Chicken Tortilla Soup

One of my absolute favorite comfort dishes is Chicken Tortilla Soup. On a cold day, there is nothing quite like a hot bowl of this soup to engulf your taste buds. On this particular day in December, it finally felt like a true Ohio winter outside and there is nothing quite like the aroma of soup filling your home. Not to mention, this soup is perfectly balanced in texture and flavor leaving you satisfied without feeling the need to prepare anything else to accompany it. Prepare to wipe your winter blues away with this bright, flavorful Mexican dish.

Ingredients:


2 spilt chicken breasts, shredded 
Olive Oil
1 small white onion, diced
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 can black beans
2 ears of corn
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 tbsp. fresh curly parsley, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped 
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 cumin
2 flour tortillas
vegetable oil
Cheddar Jack cheese or a Mexican blend
4 Green Onions
1 avocado, diced
Sour cream


Directions:


1. In a dutch oven, coat bottom with olive oil and heat until oil is hot. Meanwhile liberally season the chicken with salt, pepper and chili powder. Once dutch oven is hot, brown chicken on both sides for approximately 2-3 minutes a side. Once both sides are a golden brown, add two cups of chicken stock. Place in 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes to an hour or until chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender.


2. Meanwhile, in a sautee pan add the diced onion over medium-low heat and cook until onion is translucent. Once onions are translucent, add garlic and continue to cook 1 minute stirring constantly so that the garlic does not burn. Remove from heat and set aide. 


3. In a seperate pot, boil water. Once water reaches a steady boil, add the corn. Cook until corn it fork tender. Drain and let cool. Upon cooling, take a chef's knife and standing ear of corn up on your cutting board cut in a downward motion removing kernels. Set aside. 


4. Once chicken is finish, removed from dutch oven and set on the cutting board to cool for 10-15 minutes. 


5. Leaving juices in the dutch oven, add onions, corn, crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, parsley, cilantro, cayenne pepper, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cumin cooking on stove over medium-low heat.


6. Once chicken has rested, take a fork and shred the meat, adding the shredded meat to the dutch oven when finished. 


7. Continue to simmer soup for 20-25 minutes. 


8. Meanwhile in another dutch oven, add vegetable oil approximately 2-3 inches deep and heat oil to medium-high heat. Cut tortillas into strips (after testing oil with a drop of water to ensure it is hot ) drop strips into oil. Make sure not to crowd the strips and occasionally stir. These should only take about 30 seconds, removing promptly onto a plate covered with a paper towel. Salt the strips as you remove them seeing as the oil binds the salt to the strips. These will be used for garnishing the soup.


9. Chop green onions and set aside for garnishment. 


10. Dice avocado and set aside for garnishment.


11. Take a spring of fresh cilantro and roughly chop for garnishment. 


12. Ladle soup into bowl adding a dollop of sour cream, a tablespoon of diced avocado, two tablespoons of cheese, a pinch of fresh cilantro, a teaspoon of green onions, and a handful of tortilla strips. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

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