RUSTIC CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

On 2012 by Marvellina Goh @ What To Cook Today

Indexed in : Jamie's America, MEXICO, NORTH AMERICA, SOUP, U.S.A.

Main Ingredients : Avocado, Bell Peppers, Carrots, Chicken, Spices

RUSTIC CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

A while back I was blown away by how good the tortilla soup I made from the Mexico: The Beautiful Cookbook. I love how it turned out. Then I saw another tortilla soup recipe from Jamie’s America cookbook and I simply couldn’t pass on this one and went ahead and gave it a try. The verdict: SPECTACULAR! I guess I kinda like the rustic style of cooking. The first spoon of soup into my husband’s mouth and the guy couldn’t be more impressed. The freshness of chiles and the chunks of beautiful ripe avocado complement the soup so well. In the original recipe, the soup itself was meatless and made of fresh vegetables like onions, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes and flavored by bay leaves. I did made some grilled chicken and add it to the soup. The meal was complete and everyone was super happy!!

RUSTIC CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP (4 servings)

What you will need:

Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 green bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 fresh bay leaves
2 chicken bouillon cubes
14-oz can diced tomatoes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ripe avocado
1 lime
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
2 large handful of tortilla chips
1 heaped tsp dried sage

Instructions:

If you plan to use chicken sprinkle them with some salt and pepper, preheat you grill pan and when it’s hot enough add some olive oil. Place your chicken pieces grill for 4-5 minutes on one side until you get nice grill marks. Flip the chicken over and grill for another 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. When they are cool enough to handle, cut into 1-inch strips and set aside
Get a large saucepan on a low-to-medium heat and pour in a good lug of olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, and bell peppers and fry gently for 10-15 minutes until softened, stirring every so often so they don’t catch on the bottom of the pan
Add the chopped fresh tomatoes and bay leaves, crumble in the bouillon cubes, and add the canned tomatoes. Pour in about 2 tomato cans’ worth of water, then bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally
Preheat your oven to 350 F. While the soup blips away, peel and pit your avocado and dice into ½-inch cubes. Put these on a plate, grate over your lime zest, and squeeze in the juice to keep the avocado from browning. Put in the center of the table next to a plate with your slices of jalapeno
Lay the tortilla chips on a sheet pan, drizzle with a good lug of olive oil, and sprinkle over the dried sage. Heat in the oven for a few minutes until warmed through. Meanwhile, check on your soup. If you like it looser, you can add a bit of water to it at this point; if you like it thicker, you can let it cook for a bit longer. I quite like to mash the soup up a little to get a bit of pulpiness going, but if you like it chunky (I do), leave it as is. Have a taste, season with salt and pepper, then give it a stir and taste again
Once you are happy with the flavors, divide the soup between bowls and divide the chicken pieces equally and take them to the table, with the warm tortilla chips

RUSTIC CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP