Description
Rich chicken tortilla soup can be made without seasoning packets and canned sauces. Try this recipe served with crisp tortilla chips and creamy avocado.
Ingredients
Scale
- olive oil
- 2 to 3 ears of sweet corn, kernels removed with a sharp knife
- 2 medium bell peppers, seeded and diced
- 3 stalks of celery, diced
- 4 carrots, sliced into thin disks
- Salt and pepper
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
- 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
- 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, divided
- 9 to 10 corn tortillas, divided
- 6 cups of chicken stock
- one 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 to 3 cups of pulled or cubed cooked chicken
- lime wedges
- avocado
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil a large heavy bottom stock pot or dutch oven. Add corn kernels, celery, carrot, and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for about 10 minutes. or until vegetables are beginning to soften and get some color in the pan. Transfer to a bowl and set aside, scraping everything out of the pan.
- Heat 2 more tablespoons of olive oil in the same pan and add onion, garlic, jalapeño, & cumin. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of cilantro leaves and sauté for 5 minutes more, or until onions are soft and translucent.
- Scrape onion mixture into the pitcher of a powerful blender and add about 1 cup of chicken stock and 3 to 4 torn up corn tortillas (depending on how thick you want the soup). Purée the mixture until well blended and free of lumps. Transfer back to the pan and heat until it bubbles and just begins to thicken. Add crushed tomato, chicken stock, and cooked vegetables from before. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cooked chicken and cook for 10 minutes more.
- While soup simmers you can make your tortilla strips by slicing 6 remaining tortillas into strips and crisping in a cast iron skillet over high heat with 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir very frequently and try to promote even browning. Once well browned and crisp transfer to a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Alternatively, you could just crunch up a few tortilla chips.
- Serve the soup with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, a sprinkle of torn cilantro leaves, a few cubes or slices or avocado, and a few tortilla strips.
- Category: Soup, Main, Side