chicken tortilla soup
Jan. 12th, 2011 03:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jessipsaloquiturI made a big, yummy pot of chicken tortilla soup yesterday. It's one of my favorite things and for some inexplicable reason, I hadn't made it in a very long time. So I was floundering trying to remember how to do it. But I did! And it is delicious and nutritious and very low in fat and chalk full of good-for-you veggies! ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
editorzon mentioned that she'd like the recipe, so I thought I'd put it here in case anyone else was interested in soup goodness (and also so that I'll be able to find it next time I forget!).
First my disclaimer: I never cook from a recipe. So this is just approximately what I did when I made this yesterday. Quantities are approximate. Also, this was for a pot of soup big enough to feed a household of 5, (Rhyan refuses to eat or drink anything other than Ovaltine, so I'm not counting her *g*), with left overs.
✓ 3-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
✓ 1 celery stalk
✓ 1 white onion, 1/2 chopped the other half left intact
✓ 3-4 garlic cloves
✓ 2 cans roasted, diced tomatoes
✓ 1 sm. can green chilies
✓ 2 cans whole kernel corn
✓ 3 zucchini squash, chopped
✓ 2-3 carrots, diced small
✓ 2 bell peppers (I usually include one red bell pepper for the pretty color!), chopped
✓ cilantro, approx. 1/2 of the bunch, chopped
✓ 1 tsp oregano
✓ salt and pepper to taste
✓ cheese, shredded
✓ corn chips or homemade baked corn tortilla strips
✓ avocado for garnish (optional)
Fill a large stock pot with water and add rinsed chicken breasts; bring to a boil to make chicken stock. Once boiling, add a pinch of salt, the celery stalk (whole or halved), the garlic cloves (peeled & whole) and the unchopped 1/2 onion. Boil over medium heat until chicken cooked and stock flavored (approx. 30-45 minutes). Remove onion & celery; discard. Remove chicken breasts to cool.
To the chicken/veggie stock, add the canned items and the chopped veggies. Once the chicken breasts are cool enough to handle, chop into smallish pieces and add them back to the soup. Bring everything to a boil. Reduce to medium low heat, add cilantro, oregano, salt & pepper. Simmer over medium low heat for an hour.
Serve with cheese sprinkled on top. Add crushed tortilla chips or baked tortilla strips if you're more industrious. (These are easy to make: cut corn tortillas into strips, lightly brush with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt, bake until crispy.) But, really, the corn chips work just as well. If you want to make it pretty, you can garnish with a couple of avocado slices.
I'll also note that my chicken tortilla soup is very mild, mostly because I live with people who are even wimpier than I am when it comes to spicy foods, but if you like a little more kick to your Mexican food, just add a chopped, seeded jalapeño or two and that'll kick it up a few notches!
Buen provecho! Which roughly translates to Enjoy the yummy food! :)
So, now that I'm in the cooking mood, I want to try new things! Tell me, what is your favorite or current favorite yummy thing to cook? Fill my comments with deliciousness!!! Nom nom nom!
editorzon mentioned that she'd like the recipe, so I thought I'd put it here in case anyone else was interested in soup goodness (and also so that I'll be able to find it next time I forget!). First my disclaimer: I never cook from a recipe. So this is just approximately what I did when I made this yesterday. Quantities are approximate. Also, this was for a pot of soup big enough to feed a household of 5, (Rhyan refuses to eat or drink anything other than Ovaltine, so I'm not counting her *g*), with left overs.
✓ 3-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
✓ 1 celery stalk
✓ 1 white onion, 1/2 chopped the other half left intact
✓ 3-4 garlic cloves
✓ 2 cans roasted, diced tomatoes
✓ 1 sm. can green chilies
✓ 2 cans whole kernel corn
✓ 3 zucchini squash, chopped
✓ 2-3 carrots, diced small
✓ 2 bell peppers (I usually include one red bell pepper for the pretty color!), chopped
✓ cilantro, approx. 1/2 of the bunch, chopped
✓ 1 tsp oregano
✓ salt and pepper to taste
✓ cheese, shredded
✓ corn chips or homemade baked corn tortilla strips
✓ avocado for garnish (optional)
Fill a large stock pot with water and add rinsed chicken breasts; bring to a boil to make chicken stock. Once boiling, add a pinch of salt, the celery stalk (whole or halved), the garlic cloves (peeled & whole) and the unchopped 1/2 onion. Boil over medium heat until chicken cooked and stock flavored (approx. 30-45 minutes). Remove onion & celery; discard. Remove chicken breasts to cool.
To the chicken/veggie stock, add the canned items and the chopped veggies. Once the chicken breasts are cool enough to handle, chop into smallish pieces and add them back to the soup. Bring everything to a boil. Reduce to medium low heat, add cilantro, oregano, salt & pepper. Simmer over medium low heat for an hour.
Serve with cheese sprinkled on top. Add crushed tortilla chips or baked tortilla strips if you're more industrious. (These are easy to make: cut corn tortillas into strips, lightly brush with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt, bake until crispy.) But, really, the corn chips work just as well. If you want to make it pretty, you can garnish with a couple of avocado slices.
I'll also note that my chicken tortilla soup is very mild, mostly because I live with people who are even wimpier than I am when it comes to spicy foods, but if you like a little more kick to your Mexican food, just add a chopped, seeded jalapeño or two and that'll kick it up a few notches!
Buen provecho! Which roughly translates to Enjoy the yummy food! :)
So, now that I'm in the cooking mood, I want to try new things! Tell me, what is your favorite or current favorite yummy thing to cook? Fill my comments with deliciousness!!! Nom nom nom!
