Thursday, January 28, 2010

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Perhaps I should include a disclaimer at the beginning of my recipe posts - If you HATE to cook, you might not find your daily dose of joy here. However, if you only dislike cooking, and have resigned yourself to the fact that you must eat and/or feed your family, this post might be for you. And if you enjoy cooking, and are looking for something new, then keep reading!

Alright, today is a soup day. It's cold out. I mean cold, as in your boogers might freeze in your nose when you step outside. Okay, maybe not, but that's how my daughter measures cold...Oh, I'll tell you a story about the girl's fashion problems when it dips below 60 in a separate post. So when it's cold, soup is always a hit. And this one is so chock full of comfort, it'll warm even the coldest of tushes. I give you Chicken Tortilla Soup I, or as I affectionately call it, The Diet Killer. I have another recipe, Chicken Tortilla Soup II, which is broth based, and therefore my husband's fave, but we're going with Soup I today. The first time I made this soup for J, he said, "It's good, but I like the broth one better." I think he said more, but I was in cheesy, creamy bliss, so his talking was basically white noise. 'Cause when it's cold outside, nothing makes me happier than a big, piping hot bowl of The Diet Killer.

Chicken Tortilla Soup I
Go gather: a large soup/stock pot, another pot for frying tortilla strips, chicken breasts or a rotisserie chicken, vegetable or canola oil, green bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, tomato puree, chicken stock (or broth), sugar, chili powder, Worcestershire, hot sauce, flour, heavy cream, cheddar cheese, sour cream, corn tortillas, shortening and/or peanut oil, fresh cilantro.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
3-6 cloves garlic (to your taste), minced
1-2 Tbsp oil
4 C chicken stock (or broth)
1 medium green bell pepper, stem, ribs and seeds removed, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, stem, ribs and seeds removed, finely minced
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Worcestershire
1/2 tsp hot sauce (Cholula is my fave)
14 oz tomato puree (I buy a 28 oz can, use half, then freeze the other half for next time)
4 Tbsp flour
1/2 C water
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed or one rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 C heavy cream (or if you're trying to be good, 1/2 & 1/2)
1/4 C sour cream (or to taste)
1 C cheddar cheese, grated (or to taste)
10-12 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4 inch strips
Good handful of cilantro, roughly chopped

Start by prepping all your veggies, putting onion & garlic in one bowl, and bell pepper & jalapeno in another. Use a separate cutting board to dice your chicken breasts, if using. A note about cutting chicken breasts: If they're still slightly frozen, they're easier to cut. Give it a whirl. If you're using a rotisserie chicken, just shred or cut to bite sized pieces. And, if you're like my friend, who has a 'thing' with bones in her food, recruit a loved one to yank the chicken apart, so you can avoid touching the bones.

Where was I? Oh yeah, grab your large pot, and heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, saute briefly, just until they start to get soft. They'll continue to cook as we go. Add ingredients chicken stock through tomato puree. Stir, turn heat to low, let simmer 10 minutes. Stir occasionally, so it doesn't stick. Meanwhile, in your second pot, heat enough shortening (and/or oil) to fry tortilla strips. Fry strips a handful at a time, removing to paper towels, and seasoning with salt and chili powder as you go. Put in 200 degree oven to keep warm. Thoroughly mix flour and water, whisk into soup, let simmer 5 minutes. Add cubed chicken, cook 5 to 10 minutes. Or if using shredded chicken, cook only enough to heat. And now for the Killer part: Stir in cream, cheddar and sour cream (We were thisclose to sticking to the diet...). Oh yeah, come to Momma. Heat through, dish up. Sprinkle with cilantro, and pile tortilla strips on top. And if you're J, you'll squeeze a little fresh lime juice on there. Enjoy!!

*I should add, I've used this recipe to use up turkey leftovers after Thanksgiving, and it works great!*

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