Mexican Chicken Soup

Makes 6 to 8 servings

To serve, ladle the hot soup into bowls, and then let everyone pick and choose from among the suggested mix-ins and toppings: toasted corn tortilla strips, lime wedges, diced green peppers, sliced scallions, and more. You can also use leftover or store-bought roasted chicken in this soup. Margaritas or crisp Mexican beer would be perfect with this dinner.

ingredients

4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, or reduced-sodium canned chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional
6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas
To serve:
sliced avocado
sour cream
grated cheddar cheese
tortilla chips

directions

1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2
Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside.
3
Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.

notes

To crush whole tomatoes, you can either crush them with you hand or pulse them a few times in the food processor fitted with a steeel blade. If you want to make your own tortilla chips for garnish, cut 3 corn tortillas in strips and fry in olive oil.

Source: Jessica Stewart