Sep.
16 2012

Chicken Tortilla Soup #SundaySupper

Posted in #SundaySupper, appetizers, Beverages, General, Main Dishes, Recipes, Soups • Comments: 53

Today, September 16th is Mexican Independence Day or Dia de Independencia (I remember a little Spanish from high school and college!)

To celebrate we are having ourselves a little fiesta, hosted by Heather from Girlichef. According to Heather, celebrations in Mexico can last for two days and nights, and we have enough recipes lined up today to get you through multiple Independence Day celebrations!

My contribution, is the standard by which I judge all Mexican restaurants I visit – Chicken Tortilla Soup. To say that it is my favorite Mexican dish is an understatement. I am extremely critical of the preparation – no corn, no peas, no carrots (yes, I have had a version of this). I want my soup smooth, a little texture is fine, enough heat not to ruin my palate for the rest of my meal, moist chicken and freshly fried tortilla strips!

I’ve made a few versions at home myself – each time a different recipe – mostly because I never remembered how I made it the previous time!

The version before this one was Rick Bayless’ recipe, but when I looked it up again, I couldn’t remember if I actually did use chipotles in adobe or not!

Oh well! It was time to experiment all over again! I decided to roast some fresh poblano peppers and fresh tomatoes since they are still mighty fine right now. Any other time of the year, I’d substitute those tomatoes for their fire-roasted canned cousins.

Chicken Tortilla Soup #SundaySupper

5.0 from 1 reviews

Recipe type: Soup, Appetizer, Main

Author: Susan Palmer

Poblano peppers give this soup a nice kick, but if you have an iron stomach and like to really spice up your food, go ahead and roast a jalapeño or two (aye!!) right along with the poblanos to toss into your soup.

Ingredients

2 poblano peppers
15 ounces fresh or canned tomatoes (if using canned, I recommend fire-roasted crushed tomatoes)
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 cups chicken stock, homemade is recommended
salt and pepper to taste

Toppings

3 boneless chicken thighs or 1 boneless breast (if making stock, save the leftover chicken)
1 avocado
shredded monterey jack cheese
flour tortillas, cut into strips and fried
1 lime, quartered
cilantro

Instructions

With your broiler set to high, on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet place the tomatoes and poblano peppers and brush lightly with vegetable or canola oil.
Roast under the broiler for about 20-25 minutes, rotating, to make sure each side is evenly charred. Remove from the oven and place in a zip top bag for 2-3 minutes to easier remove all the skins.
In a stock pot over medium heat, add a tablespoon of oil and sauté your onions until translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add your garlic, cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Over the stock pot, crush the skinned tomatoes with your hands – or use a wooden spoon, making sure to get all the juices into the pot.
After removing the skins from the peppers, remove the stem and scrape the seeds from the interior and roughly chop. Add it to the pot with the tomatoes and onions, and cook for about a minute.
Carefully pour in your chicken stock and bring to a boil.
Remove the soup from the heat and puree in a blender or using a immersion blender until thick and smooth. A little texture is fine, but you don’t want any large chunky pieces left.
Taste and adjust season for salt and pepper at this time.
If using uncooked chicken, return the soup to the stockpot over medium heat and poach the chicken in the broth. If using leftover chicken from the stock, proceed to plating.

Serving the soup:

Ladle soup into a bowl, then top with shredded chicken, sliced avocado and a sprinkle of cilantro. Table side add the shredded monterery jack cheese and tortilla strips. Serve with lime slices.

Remember, soup is just the start of your meal. Round it out with a dish from the rest of our #SundaySupper contributors this week!

Sopas (Soups), Ensaladas (Salads), and Entremeses (Starters)

Chicken Tortilla Soup - The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
Mexican Paint Soup - Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
Jalapeño Popper Dip - Chocolate Moosey
Vegan Tortilla Soup - Galactosemia in PDX
Texas Caviar - Ruffles and Truffles
Cheese-Stuffed Jalapeños w/ a Tequila Sunrise - Mama’s Blissful Bites
Mexican 7 Layer Dip & Chips - The Daily Dish Recipes
Stoplight Salsa Reisipe - Family Foodie
Tortilla Soup with Roasted Vegetables - Diabetic Foodie
Mini Taco Salads - Big Bear’s Wife

La Comida (the food)

Fiesta en tu Boca Enchiladas (Chicken & White Bean Enchiladas w/ Salsa Verde) - The Hand That Rocks the Ladle
Gluten-Free Chicken Spinach Artichoke Enchiladas for #SundaySupper - Cooking Underwriter
Mexican Fiesta for #SundaySupper: Chipotle Chicken & 3 Bean Quesadillas w/ Wasabi Guacamole and Mango Salsa - Chattering Kitchen
Carnitas - My Catholic Kitchen
Tamale Pie - Noshing with the Nolands
Eggs Motuleños - The Meltaways
Grilled Fish Tacos with Black Bean and Corn Salsa - Small Wallet Big Appetite
Carne Asada - Magnolia Days
Carnitas Avocado Pizza with Chipotle Avocado Mayonnaise Drizzle - Damn Delicious
Frijoles Charros (Cowboy Beans) - La Cocina de Leslie
Puerco Pibil - girlichef
BLT Quesadillas with Avocado Mayo - Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Chile Rellenos with Roasted Tomato Sauce - Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
Tamales with Green Chili Sauce - Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
Beef and Vegetable Enchiladas - Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks
Chicken Con Queso - Momma’s Meals
Baked Flautas - Home Cooking Memories
Chunky Aztec Chocolate Granola - What Smells So Good?
Street Tacos Al Pastor - Sustainable Dad
Shrimp Tacos - Pippi’s in the Kitchen Again
Chile Relleno with Ranchero Sauce - The Little Ferraro Kitchen
Zippy Chipotle Shrimp & Mango Tostadas - Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
Pork Tacos - Tora’s Real Food
Stuffed Sopapillas - Juanita’s Cocina
Chicken Fajitas - Cravings of a Lunatic
Blue Crab Tacos - Pescetarian Journal
Huevos Rancheros - Comfy Cuisine

Postres (desserts)

Chocolate Cinnamon Flan - Vintage Kitchen Notes
Caramel Apple Enchiladas for a Mexican Fiesta #SundaySupper - In the Kitchen with KP
Chilli Chocolate Truffles - Happy Baking Days
Horchata Ice Cream & Churro Brownies - Kwistin’s Favorites
Strawberry Empanadas - In the Kitchen with Audrey and Maureen
Plantain Fritters - From Fast Food to Fresh Food
Fried Cinnamon Sugar Tortillas - The Watering Mouth

Bebidas (beverages)

Beer Margaritas - That Skinny Chick can bake
Hatch Chile Margarita - Shockingly Delicious
Skinny & Spicy Watermelon Margaritas - I Run for Wine
Refreshing Kiwi Lime Margarita - Mama Mommy Mom
Wine Pairings for a Mexican Fiesta #SundaySupper - ENOFYLZ

Please be sure you join us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper. We’ll be meeting up at 7:00 pm (Eastern) for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat where we’ll talk about our favorite recipes for a Mexican Fiesta! All you have to do is follow the#SundaySupper hashtag, or you can follow us through TweetChat! We’d also love to feature your Mexican Fiesta recipes on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share them with all of our followers! And feel free to leave links to your favorite Mexican or Mexican-inspired recipes in the comment section of this post – I’d love to see them!