Tortilla Soup

Jeff and I were suppose to go to a Murder Mystery Dinner last weekend and I was suppose to take soup for the potluck.  Well we ended up not going to the dinner because William was sick but I had already made the soup and it was delicious.  The recipe makes a lot so you may want to cut it in half unless you want a huge batch of soup.

Tortilla Soup

1 tablespoon oil

2 large onions, chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 tsp. coarse kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes

12 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

juice of 2 limes

1 package (8oz.) small corn tortillas, cut into 1/4 in-thick strips

4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/4 inch thick strips (or use a whole shredded chicken)

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Monterey Jack cheese

1.  Heat 1 tblsp. vegetable oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until translucent, 5-7 minutes.  Stir in two-thirds of the garlic, 1 tbsp. salt, cumin, and chile flakes and cook 2 minutes.

2.  Add broth, tomatoes, and half of the lime juice and increase heat to a gentle simmer; cook 20 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, pour about 1 in. of vegetable oil into a small frying pan set over medium-high heat.  When oil is hot but not smoking, add one-third of the tortilla strips and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, transfer strips to a paper towel-lined sheet pan.  Repeat with remaining strips.  Sprinkle with salt while hot.  Set aside.

4.  Puree soup.  (I use an immersion blender but if you don't have one just put it in your blender in batches.)  Return soup to pot and resume simmering.  In a small bowl, toss chicken with remaining lime juice, garlic, and add 1/2 tsp. salt.  Marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes, then add to soup and simmer until chicken is cooked through.  Stir in cilantro just before serving.

Serve with tortilla strips, avocado, sour cream, and cheese.

Note.  When I made this last weekend I cooked 2 lbs of chicken according the the recipe and then added half of a shredded chicken to add more chicken to the recipe.  Even if you use precooked chicken go ahead and add the marinade in with the chicken to get all of the flavor into the soup.