Tomato, Lime, and Tortilla Soup
Jalapenos are the most popular chile peppers in the US. This is probably due to the availability and versatility of the chile. Jalapenos have a balanced combination of flavor and heat.
The demand for these have caused breeders to develop a broad range of varieties. You can now get jalapenos with various heat level and sizes. These can be used in salsas, stuffed, or eaten straight with cheeseburgers (my personal favorite).
Ingredients:
Chicken:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground chipotle powder
1/2 tsp salt
pinch sugar
6 corn tortillas, cut into strips
1 cup canola oil, for deep frying
Soup:
1 cup chopped onions
4 large garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1-2 minced jalapeno peppers
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 28 oz. (796ml) can diced tomatoes
4 1/2 cups chicken stock
juice of two limes
2 tsp honey
salt to taste
1 cup grated cheddar
1 avocado, diced
sprigs of fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions:
To prepare chicken: combine the spices, salt and sugar in a bowl. Place chicken on parchment lined bake sheet. Drizzle oil over chicken, then sprinkle spice mixture over each breast. Use your hands to rub the spices into the meat. Place in preheated 375*F oven and cook for about 25 minutes. Let chicken stand for 10 minutes. Take two forks and shred the chicken. Set aside.
While chicken cooks, prepare tortilla strips: cut the tortillas into strips, about 2 inches long. In a small frying pan over high heat, add the canola oil. Let it get nice and hot, but not smoking. Toss a little strip of tortilla in and if it starts to fry right away your oil is hot enough. Reduce heat to medium high and fry the tortillas in batches, draining each batch on paper towel. (If you are not comfortable deep frying, you can toss the tortilla strips with 3 tbsp oil and place them on a bake sheet and bake until crispy, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until golden.) Sauté onions and garlic in 3 tbsp oil over medium high heat for a few minutes. Stir in peppers and spices. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the diced tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in lime juice, honey. Stir in shredded chicken. Season to taste, with more salt or pepper. Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with crispy tortilla strips, cheddar, avocado, cilantro and lime wedge. Serves 4-6.
From sweetsugarbean.com