Tortilla Soup

As written, I would describe the spiciness of this as akin to "medium" salsa.  If you are a "mild" person, or are feeding this to children, leave the jalapeno out, and if you really want to sweat while you eat, include the seeds and veins.  You only use 1 chipotle chile from the can, but you can dump the remaining chiles and adobo sauce into a ziplock bag and freeze for a couple of months.

8 (6-inch) extra thin corn tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
vegetable oil spray
salt

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds), skin removed
1 very large white onion (about 1 pound), trimmed of root end, peeled, and quartered
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled
8-10 springs fresh cilantro
1 sprig fresh oregano
salt
2-3 medium tomatoes (about 12 ounces)
1/2 medium jalapeno chile (optional), seeds and veins removed
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

For the tortilla strips:  Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees.  Spread the tortilla strips on a rimmed baking sheet and spray both sides evenly with vegetable oil spray.  Bake until the strips are crisp, about 10 minutes, rotating the pan and shaking the strips halfway through.  Season the strips lightly with salt and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.

For the soup:  Combine the broth, chicken breasts, 2 of the onion quarters, 2 of the garlic cloves, cilantro sprigs, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a large plate; when cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into bite sized pieces, discarding the bones.  Meanwhile, pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer; discard the solids.

Process the 2 remaining onion quarters, 2 remaining garlic cloves, tomatoes, jalapeno, chipotle chile and adobo sauce together in a food processor until smooth, 15 to 20 seconds.  Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until smoking.  Add the onion-tomato mixture and 1/8 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring often, until the mixture has darkened, about 10 minutes.  Stir the strained broth into the Dutch oven with the onion-tomato mixture.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat to medium low and simmer 15 minutes.  Add the shredded chicken and continue to simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.  To serve, divide the tortilla strips into 6 serving bowls, ladle the soup into bowls.  Top each serving with a portion of the avocado and cilantro, passing the lime wedges separately.

Makes 6 servings; 1 1/2 cups per serving; 280 calories, 9g fat, 6g fiber, 26g protein, 25g carbs.

Comments