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Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

  • Servings: 4
  • 4 -5 corn tortillas
  • 6 bone-in chicken breast halves, with skin,fat discarded,washed,and patted dry
  • 1 large yellow onion, cut into quarters or eighths
  • 6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 2 large bay leaves
  • 4 (14 1/2 ounce) cans low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups wine or 1 (12 ounce) can beer, depending on taste
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, including stems,thoroughly rinsed and coarsely chopped
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • reserved chicken broth
  • 12 ounces reserved shredded chicken breasts
  • 3 -4 corn tortillas, halved,and cut crosswise into 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide slivers
  • 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 large ripe avocado, cut into 1/4 inch dice
  • 2 -3 green onions, and green parts,thinly sliced
  • fresh lime, cut into wedges as accompaniment

Recipe

  • 1 chicken and broth: toast corn tortillas in a 350 degrees f oven until crisp and lightly browned.
  • 2 cool slightly, and break into large pieces.
  • 3 combine chicken breasts, tortilla pieces, and remaining ingredients in a large kettle over medium heat, and stir to combine.
  • 4 bring to a full boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 45 minutes, skimming the surface as needed and stirring several times.
  • 5 remove the chicken breasts from the kettle, and cool until you can skin them and pull the meat from the bones.
  • 6 set the meat aside, and return the skin and bones to the kettle, return to a vigorous simmer, and cook for another 20 minutes.
  • 7 reserve and shred or coarsely chop 1-1/2 cups (12 oz) of the chicken, reserving the rest for another use.
  • 8 strain the broth into a bowl, discarding the bones, skin, and vegetables.
  • 9 set the broth aside for 5-10 minutes to allow fat to rise to top, and skim off as much as you can.
  • 10 place broth in freezer for 30 minutes, and skim off the solidified fat.
  • 11 refrigerate chicken and broth separately until you are ready to finish making the soup just before serving.
  • 12 before serving the soup, you need to make a serious choice.
  • 13 do you want a lot more flavor and better texture, or do you want less fat?
  • 14 if you opt for flavor, fry the tortilla strips until crisp, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • 15 if you want low-fat, bake them until crisp, but they will get soggy within seconds of being dropped into the soup.
  • 16 your choice!
  • 17 soup and garnish: to serve the soup, bring broth to a boil, add chicken, and simmer until chicken is heated through.
  • 18 divide the cilantro, avocado, chopped green onions, and half of the tortilla strips between four large bowls.
  • 19 strain shredded chicken from broth, and divide between bowls.
  • 20 fill each bowl with broth, and sprinkle with a few more tortilla strips.
  • 21 serve immediately, with remaining tortilla strips and lime wedges for garnish.
  • 22 tell your guests to squeeze a little lime juice into the soup before eating to add an extra layer of flavor.

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