Gazpacho and chilled soup days may seem a long away around the corner but with the first day of Spring tomorrow, the Spring Equinox gives us a little nudge to dust off those margarita glasses.
Welcome the extra hours of sunlight by adding Chicken Tortilla Soup, loaded with cilantro, peppers, lime and tomatoes to your repertoire. It is a fresh and easy way to celebrate those evenings.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Print recipe | Meal type | Cheese, Chicken, Cilantro, Corn Tortillas, Cumin, Tomatoes |
| Season | Fall, Spring, Winter |
This makes a giant pot of soup.....so if you don't want leftovers please alter your measurements!
Ingredients
- 1 organic whole chicken water
- 1 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes
- 2 dried pasilla chiles, tops and seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- juice of 1 lime
- 1-2 teaspoon of salt
- 2 fresh poblano peppers, seeded and diced
- 1 fresh Anaheim peppers, seeded and diced
- 1 jalapeño, chopped (I left seeds for a kick)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
- 8 corn tortillas, sliced into strips
- vegetable oil
- extra toppings: shredded cheddar cheese cubed avocado sliced radishes minced cilantro sour cream
Directions
| 1 | Put your chicken in a large stock pot and cover it with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer until chicken is falling off the bone (about an hour). |
| 2 | Meanwhile lightly toast your dried pasillas in a pan on the stove, then coarsely chop and pulse in a food processor until finely ground. |
| 3 | Add your can of tomatoes and pulse to combine and until the tomatoes are pureed (if you don't want to do the pasilla step......its easy to skip, just add more chili powder to taste. The pasillas give it a smoky, not spicy flavor...which I like). |
| 4 | Set aside your tomato mixture. |
| 5 | Sautee your onions and fresh peppers, including jalapeño in some vegetable oil in a skillet until they are soft. Set aside. |
| 6 | Remove your chicken from the broth and take all the meat off the bones and add back to the pot along with the tomato mixture, onions and peppers ,chili powder, cumin, lime juice and salt. |
| 7 | While the soup simmers and flavors are blending, fry your tortilla strips in batches in about an inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet. Fry until beginning to golden, then strain onto papertowels and salting them after each batch is done. |
| 8 | Serve the soup in deep bowls and top generously with cheddar cheese, avocado, radishes, fresh cilantro and a pile of fried tortilla strips .........oh and don't forget a dollop of sour cream!!! |