To start the season off correctly I decided to make chicken tortilla soup. It lasts for a few days and I never get sick of it.
First you get the chicken ready. Pre-heat the oven to 400 F.
You will need:
- 4 chicken boobs
- salt
- pepper
- paprika
- chili powder
- cumin
- olive oil
In a small bowl mix 1 tablespoon of all the spices, now pour in a little olive oil to make a paste, rub the spice paste all over the chicken, toss them in a baking dish and pop those babies into the oven for about 20 minutes.
After the chicken is fully cooked shred that chicken! I usually pull it apart using two forks.
Next You will need:
- 1 tbs of of all the spices from before
- one yellow onion (chopped)
- 3 bell peppers (I like to use 1 green, 1 red and 1 yellow- diced)
- 8 cloves of garlic or more! (Chopped)
- 32 oz of chicken stock
- 1 can of black beans (drained)
- 4 tbs of cornmeal
- 1 can of green chilies (diced- I like to use Hatch brand, lots of good flavor!)
- 1 can of a diced tomato and green chili medley (Hatch is delish here too)
- 2 tbs of tomato paste
- fresh or canned corn (cut the kernels off the Cobb if using fresh)
All of my gorgeous Ingredients!
Put a splash of olive oil in a big pot and crank the heat up to high. Once the oil is hot add your onions, when they start to look opaque add your garlic and bell peppers and turn down the heat a bit and add your spices (cumin, chili power, paprika, salt, pepper)
Stir in the chicken and green chiles next.
Now add the tomatoes and green chili mixture (with the juice). And pour in the broth-
Stir everything together. You will notice that the liquid is very thin. Let's add 2 tbs of tomato paste to thicken it up!
Let everything simmer together for about 20 minutes. Give it a taste. If you feel like a little something is missing, now is the time to add it.
Let the soup cook on low for about an hour, stir it every once in awhile. After an hour you will notice the soup has thickend a bit but not enough. This is where the cornmeal comes in. Add about 3/4 of a cup of warm water into a small bowl and then add in your cornmeal. Stir to blend it all together and add this to your soup.
This is a good time to stir in your black beans and corn too. I used fresh corn because I'm not a big canned corn person.
Now let your soup simmer for another 30 minutes to allow the cornmeal to do its job. While you wait you can prep your tasty homemade chips!
Cut a few corn tortillas into triangles or strips and then fry them up in olive oil! It tastes soooooo good in the soup. Cilantro and cheese makes for amazing additions too! I like to use Monterey Jack cheese! Mmmm!
Finished product/ food porn:
