VacantlyOccupied
500+ Posts
Easy way: this won some contest or another and was in the food section of the paper back in 2000. I tried it and found it to be better than I thought it would be.
Warning - it comes almost entirely from cans, and you don't want anyone to see you with all the damn cans on your kitchen counter.
Mexican Soup;
6 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
3 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
14.5 oz can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
10-ounce can diced tomatoes and green chiles
2 cups water
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
1 tsp garlic, crushed
2 heaping tsps ground cumin, or to taste
2 heaping tsps chili powder
1/2 bundle fresh cilantro
1 tblsp Worcestershire sauce
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup salsa
In a large pot combine everything but the chicken and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 15 minutes on medium heat until boiling, stirring occasionally.
There's an accompanying recipe for Mexican Rice that works fairly well. It involves browning rice in a skillet, then adding yet another can of Mexican-style stewed tomatoes (pureed), onion, garlic, and a can of chicken broth.
Serve in bowls with rice, diced avocado, tortilla strips (cut corn tortillas into strips and bake for a few minutes), cheese, and a squeeze of lime.
This has always been a dependable recipe - it makes a pretty decent bowl of tortilla soup.
Tonight I tried the tortilla soup from Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday. This kicked absolute butt, and may retire the canned method from my kitchen permanently. It's really just as easy, and looks much more impressive. Here's the recipe, as adapted by me:
Ingredients:
1 large dried pasilla chile, stemmed and seeded
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted ( get the Muir Glen fire-roasted organic tomatoes - it's worth the extra buck)
1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick (I used about half)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 quarts chicken broth
1 large sprig fresh epazote, if you have it (which I didn't)
Salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 ripe avocados
tortilla chips
queso fresco or other mexican-style cheese
limes
Toast the chile by turning it an inch or two above an open flame for just a few seconds, until its aroma fills the kitchen. You can also toast it on a hot skillet. Break the chile into pieces and put it in the blender, along with the tomatoes and their juice.
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 6-7 minutes (My note: this is a good time to drink a beer). Scoop the onion and garlic out of the pan using a slotted spoon, leaving most of the oil behind, and add the onion and garlic to the blender. Process the contents of the blender until smooth.
Return the pan to medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the puree and stir nearly constantly until thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, about 6 minutes. (Note: this is a good time for another beer. Also, people in your house will come to the kitchen to find out what smells so good). Add the broth and the epazote. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt as needed.
Add the chicken to the simmering broth and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add diced avocado, cheese, and a handful of roughly broken tortilla chips to your bowls and ladle the soup into the bowls. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing.
Notes: The chicken tasted great and was tender, but if you're not eating this all at once I don't think I'd recommend cooking the chicken this way. The chicken in the leftover soup is already pretty tough. Next time I'll either cook the chicken ahead (and make my own stock), roast a chicken, or just grab a roasted bird at HEB and add the cooked chicken to the bowl. I would also toast some corn tortillas instead of using chips, although it was fine with the chips.
Warning - it comes almost entirely from cans, and you don't want anyone to see you with all the damn cans on your kitchen counter.
Mexican Soup;
6 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
3 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
14.5 oz can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
10-ounce can diced tomatoes and green chiles
2 cups water
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
1 tsp garlic, crushed
2 heaping tsps ground cumin, or to taste
2 heaping tsps chili powder
1/2 bundle fresh cilantro
1 tblsp Worcestershire sauce
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup salsa
In a large pot combine everything but the chicken and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 15 minutes on medium heat until boiling, stirring occasionally.
There's an accompanying recipe for Mexican Rice that works fairly well. It involves browning rice in a skillet, then adding yet another can of Mexican-style stewed tomatoes (pureed), onion, garlic, and a can of chicken broth.
Serve in bowls with rice, diced avocado, tortilla strips (cut corn tortillas into strips and bake for a few minutes), cheese, and a squeeze of lime.
This has always been a dependable recipe - it makes a pretty decent bowl of tortilla soup.
Tonight I tried the tortilla soup from Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday. This kicked absolute butt, and may retire the canned method from my kitchen permanently. It's really just as easy, and looks much more impressive. Here's the recipe, as adapted by me:
Ingredients:
1 large dried pasilla chile, stemmed and seeded
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted ( get the Muir Glen fire-roasted organic tomatoes - it's worth the extra buck)
1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick (I used about half)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 quarts chicken broth
1 large sprig fresh epazote, if you have it (which I didn't)
Salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 ripe avocados
tortilla chips
queso fresco or other mexican-style cheese
limes
Toast the chile by turning it an inch or two above an open flame for just a few seconds, until its aroma fills the kitchen. You can also toast it on a hot skillet. Break the chile into pieces and put it in the blender, along with the tomatoes and their juice.
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 6-7 minutes (My note: this is a good time to drink a beer). Scoop the onion and garlic out of the pan using a slotted spoon, leaving most of the oil behind, and add the onion and garlic to the blender. Process the contents of the blender until smooth.
Return the pan to medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the puree and stir nearly constantly until thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, about 6 minutes. (Note: this is a good time for another beer. Also, people in your house will come to the kitchen to find out what smells so good). Add the broth and the epazote. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt as needed.
Add the chicken to the simmering broth and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add diced avocado, cheese, and a handful of roughly broken tortilla chips to your bowls and ladle the soup into the bowls. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing.
Notes: The chicken tasted great and was tender, but if you're not eating this all at once I don't think I'd recommend cooking the chicken this way. The chicken in the leftover soup is already pretty tough. Next time I'll either cook the chicken ahead (and make my own stock), roast a chicken, or just grab a roasted bird at HEB and add the cooked chicken to the bowl. I would also toast some corn tortillas instead of using chips, although it was fine with the chips.
