Chicken Tortilla Soup With Green Chiles and Tomatoes

By Molly Watson

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Chile Chicken Tortilla Soup

Like many soups, this chicken tortilla soup is super flexible, so feel free to adjust amounts and add or leave ingredients to suit your tastes (I've even been known to make it without the chicken!).

Make this soup even quicker and easier by using a can (4.5 oz.) of diced roasted green chiles in place of the fresh ones - I look for the "Hatch" brand in their distinctive yellow cans for the wonderful extra depth of flavor those chiles bring to the party. When using fresh chiles, make sure you're getting Anaheim chiles - see this Guide to Fresh Hot Chiles for more info.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: Makes 4 to 6 Servings

Ingredients:

• 4 to 6 fresh New Mexico or Anaheim chiles
• 1 small onion
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 tsp. fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 4 to 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 jar (1-quart) or can (28-oz.) chopped tomatoes (juices included)
• 2 to 3 cups shredded chicken meat
• 8 to 10 corn tortillas or similar amount of tortilla chips
• Cilantro leaves for garnish
• Green onion for garnish
• Avocado for garnish

Preparation:

Heat a broiler, grill, or gas burners to roast and peel the chiles (see How to Roast Chiles Under a Broiler or How to Roast Chiles Over a Grill or Gas Burners for more details, if needed). Dice the chiles and set them aside.

Turn off the broiler and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Peel and chop the onion.

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring now and again, until the onions are soft, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and mince the garlic. Add it to the pot along with the cumin. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Add the chiles and stir to combine. Add the broth and tomatoes. Bring everything to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, allowing flavors to blend, for about 10 minutes.

Add chicken to the pot and continue to simmer until the chicken is heated through, about 10 more minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the tortillas into strips (or whatever shapes you like!). Lay the cut tortillas on a baking sheet and spray with oil, flip them over and lightly spray the other side. Bake until crispy and starting to brown on the bottom, about 10 minutes; turn them over and bake until brown on the second side, about 5 minutes. (Skip this step if using tortilla chips.)

Chop cilantro leaves and green onions; halve and pit the avocado before cutting to thin wedges.

Serve the soup hot, topped with cilantro leaves, green onions, avocado, and a squeeze of lime with baked tortilla strips on the side.