Chicken Tortilla Soup

I am going to cut right to the chase here. Recreating authentic dishes is a daring activity. Intimidating even. Especially, when you are a Belarusian who was lucky to try many exquisite Mexican dishes made by her Mexican American host mom and who has spent years chasing those flavors in her own dishes. When I tried a tortilla soup at the restaurant with a corny name Gringo Lingo (translated something like “White Slang” or similar), I have discovered that I really had a lot to learn about classic tortilla soup. My husband was surprised to taste that silky tomato broth garnished with tortilla chips, avocado, sour cream, and cilantro. That soup, he admitted, tasted nothing like its previous versions he had tried at Gringo Lingo’s. The soup was dusted with sweet paprika and had virtually no heat. Despite the absence of the spicy edge, there was something deliciously satisfying about its smooth consistency and sweet aroma.



The Soup at Gringo Lingo's, Mazatlan, Mexico

Having returned to the rainy days of the Pacific Northwest and having experienced somewhat of a “Mexico withdrawal,” I set to recreate that tortilla soup at home. Intrigued by rave reviews, I turned to the Classic Tortilla Soup Recipe by Marcela Valladolid, a host of the Food Network’s show Mexican Made Easy. There was only one problem. I hardly had any ingredients required for this soup in my refrigerator. Running to the grocery store on a rainy night on the island (have I mentioned I live on an island?) did not seem to be an option, so I determined to make it work.  I took Marcela’s recipe as a base for my Mexican Belarusian version of the soup. The results exceeded my expectations. Shredded chicken thigh fillets added more body to the soup, while a few tablespoons of canned chipotle peppers in the delicious Adobo sauce (e.g. San Marcos Chipotle Peppers) brought authenticity to the dish and added more heat to the broth.  The recipe is very versatile, so you may omit bell pepper and increase amount of tomatoes or skip chipotle peppers altogether to tame the heat.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Adapted from the recipe by Marcela Valladolid

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients

Soup:

• ¾  cup grape tomatoes, washed and pat dry
• 1 large white onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut in half
• 1 large jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut lengthwise
• 2 Tbsp olive oil or Canola oil, divided
• 8 small garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 6 -7 cups chicken broth (depends on desired thickness)
• 1 ½ cup corn tortilla chips, crushed in a food processor
• 1.5 Tbsp canned Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauces (such as San Marcos)
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 lb. chicken thigh fillets, cooked and shredded
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tortilla strips:

2 medium-size flour tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch wide strips

Vegetable oil, for shallow frying

Garnish Ideas:

Mexican sour cream or regular sour cream, for serving

Avocado, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes or slices

Queso fresco or mild feta cheese, crumbled

Red Onion, chopped fine

Cilantro

Lime Wedges

Method:

Soup:

1.    Set the broiler on High and preheat for five minutes.

2.    Toss tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno pepper with 1 Tbsp olive oil or Canola oil.  Spread on a large baking sheet in one layer.

3.    Broil on high for approximately 8 minutes, checking and turning the baking sheet frequently to keep the vegetables evenly charred. Remove tomatoes, reduce the broiler to Low and broil five minutes more until the vegetables are charred and blackened. You may also want to turn the vegetables so they are blackened evenly. Remove the vegetables from the oven and let cool slightly.

4.    Heat a heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add unpeeled garlic cloves. Roast, turning frequently, until the garlic is soft, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic when soft, but slightly blackened.

5.    Peel the skin off the bell pepper and the jalapeno pepper, peel the garlic.

6.    Place the vegetable-garlic mixture in a blender or a food processor. Add crushed tortilla chips, chipotle peppers, tomato paste and 2 cups chicken broth. Blend until smooth.

7.    Pour into the large saucepan and add the remaining 4-5 cups chicken broth (the amount of chicken broth depends on desired thickness). Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add shredded cooked chicken, stir and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Tortilla strips:

1. In a medium, heavy skillet, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 1/2 an inch. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot, but not smoking.
2. Add the tortilla strips in batches and fry until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

To serve, garnish with sour cream, avocados, cheese, red onion, cilantro,  and tortilla strips and lime wedges on the side.

**Note:

The blended corn tortillas act as thickeners. Since I did not have corn tortillas, I used tortilla chips that added more body and texture to the soup.

Enjoy!