Sunday, October 4, 2009

California chicken tortilla soup

DSC_5287

One of my all-time favorite soups, this chicken tortilla recipe always tastes fresh and yummy. I got this recipe many years ago, from Mary Jo, my quilt teacher, from California.

What you need:
1 T Olive Oil
1 lb boned and skinned chicken breast cut into strips (or a rotisserie chicken)
1 cup diced onion
1 T minced garlic
1 cup diced red bell pepper (or green)
1/2 cup minced cilantro
1 1/2 cup diced tomato (fresh or canned)
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (fresh or canned)
2 tsp red chile powder
1 tsp crushed cumin seeds
1/2 tsp crushed coriander seeds
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1 cup drained white hominy
1 qt (4 cups) chicken broth
5 corn tortillas, misted on both sides with oil and toasted


What to do:
Heat oil in heavy 3-6 qt pot. Add chicken and saute until lightly browned. (if using rotisserie chicken, add later). Add the onion and saute until softened. Stir in garlic, pepper,cilantro, tomato, jalapenos, seasonings and hominy (and add rotisserie chicken). Cook for a couple of minutes to concentrate flavors. Add the broth and simmer 20 minutes.

Cut the tortilla strips and bake in a preheated 375 oven until crisp (10-12 min). Crush half of the tortillas and stir into soup. Simmer 15 min. Ladle into bowls and garnish with remaining strips.

Serves 4-6