Tortilla Soup

I've been on the hunt for quite some time for a reliable and authentic Tortilla Soup recipe. I've tried countless variations over the years. Some were more delicious than others and others easier to prepare. While this particular recipe is both delicious and simple to make, (I have to admit) it is probably the furthest thing from authentic. Still, in the midst of a compromise, I've gained a tried and truly tasty soup that is consistently good time and time again.

Ingredients:
2Tbl Butter
1Tbl EVOO

1 Onion
1 stalk Celery
1 small Carrot

5-6 Cloves Garlic
1-3 Jalapeno Peppers *see note
1 (15oz) can Diced Tomatoes
4C Chicken Stock

4 White Corn Tortillas
1 Chicken Breast
1teas Cumin
Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Heat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter and EVOO. Add the onion, celery, and carrot. Cook for 10min. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic. Cook for 1 min. Add tomatoes, stock, jalapenos, cumin, and tortillas. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 20min. Cook and shred the chicken breast. Stir in the shredded chicken and check for seasonings.

Dice onion, celery, and carrot.

Heat a medium (enameled if you have one) pot over medium heat w/the butter & EVOO.

Add the diced onion, celery, and carrot.

Cook for 10 min.

Mince garlic.

De-seed all but 1/2 of one jalapeno.
Mince jalapeno(s).

After 10 min.

Add S&P and the garlic.

Cook for 1-2min.

Then add the tomatoes and chicken stock.

Give a stir and add the jalapenos and cumin.

Slice the tortillas in half, stack the halves on top of one another, then slice thinly.

Add and stir tortillas through.

Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on medium-low for 20min.

I previously boiled my chicken in my "scrap stock" for 10 minutes, removed, and cooled. **see note

Shred chicken.

Remove lid and stir. The consistency should be relatively thicker as some of the tortillas have dissolved into the soup. Add the chicken and taste to check for seasonings. 

I added a tad more salt and cumin.

Bowl up and serve with a homemade tortilla.

Cook's Notes:

*Deseeding all but 1/2 of one pepper leaves this soup mild. What I'd recommend doing (if you like things spicy) is mince and include an extra pepper's flesh, reserve its seeds and ribs, and cook the rest of the recipe as is. If at the end of the cooking time, the soup's spiciness is not hot enough for you, stir in the reserved seeds and ribs for extra heat.

**My scrap stock included the usual 4c water & recipe's vegetable scraps, along w/1teas coriander seed, cilantro stems, 4teas better than chicken bouillon, and the chicken breast called for the recipe.

***Serving suggestions for this soup are: A squeeze of lime, sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips, and/or diced avocado.

Click here to see how to make homemade tortillas.