Cindys Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Start by mixing together the cumin, 1 teaspoon of the chilli powder, the garlic powder and salt. Drizzle the chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture. Set the rest of the spice mixture aside. Bake until the chicken is cooked all the way through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven. Cut the chicken into cubes and set aside.
• Next, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Throw in the onions, green and red bell peppers and garlic. Throw in a tablespoon of the spice mixture used to season the chicken. Add a little extra chilli powder (about 1/4 teaspoon) for heat. Stir to cook the vegetables until they begin to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the cubed chicken and diced tomatoes, juice and all. Add the chicken broth, hot water and tomato paste. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Add the drained black beans. Next, mix together the cornmeal with 1/2 cup water. Add the mixture to the pot, and then simmer the soup for 10 to 15 minutes. Give it a taste and add salt or seasonings as needed; be sure to not under salt it!
• Cut the tortillas into uniform 2- to 3-inch strips. Stir most of them into the soup just before serving. This is what makes tortilla soup tortilla soup! Turn off the heat and get ready to serve it up. Ladle the soup into a bowl, then add avocado, red onion, sour cream, cilantro and extra tortilla strips to the top. The more toppings on tortilla soup, the merrier.

Steps:

• In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion.

Steps:

• Heat a broiler with a rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source. Line a sheet pan with foil and arrange the plum tomatoes on it, cut sides up. Add the onion, cherry tomatoes, jalapeños and garlic, distributing them evenly, then broil for 15 minutes, checking and rotating the pan every 5 minutes to ensure the vegetables char evenly. (You want the vegetables to be blackened in many spots, slumped and sizzling. Many of the cherry tomatoes will have burst.) Let the vegetables sit 1 or 2 minutes, until just cool enough to handle.
• Warm the vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Transfer the charred onion to a cutting board, roughly chop it, and add it to the pot, along with the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, discard the garlic skins then chop the garlic, jalapeños and plum tomatoes. Lift two sides of the foil and tip the cherry tomatoes and any juices into a bowl; set aside for the salsa.
• Add the chopped garlic, jalapeño and plum tomatoes to the pot, and cook, stirring often, until slightly reduced and glossy, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, cumin, oregano, onion powder and garlic powder, and cook, stirring constantly, until toasted and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken thighs, carrots and broth, and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits.
• Increase the heat to high, cover the pot and let the soup come to a boil. Uncover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-high for a medium-brisk simmer, and cook, stirring once or twice, until the chicken and carrots are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, gently fold the avocado into the cherry tomatoes; add the juice of half the lime and season to taste with salt.
• With a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the chicken to a bowl. Coarsely shred and break up the meat with a fork, then add it back into the pot. Squeeze in the juice of the remaining half lime, and add more salt if necessary.
• Serve the soup in bowls topped with crushed tortilla chips and spoonfuls of the tomato-avocado salsa. Pass hot sauce, queso fresco and/or cilantro at the table, if desired.

Steps:

• Put the chicken, the beef bones if you're using them, 3 of the onion quarters and the garlic in a large pot. Add water just to cover (about 10 cups) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the liquid bubbles gently. Cook, skimming the foam off the surface every now and then, until the chicken is very tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, put the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, fry 2 of the tortillas (one at a time if necessary), turning once, until crisp and golden, 2 to 3 minutes per tortilla. Drain on paper towels. Cut the 4 remaining tortillas into strips, add them to the skillet and fry, stirring to separate them, until crisp and golden, another 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt while they're still warm.
• When the chicken is tender, transfer it to a plate or cutting board with tongs or a slotted spoon (or put it in the fridge or freezer so it cools faster). When it's cool enough to handle, shred the meat with your fingers, discarding the bones and the skin. (If you used beef, discard it or save it for another use.)
• While the chicken is cooling, strain the stock and discard the solids. Peel the remaining quarter of an onion and put it in a blender with the chipotle, 1/4 cup of the cilantro and a sprinkle of salt. Crumble in the two whole fried tortillas and add enough stock to fill the blender a little more than halfway. Purée until the mixture is as smooth as possible.
• Pour the purée and remaining stock back into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the mixture bubbles gently and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the shredded chicken, taste and add more salt if necessary. Divide the avocados, the cheese and the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro among 4 to 6 bowls. Ladle the soup into the bowls and garnish with the fried tortilla strips. Serve immediately with lime wedges if you like.