The Naughty Things I Do for Chicken Tortilla Soup

Pot Scrubber's Note:

El Fenix Restaurant is a Dallas institution open since 1913. I had my first job waiting tables there and had a bowl of this soup everyday. I won't bother you with the details of what I had to do to get this coveted recipe out of temperamental Chef Jorge... but it is illegal in about half of the states.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 14 1/2 ounces canned tomatoes, undrained
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro or 2 tablespoons parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• salt and pepper
• Tabasco sauce
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 2 chicken breasts, boiled, deboned and cubed
• 2 cups monterey jack cheese, cubed
• 2 medium avocados, cubed
• tortilla chips
• lime

Directions:

1. In blender combine undrained tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro and sugar.
2. Pulse in blender until chunky.
3. In large saucepan, add vegetable mixture and chicken broth and chicken pieces.
4. Simmer 20 minutes, season to taste.
5. To serve:.
6. Place cheese, avocado, and broken chips on bottom of bowl. Pour very hot soup over this in bowl. Sprinkle with fresh green onion tops and cilantro/parsley.
7. Sprinkle with lime juice, if desired.

Reviews

[laurab007]

This soup was delicious, although I did make a few modifications. This recipe is a great base, but lends itself to adding things to suit your taste. I added 1 tsp of ground cumin and 2 tsp of chile powder. I used diced tomatoes with jalapeno for some added heat. I added black beans, corn, zucchini and carrots because I wanted lots of veggies in it. I also used chicken from a precooked rotisserie chicken and I used homemade chicken stock. We added cheese, avocado, cilantro, and tortilla chips and topped it off with a few dashes of Tobasco and a dollop of sour cream. Delicious!

[cookiedog]

Well bend me over and SpanK Me! I've been naughty and I'll do it again just so I can have some more soup. Reminds me of the Chicken Soup served at a local Mexican Restraunt famous for their soup. I cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes and added it raw into the soup in step 3 and let it cook with the broth to save myself a step. Made for ZWT 5 by an Epicurean Queen!

[bmxmama]

I have had this recipe in my "to try file" for years. I wish I had made it years ago. It's fantastic, super easy to make and packed full of flavor. I made it for a fundraiser lunch that I do every Wednesday and the crowd loved it. I used chicken thighs, crushed tomatoes, and diced green chilies (instead of the hot sauce). I also kept the onion and garlic in diced form because I don't have a lot of things here to use for cooking with (I bring most of my own stuff). Anyway, it was delicious and I think I've found a new favorite soup to make. Thanks Pot Scrubber!