Chicken Tortilla Soup

Makes 2 servings

Mary Larkin Brennan

ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (about 1/2 small onion)
1 tablespoon chili powder; more to taste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 skinless chicken thighs (bone-in or boneless)
Salt to taste
4 cups homemade or low-sodium canned chicken broth (divided)
Fresh cilantro: six 2-inch stems for the broth, plus 1/4 cup roughly chopped leaves for the garnish (divided)
handful of tortilla chips
1/2 cup corn kernels (canned is fine)
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup diced fresh tomato

Garnish:

1
Put 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan or small soup pot, add the onion, and cook over medium heat until the onion has softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the chili powder and tomato paste and stir with a wooden spoon to mix and cook briefly; take care not to let the chili powder scorch.
2
Season the chicken thighs lightly with salt and nestle them in the chili paste, turning them once so they’re entirely coated. Pour in about 1/2 cup of the broth and adjust the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook the chicken, turning once, until it’s extremely tender when pierced with a knife, 30 to 40 minutes (add a little more broth if the pan is drying out). When the chicken’s done, remove it from the pan, let it cool a bit, and cut or shred it into bite-size pieces, discarding any bones and bits of fat or gristle; set aside.
3
If there’s any visible grease in the pan, spoon it off, add the remaining broth and the cilantro stems and simmer, uncovered, until the broth has reduced by about one-third and is quite flavorful, 20 to 30 minutes.
4
Divide the shredded chicken, black beans, tomato and tortilla strips between two large soup or pasta bowls. Reheat the broth if necessary so it’s piping hot and pour it over the ingredients in the bowls. Serve immediately, and let each diner add the avocado, cheese, sour cream, remaining chopped cilantro and a big squeeze of lime juice at the table.