• 1 Medium (15oz) Can Tomato Sauce
• 1 Canned Chipotle Pepper, in Adobo
• 1 Package Fresh Corn Tortillas (2 to be used in soup, and the rest for garnish)
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese (for garnish)
• Sour Cream (for garnish)
• Olive Oil
• Vegetable Oil (for frying tortillas)
• Salt & Pepper, To Taste
• 1/8 tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp Oregano
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder

Directions

• Begin by simply poaching your chicken breasts. This may be done in either water or broth, and from either frozen or thawed. Place chicken in a pot, and add enough liquid to cover by 1 inch. You may add aromatics and salt & pepper, if you so choose (although it is not necessary). Bring liquid to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160°F  (about 10-15 min for thawed, or about 20 min for frozen), as you will be cooking the chicken again later. Set chicken aside, and allow to cool. Shred chicken once cooled.

 

• Once your chicken is poached, you can begin grilling some of your vegetables. You will need to grill 2 ears of corn, 1 red bell pepper, 1 jalapeno and 1 yellow onion. It is best to do this on an indoor grill pan, to ensure that your smaller veggies don't fall through grill grates. Heat your grill pan to medium-high. Toss your vegetables in olive oil, salt & pepper, and then place on pan. Grill until all the vegetables have a nice charred color. Remove from pan, and set aside until cool to the touch.

 

• While the vegetables are grilling, you can begin to fry your corn tortillas for garnish. Begin by heating a large pan with vegetable oil or canola oil, a few inches deep, at medium-high heat. Cut small fresh corn tortillas into thin strips (you can use as many, or as few tortillas as you'd like. I did about 2 tortillas per person. What can I say? We like our tortilla chips!). Start adding the strips to the pot, once the oil is heated to about 350°F. (You can test this by adding one or two strips, initially. When the oil begins to sizzle and bubble around the strip, it's ready.) Only add a few strips at a time, so as not to crowd the pot. Once golden brown and crisp, remove the strips using a spider tool or slotted spoon. Place on paper towels, and season immediately with salt. Repeat this process until all the strips are fried.

• After your grilled vegetables are cool enough to handle, chop the onion into large dices, slice the bell pepper and the jalapeno into strips (you can remove some or all seeds from the jalapeno if you prefer mild spice), and cut all the corn off the ears. Reserve the corn, to add to the soup later. Next, in a stock pot, over medium heat, add olive oil, onions, bell pepper, jalapeno, and 4 whole raw garlic cloves. Begin to saute the grilled vegetables and garlic, seasoning with salt & pepper. Then dice two unfried/uncooked corn tortillas into chunks. Add tortillas to the pot; these will thicken your soup. Saute all ingredients until soft (specifically onions and garlic). 

• Once your vegetables mixture is sauteed until soft, add all of the stock pot contents into a blender, along with the canned fire roasted tomatoes and 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. Blend the ingredients until (relatively) smooth. This is now your soup base. The mix will be thick and slightly coarse. Add the mixture back into the hot stock pot. 

• Next, to your stock pot, add the tomato sauce, canned green chilies, and all of your spices (cayenne, chili, garlic, onion, cumin, oregano - and again - salt & pepper, to taste). Stir well, to incorporate these ingredients into soup base. Finally, squeeze in 1 lime, add half of the cilantro (finely chopped), and mix in your shredded chicken and reserved corn. Cook the soup on medium heat for about 20 to 30 minutes, just to allow the flavors to marry and the chicken to come back up to temperature (165°F). 

 

• Top the Chicken Tortilla Soup with any of the following ingredients: shredded cheddar cheese, cilantro, sour cream, fried tortilla strips, lime wedges or avocado slices.

Again: Final Product

Enjoy the fruits of your labor!