Chicken Tortilla Soup
Makes 4-6 Servings
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DRINK PAIRING | |
|---|---|---|
| Pacifico Beer | ||
There’s nothing like a hot bowl of earthy, spicy (but not too spicy), satisfying tortilla soup piled high with toppings. Tex-Mex comfort food at its finest!
INGREDIENTS
- Soup:
- 2 tbsp Canola Oil
- 1 Onion, medium diced
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- ¼ cup Dry White Vermouth
- 4 Bone In, Skin On Chicken Thighs
- 1 Dried Ancho Chile
- 1 Dried Guajillo Chile
- 28oz can Whole Peeled Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- 1 qt Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 1 Bunch Cilantro
- Garnishes:
- Dried Chile Topping:
- 3 Dried Ancho Chilies
- 2 Dried Guajillo Chilies
- Tortilla Topping:
- 10 Small Corn Tortillas
- High Heat Oil
- 10oz Asadera Cheese
- 2 Avocados
- 2 Limes
- Additional Kosher Salt
DIRECTIONS
1
Toast the topping chilies in a dry pan (how to toast chilies).
2
Take the stems off the chilies & knock out the seeds, discarding them.
3
Tear & crumble the chilies into bits (for use as a topping for the soup). Alternatively, you can chop them.
4
Add the two tablespoons of canola oil to a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bay leaves, coriander, oregano & teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are browned
5
Heat a ¼” of high heat oil in wide pan until it bubbles when the edge of a tortilla is lowered into it. Fry the tortillas in shifts, flipping as necessary, until they’re crispy & lightly browned. Drain them on paper towels to draw off excess oil.
Cut each tortilla in half, and then into strips.
6
When the onion has browned, deglaze the pot with the dry vermouth & add the garlic. Continue to cook.
7
Trim any excess fat off the chicken thighs. Salt them
8
Clear a space in the middle of the onions & toast the remaining ancho & guajillo chilies in the middle of the pot.
9
Drain off most of the excess oil in the tortilla frying pan, leaving about 1 tbsp of oil.
10
Heat the pan over medium high heat & lay in the chicken thighs, skin-side down. Cook to render out their fat & until the skin firms up. Pull the skin off the thighs
11
Continue to cook the skin, flipping as necessary until it’s crispy. Remove the skin from the pan, drain on paper towels. Chop & reserve it for use as a garnish.
12
Move the chicken thighs to the soup pot, along with the tomatoes (with their juice) and chicken broth.
13
Cut the leafy tops off the cilantro & reserve for a garnish. Cut the very bottom of the stems off & discard. Add the center stems of the cilantro to the soup pot.
14
Cut the asadera cheese into small cubes & put them into a bowl for later use as a garnish.
15
Bring the soup to a boil, and simmer just until the chicken thighs are cooked through.
16
Use a knife or kitchen shears to cut up the tomatoes.
17
Pull the chicken thighs out of the soup. Pull the bones out and chop the meat, then return the meat to the pot.
18
Continue to cook until the onions are cooked through.
19
Peel & de-seed the avocados. Slice them into thin wedges. Cut the lime into wedges.
20
Serve the soup in bowls with the garnishes on the side for people to add to taste (avocado wedges, cilantro leaves, cheese cubes, sections of crisped tortilla, crisped chicken skin & crumbled chilies).