Caldo Tlapeño (A Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup)

I am not sure if I spelled Tlapeño correctly, and I am not exactly sure what it means. However, I do know that Caldo means broth. This is a simple recipe for a dish that you will probably never find on the menu at any diner in Mexico, but my companion always ordered it and it was always served.

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Serves: 15-20

Ingredients

• 1  whole chicken (I usually but a whole fryer, cut up)
• 4  cups cooked rice
• 4  carrots, small dice
• 2  lbs monterey jack cheese, cubed into 1/2, inch pieces
•  water
•  diced avocado (I generally cut a 1/4, inch grid in the fruit while it is still in its skin, and scoop out to serve)
•  chipotle  chili
•  chicken bouillon (optional)

Directions

1. In a water filled, large pot (five quarts or larger) and in advance of all other preparations, boil the chicken.
2. After the chicken is cooked thoroughly, remove the chicken from the broth.
3. After letting the chicken cool, remove skin and pull all the meat from the bones. Skim the chicken fat off of the chicken broth that you created when you boiled your chicken. **I usually do all of the above the night before, and I refrigerate the chicken meat and hold the chicken broth in reserve.
4. Pick or dice the chicken meat into pieces that are no larger than half the spoon the soup will be eaten with. Heat broth and add the diced carrots. Bring the broth to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer and cook carrots for 15 minutes. Increase heat to Medium-Low and add prepared rice and chicken.
5. In each bowl, and before serving add 8-12 cubes of cheese, ¼ of an avocado. After the chicken and rice are reheated, ladle the broth, chicken, carrot and rice mixture over the avocado and cheese.
6. Stir the soup and garnish/season with a chipotle pepper before serving.
7. **In the broth, it seems a little chipotle goes a long way. This soup is usually served with bread sticks, and I have seen it eaten with warmed tortillas.
8. **If needed, cubes of chicken bouillon (prepared according to package instructions) can be added to stretch the broth if too much broth is absorbed by the rice.