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.