Perfect comfort food on an overcast day like today. Fatima and Santiago’s Mom, Lourdes, will be teaching us how to make one of the best soups ever!
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of chicken (prefer 1 pound of chicken breast and 1 pound of chicken thigh with bone-in)
- 5 cups water
- 1 1/2 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs of olive oil for the tortillas strips
- 2 cups finely chopped red onion (1 big)
- 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 tbs minced garlic (4 cloves) and 2 extra cloves for the soup base
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 8 medium tomatoes
- 1 medium green bell pepper
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 1 1/2 cups canned corn, reserve liquid
- 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 tbs fresh lime juice
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 10 corn tortilla, ultra thin
- 1 cup of cotija cheese
- 1 diced avocado
- Sour cream (optional)
Equipment:
- Medium sized pot with lid
- Medium bowls
- Chef’s knife and chopping board
- Medium sauté pan
- Wooden spatula
- Blender
- Large pot with lid
- Large bowl
- Baking sheet with silicone mat/parchment paper
- Paper towels
Instructions:
Wash the chicken and place in a medium size pot and cover it with water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for about 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken in a separate bowl and let it cool down. Reserve chicken broth for the soup. When the chicken is cool, shred the chicken.
Soup Base – Chop 5 tomatoes, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 of the onion and red bell pepper. In a medium sauté pan, add 1 tbs of olive oil and the veggies. Sauté for one minute over medium heat. Cover it and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes. Transfer the sautéed veggies to a blender and blend it all together. Careful as the contents of the blender will be hot. Set aside.
Dice in small pieces 3 tomatoes and put it in a separate container. Dice the green bell pepper in put it in a separate container. Dice the remaining ½ of the onion and finely chop the garlic. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, diced green bell pepper and garlic and saute until nearly soft, about 3-5 minutes.
Bloom aromatics by adding chili powder and cumin and saute 1 minute.
Pour in 5 cups of chicken broth, soup base, diced tomatoes and corn with reserved liquid. Bring mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium, cover and let simmer 5 – 10 minutes.
Add shredded chicken, black beans, cilantro and lime. Season soup with salt and pepper as needed.
Pour soup into bowls top with tortilla chips, cheese and optional avocado or sour cream.
Baked Tortilla Chips – Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Cut corn tortillas into 1/2-inch strips. Add to a large bowl, toss with vegetable oil to coat. Sprinkle with seasonings. Toss to coat tortilla strips evenly. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes. Toss and return to the oven. Continue baking for an additional 5-10 minutes or until desired crispness is reached. Transfer tortilla strips to a plate with paper towels and cool it.