Chicken Tortilla Soup
yields: 4 -6 people
Ingredients
- 4 dried pasilla chiles, wiped clean, stemmed, and seeded
- 2 dried chiles de árbol, stemmed
- ½ pound about 2-3 roma tomatoes, quartered
- 1 large white onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth diluted with 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ears of corn, steamed and cut off the cob
- ½ can of black beans, strained
- 1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
- ½ cup cotija cheese, crumbled (last time I made the soup, I used shredded cheddar cheese and it was just as delicious)
- Small plain nonfat yogurt, diluted with 2 parts yogurt to 1 part water.
- 6 corn tortillas
- Cooking spray
INSTRUCTIONS
- Toast chiles in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, turning with tongs, until pliable and slightly changed in color, about 30 seconds to a minute. Coarsely crumble/chop 1 pasilla chile and set aside.
- Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, chiles de árbol (including seeds), remaining 3 pasilla chiles, ½ cup broth to a food processor and purée until smooth (this might take a few minutes, but hang in there- those darn chiles are tough).
- Heat vegetable oil in a heavy pot (at least 3.5 quarts) over medium heat until it simmers. Add purée and cook stirring frequently, until reduced by half, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add remaining 7 ½ cups broth, oregano, salt, corn, black beans, and chicken, then simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Spray both sides of tortillas lightly with cooking spray. Slice into strips (or triangles) and lay flat on a cookie sheet (do not overlap or they won't cook properly). Bake for 5-8 minutes until curled up and lightly browned, watching carefully after 5 minutes, as tortillas burn quickly.
- Serve in soup bowls. Sprinkle with cheese, drizzle with yogurt, and top with crumbled chile (to taste) and tortilla crisps.
