Mexican Chicken Soup

Ingredients:  Jalapenos are hit-and-miss in Manila.  I used Thai chilis instead. Normally, corn tortillas are not available in Manila, but I had some (yellow, not white) in the freezer that my mom brought me

Help from Gigi:  I think all of my food prep!  My parents were visiting, so I decide to use her as much as I could.  She made some chicken stock, prepped the chicken, and chopped the vegetables.  And then she put everything in a separate container, which always makes me feel like I'm on  a cooking show.

Oh, sweet Ina, you've done it again.  The second Barefoot Bloggers recipe for November (which was supposed to have been posted on November 27th, and which I made on November 8th) was Mexican Chicken Soup.  Think chicken and vegetable soup with a kick.  But what really makes this soup special is the addition of corn tortillas that not only thickens it, but gives it a really great flavor, dare I say even a little bit of sweetness?  I have it bad for corn-based products, too, so I'm thinking that maybe I should start adding corn tortillas to everything I make.

By the way, I'm always so impressed by my fellow bloggers with their beautiful and well-lighted photos.  Well, I am always cooking when it's dinnertime, and the daylight has left us.  So my lighting is compliments of the two flourescent bulbs in my windowless kitchen.

Anyway, I found this recipe to be really straight forward:  no crazy ingredients and very easy to make.  For me, it had the added bonus of being liked by my children.  I did stray from the recipe in that I omitted the jalepenos (which in this case was actually Thai chiles), and added them separately at the end.  My parents and kids aren't big fans of spicy foods, so I figured it best to add them only to mine.

Aside from that little change, I made this recipe just as directed.  It's such a treat to find a recipe that: I could find all the ingredients for; and I could follow all of the directions for; I genuniely enjoyed and my kids didn't complain about either!

I loved this soup so much.  Despite living in a permanent-summer climate, my family eats soup about once a week.  Lest we get bored on with one soup, I like to have lots of recipes to choose from, and I'm sure that I'll be adding this one to my list.  

Mexican Chicken Soup

Courtesy of Ina Garten

• 4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
• 1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
• 2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
• 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
• 2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional
• 6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas
• For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside. 

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.