Chicken Tortilla Soup
The Covered Dish
By Debbie Dance Uhrig
August 31, 2020
This morning I feel like I should be singing an old ‘breath-mint’ commercial that went like this: ‘Two, two, two mints in one!’ Why? Because I’m sharing two recipes of tortilla soup in one column. Perhaps I should explain……
Last week I was visiting my friend, Jan, who is recuperating from a fall. While I was there a mutual friend, Nettie called, saying she was making Chicken tortilla soup for supper, because it was rainy outside. I thought it sounded like a good menu and went about procuring ingredients. Fast speed 3-4 days later, I call another good friend, Terry, in Kansas City and ask her for info on her tortilla soup. I had the recipe sketched but wanted to see if she did anything different. Taking notes I returned to my kitchen and made this creamy tortilla soup recipe. My husband, Ervin, really enjoyed it and told me to make it again!
Finally, I return to the computer to set the recipe for print. As I’m saving the document I realize I already had a recipe, written back in 2014. To say I was a bit ‘ticked’ with myself is an understatement. It is important to note that I usually write between 100-150 new recipes per year. This just goes to show you there’s more than one way to create a dish, and I’ve written a lot of recipes! Or…..does it mean I’m getting ‘old’ and can’t remember what I’ve done? That too, is an option! (Chuckling from my desk….)
So, with all that mumble jumble I’m sharing both recipes in this column. You can twist and turn the two together or go with only one. I think it is interesting to look at way I set recipes in 2020 compared to 2014. I’ve learned to get more detailed. Experienced cooks often assume the reader ‘knows’ certain things. After years of observing culinary guests this is certainly not the case.
Some readers are asking what I’m doing these days. I’m always busy working from home and networking in my community. Presently I remain on ‘furlough’ from Silver Dollar City, due to our Covid situation. It’s certainly given me new perspectives on many subjects!!
Have a good week. Simply yours, The Covered Dish. www.thecovereddish.com
Tortilla Soup
(Written in 2014)
3-4 cooked chicken breasts, chopped and diced
1 (14 1/2 ounce can) Rotel tomatoes
1 small zucchini, diced and chopped fine, do not peel
1 green or red pepper, diced fine
3 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, diced finely
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons chili powder
1-2 teaspoons cumin
3-4 (13 1/2 ounce) cans chicken broth
Lemon Zest from (1) lemon or lime
1 can, drained corn
1 teaspoon marjoram
Cilantro to taste
Shredded Monterey jack cheese
Tortilla Chips
Sauté the onion and pepper in oil until softened, stir in the garlic. Place this and all remaining ingredients down to but not including the cilantro in a large stockpot. Simmer for 1-2 hours. Add the cilantro just before serving and reserve extra for those who desire additional amounts. Ladle into bowls and top with Monterey jack and crumbled tortilla chips.
Sour cream and avocado are also nice additional toppers.
Claro Crema Tortilla Soup
‘Lite cream tortilla soup’, August 2020)
14 cups chicken stock
Salt, to taste, mine was 2 teaspoons, as stock was salt free
1-2 tablespoons light olive oil
1 large onion
1 1/2 cups chopped pepper blend or 8 ounces Green chilies
3 teaspoons pressed garlic
3 teaspoons Mexican oregano
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2-3 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups yellow corn, drained
1 can black beans, (15-20 ounces) rinsed
1 can (15-20 ounces) diced tomatoes
2 large chicken breasts, cooked & chopped or 2-3 cups chicken
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream
Cilantro to taste
Garnish with:
Sliced avocado, room temperature
Tortilla chips
Additional chopped cilantro
Sour cream, room temperature
Cheddar Cheese or cook’s choice
Prepare chicken stock in advance or use commercially prepared. The amount of salt added will depend upon the choice of stock. I.e. if it is purchased from a store and it is not salt-free, do not add any extra salt.
In a saucepan, over medium heat, sauté peppers and onions until translucent and a light browning begins. Add minced garlic at end and turn off all heat. Add to stock along with corn, beans, tomatoes and chicken. Return to medium heat bringing mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes.
Lastly whisk together the cornstarch and heavy cream until smooth. Temper into the warm soup. In this setting I removed some hot soup and tempered it into the cream; then added it to the entire soup to lightly thicken.
When 2 teaspoons of chili powder was added I sampled the soup, it was perfect. After the cream was added I felt the amount could have gone to 3 teaspoons. Temper the amount to your palate!
Sprinkle chosen amount of chopped cilantro into soup. (At our home, this is omitted and done individually.)
For serving I placed pieces of avocado in the bottom of the bowl along with crumbled tortilla chips. The soup was poured and garnished with cheddar cheese and fresh chopped cilantro.
It was a filling meal in itself. Other dishes to accompany might be chili cheese squares, guacamole or both! There is certainly an option to omit the cream portion of the soup if desired. Many times I have ordered a cream based tortilla soup to find it super super thick and laden with cheese. My goal in this recipe was to add a bit of creaminess, keeping the other flavors of the soup, in the forefront. Allowing the ingredients of the soup to reign without too much richness and cheese.
Like chili soups there are many varieties of chicken tortilla soups. Have fun playing around with different versions.
Serves 6-8 persons. Will serve more if adding additional dishes with the meal.
