Tortilla Soup

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To be totally honest, I've never had tortilla soup until I made it last night. I started thinking about it while in NYC this past weekend when a friend reminded me of the time I made fun of him for ordering it at a restaurant. Turns out, tortilla soup is delicious and now, in addition to eating the soup, I am eating my words. Since I'm running out of days before spring (thankfully!), I decided now was the time to make a hot soup before it becomes so sweltering in Tennessee that I am forced to only eat cold meals for 6 months.

This soup is awesome! If you sprinkle monterey jack cheese in the soup it melts and becomes an utterly delicious treat. Very easy to make and quite flavorful. Oh, and healthy- a rarity for my blog.

Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated, 2005.

INGREDIENTS                                                  

- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts                    

- 8 cup low sodium chicken broth                        

- 1 large onion (1lb.), quartered                             

- 4 garlic cloves, peeled

- 10 sprigs fresh cilantro

- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

- 2 tomatoes, cored & quartered

- 1/2 medium jalepeno

- 1 chipotle chile in adobo

- 1-2 teaspoons adobo sauce

- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

- a few handfuls frozen corn

In a large stock pot add the chicken, chicken broth, half the onion (2 quarters), 2 garlic cloves, cilantro, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Heat until boiling, cover and cook 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is just cooked through. Remove chicken with tongs and place on a plate. Once cool shred the chicken and set aside. Pour the stock into a bowl through a strainer and discard the whole pieces of vegetables/seasonings. Set stock aside. 

While the chicken is cooking, add the tomatoes, the other half of the onion (2 quarters), 2 garlic cloves, jalepeno, chipotle chile, and adobo sauce to a food processor and process until pureed and smooth. Heat oil in a dutch oven and add the tomato mixture and 1/8 teaspoon of salt and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture turns a brighter/darker/richer red. Add the strained broth to the mixture and return to a boil and cook for 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Taste soup and add more adobo if needed and taste for salt- I needed to add more salt than I originally thought. 

Add shredded chicken and frozen corn and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. 

Serve in bowls and squeeze a bit of lime into each bowl. 

Garnish with the following ingredients:

- lime slice

- chopped avocado 

- diced pieces of monterey jack cheese 

- tortilla strips