RUSS’S
CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
by
Russell Madden
Ingredients:
–– 1 can of tomatoes (28 ounces)
— 1 can of tomato sauce (15 ounces)
–– 2 chicken breasts (with or without bones) (or equivalent white/dark
chicken)
–– 1 or 2 jalapeño peppers (or equivalent)
— 2 to 4 garlic cloves
— 1 medium to large onion
–– 1 small red onion
–– 4 to 6 cups of chicken broth
— ¼ to ½ teaspoon cumin
–– ¼ to ½ teaspoon chili powder
–– 1 or 2 dashes of cayenne powder
–– ½ teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
–– 1 or 2 bay leafs
–– ½ teaspoon ground pepper
–– 1 cup of shredded cheese, colby/cheddar blend or colby/Monterey jack
blend
–– 2 cans of black beans (15 ounces each)
— 8 to 16 ounces of frozen corn or equivalent cans of Mexican-style corn
–– tortilla chips
— sour cream
— cilantro, whole leaves or chopped
— avocado, peeled and diced
— vegetable oil
Heat chicken broth in large soup pot or cast iron pot. Add chicken.
Cook chicken for 20-30 minutes. When chicken is done, remove pot from
heat. Remove chicken. When cool, shred chicken into strips. Discard
chicken skin, if present. Option: grill or brown chicken before adding
to broth.
Peel and press or chop garlic. Deseed and roughly chop jalapeños. Peel
and roughly chop onion. These will be blended, so the pieces can be
fairly large. Option: grill or sauté garlic, jalapeños, and/or white
onion.
Empty garlic, jalapeños, onion, tomatoes with juice, and tomato sauce,
into blender. Blend until coarsely pureed. If too much liquid for
blender, add tomato sauce later directly to broth when adding blended
liquids.
Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil to soup stock. Add contents of
blender to pot. Add cumin, cayenne powder, and chili powder (to taste).
Add bay leaf, oregano, and ground pepper. Cook, stirring, until mixture
is darkened and slightly thickened (about 5 to 10 minutes). Add
shredded chicken, black beans, and corn. Reduce heat to simmer,
stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls.
Per taste, add dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle on cheese, cilantro, and
avocado. Sprinkle on finely chopped red onion, if desired. Crumble
tortilla chips on top of soup.
Options: roast peppers and garlic; sauté onions; grill chicken. Place
whole or crumbled chips in bottom of bowl before putting in soup.
Adjust ingredients/amounts per taste.
