Chicken Tortilla Soup





This is a soup long over due for Jessi and I. We actually made it a couple of weeks ago when pretty much the whole country was covered in snow, STILL! Let me tell you—this will warm you up! It's the perfect "feel-good" soup on a cold day or just when you need a soup for the soul... hey, wasn't that a book? The thing I love is that it has all the good things you make in fajitas, but more of it & you don't have to worry about it falling out of a burrito all over yourself. The soup's base has just enough kick to keep it spicy while the cheddar adds that extra dash of creamy, almost smokey flavor. Just when you think you're in pure soup ecstasy you crunch down on a little tortilla slice of heaven. This is when it happens - all your worldly worries melt away just like the cheddar. To make it a little more healthy we added in a power-green, chard! However you may use kale or spinach instead. A heavily modified—so we're calling it an original—recipe. Absolutely delicious!
Serves 6.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs chicken thighs, skinned (3-4 large thighs)
  • 2 chiles in adobe sauce, plus 1 tbsp of the sauce
  • 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
  • 4 cups chopped chard
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ripe large avocado, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 2 cups roughly broken baked-tortilla chips
  • 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

Directions

  1. Place enough water that will cover chicken in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil.
  2. Add chicken and cook for 8-10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pot and set aside until cool. Pull chicken with a fork/fingers. Set aside.
  3. Meanwhile, put adobe chiles, 1 tbsp of the adobe sauce and the diced tomatoes/juice into a blender.
  4. Heat 1.5 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 6 to 9 minutes.
  5. Pour the onion and garlic into the blender with the tomato mixture. Process until smooth.
  6. Return the Dutch oven to medium heat. When hot, add the tomato puree mixture and stir nearly constantly until thickened, about 6 minutes.
  7. Add broth and water. Bring to a boil, then adjust heat to maintain a simmer. Add chicken and beans to the soup and simmer for 30 minutes.
  8. Add chard and season with salt to taste, depending on the saltiness of the broth. Cook, stirring, until the greens are wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
  9. Ladle the soup into bowls. Divide avocado, tortilla chips and cheese among the bowls. Serve warm, with lime wedges.

19 comments:

Chef E said...

Okay that is it! Hubby is out of town, I am going to On The Border tonight!

Or storming you house for a bowl of this, you guys torture me...oh sooooo hungry...

pam said...

I don't put chard in mine, I'm going to have to give that a try!

Christo Gonzales said...

nice bowl and a nice bowl full of goodies...

Leslie said...

NICE!!! I can just only imagine all the flavor in this soup!!! so yum

My Little Space said...

Hmm.. soup with tortilla sounds wonderful! I should give it a try some day! Have a niceday.
Cheers,
Kristy

Amanda said...

That looks marvelous!! I bet it was soooo good!

grace said...

the chard is unexpected but really spectacular! as with most mexican-type dishes, the avocado is what draws me in and the wonderful combination of all the ingredients that keeps me interested. nicely done, folks!

Rose said...

Mmmmmm I want! Looks fantastic! I love throwing in veggies whenever I can. Looks great!

Unknown said...

love this soup...it looks amazing and the flavor combination just works so well together.

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

fajita soup... love it!

Anonymous said...

This looks stunning, and its beautifully presented.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
*kisses* HH
p.s. If you haven't already, please stop by my blog and enter my giveaway for £50 or $75 worth of Amazon vouchers :D I've just unveiled my new blog and am doing a give away to celebrate :D

Unknown said...

MMmmm, i could've used a bowl of this today!

Taste of Beirut said...

OMG!!!! You are talking to a chicken tortilla soup addict; I have converted my kids too and we all love it , bad!!! Yours look so tempting so amazing with those diced avocadoes I am salivating just looking at it!

Ivy said...

The soup sounds delicious and beautifully presented.

Barbara said...

Haven't had this since a trip to Mexico a few years back! And I loved it. Great idea to use chard and I love the big chunks of avocado! Copying now as we loved it!

Linda Craig said...

Jessi - I was browsing your site from the DaniDishes link and couldn't resist this soup. I made it tonite and it was a big hit with both Dan and me. Good job!

Kerstin said...

I love all the ingredients in this and wish I could slurp up a bowl right now!

Unknown said...

this soup looks amazing!!!

Jessie Carty said...

mmm..this sounds really fantastic and i have most of the ingredients. i'm not, however, familiar with adobe chiles or sauce, are those the only chiles you'd suggest?

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