Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken tortilla is one of my favorite soups - it's full of flavor but still light and healthy.  Soup is so great because you can make enough to freeze and pull it out whenever you don't feel like cooking.  I used homemade chicken stock, I've included the recipe below, but you can use any store bought stock if you don't feel like making your own.  I also used leftover chicken from the roast chicken I made earlier but you can also use new chicken breasts for this recipe. 

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 1/2 jalapeno, de-seeded and finely diced
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 14oz can black beans
3 chicken breasts
6 cups chicken stock (homemade recipe below)
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper
tortilla chips
1 avocado
cilantro, finely chopped or if you don't have that I just threw in about a tsp of ground coriander
cheese, Monterrey is good but anything you have should be okay

Method:

In large soup pot heat olive oil and add onions, cook for about 2 minutes and then add garlic and jalepenos and cook for another minute.  Add tomatoes, chicken stock, beans, salt and pepper - bring to a boil.  Once you reach boiling turn heat down to simmer.  If you are using uncooked chicken breasts add to soup now.  I might cut into large strips.  (If you are using leftover pre-cooked chicken do not add to soup yet). Let the soup simmer for about 25 minutes.   Remove chicken and use forks to shred - set aside.  Add lime juice and cilantro to pot.  Take shredded chicken and place in serving bowls, ladle broth over the chicken.  Top with tortilla chips and slices of avocado.


Homemade Chicken Stock
Makes about 12 cups

Making chicken stock is incredibly easy and it just makes me feel better about eating homemade soup since I know exactly what I will be eating.  I usually make roasted chicken about once a month and then make chicken stock with the bones.  Here's what you'll need to do for a very basic and delicious chicken stock.

Ingredients:

1 chicken picked down to bones
3 carrots, unpeeled
1 onion, quartered (doesn't need to be peeled)
3 stalks of celery
salt and pepper
2 bay leaves
Approximately 10 cups of water (more or less depending on the size of your soup pot) 

Method:

Place chicken in soup pot.  Fill water so just the top of the chicken is sticking out (about 1 inch).  Add onion, carrots, celery and bay leaves.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  I cut the carrots and celery in half so they fit into the pan easily.  Bring to boil.  Once bowling turn heat down and simmer uncovered for about 4 hours.  Skim top with spoon to remove any scum.  If you need to add more water to ensure you have a full pot of stock. Put in tupperware and freeze whatever you're not using.  A friend of mine who just happens to be a professional chef, told me to pour stock into an ice cube tray to use for sauces which I thought was a brilliant idea.