Southwestern Recipes
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cooked chicken
- 6 cups (48 ounces) chicken broth
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
- 6 corn tortillas, cut in 1/4 inch strips
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- Lime wedges
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 cup cubed Mexican cheese, such as queso fresco or shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
- 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
Instructions
- Pull meat off chicken and dice into bite-size pieces.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Discard skin and bones or place in saucepan with chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook about 20 minutes. Strain, discarding skin and bones.
- Refrigerate broth and discard fat from top. (This is optional; you can use plain chicken broth.)
- Put 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet. Working in batches if necessary, add tortilla strips and cook until lightly brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, cover, reduce heat and cook about 10 minutes, until softened.
- Uncover and add garlic. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium.
- Add tomatoes and about half the tortilla strips. Add the broth, then bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- Puree in the pot using an immersion blender, or in a countertop blender in batches, working carefully.
- Return soup to stove over medium heat. Stir in chicken.
- To serve, place a few tortilla strips in a bowl. Top with soup, then garnish with lime wedges, cilantro, cheese and avocado.
Nutrition
Per serving: 510 calories, 41g protein, 19g carbohydrates, 30g fat, 130mg cholesterol, 1,600mg sodium, 4g fiber. Calories from fat: 53%