Chicken Tortilla Soup

"My rendition of the tortilla soup that was served at the Edloe Street Deli in Houston TX. Really Good !!!"
 
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Ready In:
1hr 45mins
Ingredients:
19
Serves:
4-6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Chicken and Broth: Toast corn tortillas in a 350 degrees F oven until crisp and lightly browned.
  • Cool slightly, and break into large pieces.
  • Combine chicken breasts, tortilla pieces, and remaining ingredients in a large kettle over medium heat, and stir to combine.
  • Bring to a full boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 45 minutes, skimming the surface as needed and stirring several times.
  • Remove the chicken breasts from the kettle, and cool until you can skin them and pull the meat from the bones.
  • Set the meat aside, and return the skin and bones to the kettle, return to a vigorous simmer, and cook for another 20 minutes.
  • Reserve and shred or coarsely chop 1-1/2 cups (12 oz) of the chicken, reserving the rest for another use.
  • Strain the broth into a bowl, discarding the bones, skin, and vegetables.
  • Set the broth aside for 5-10 minutes to allow fat to rise to top, and skim off as much as you can.
  • Place broth in freezer for 30 minutes, and skim off the solidified fat.
  • Refrigerate chicken and broth separately until you are ready to finish making the soup just before serving.
  • Before serving the soup, you need to make a serious choice.
  • Do you want a lot more flavor and better texture, or do you want less fat?
  • If you opt for flavor, fry the tortilla strips until crisp, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • If you want low-fat, bake them until crisp, but they will get soggy within seconds of being dropped into the soup.
  • Your choice!
  • Soup and Garnish: To serve the soup, bring broth to a boil, add chicken, and simmer until chicken is heated through.
  • Divide the cilantro, avocado, chopped green onions, and half of the tortilla strips between four large bowls.
  • Strain shredded chicken from broth, and divide between bowls.
  • Fill each bowl with broth, and sprinkle with a few more tortilla strips.
  • Serve immediately, with remaining tortilla strips and lime wedges for garnish.
  • Tell your guests to squeeze a little lime juice into the soup before eating to add an extra layer of flavor.

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Reviews

  1. This is great!! I used chicken Quarters instead of breasts, more flavor I think and a lot cheaper, I know. I seperated the legs, thighs, and backs before cooking and strained the broth carefully to get all of the small bones. I used home made stock and Kolsch, a German style Ale. I froze the leftovers broth and chicken seperatly in one bowl sized servings. It will only take a few minutes to heat the soup, add the chicken,fry the tortillas, and chop the garnishes. I plan to keep a supply of this soup in my freezer at all times. THANX
     
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Tweaks

  1. This is great!! I used chicken Quarters instead of breasts, more flavor I think and a lot cheaper, I know. I seperated the legs, thighs, and backs before cooking and strained the broth carefully to get all of the small bones. I used home made stock and Kolsch, a German style Ale. I froze the leftovers broth and chicken seperatly in one bowl sized servings. It will only take a few minutes to heat the soup, add the chicken,fry the tortillas, and chop the garnishes. I plan to keep a supply of this soup in my freezer at all times. THANX
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I WAS retired oilfield trash since 1999, who has lived in Houston TX for the last 25 years, though I'm originally from California. I'm Texan by choice, not by chance! I am now working in Algeria 6 months a year, so I guess that gives new meaning to the term SEMI-retired. I grew up in restaurants and worked in them for 13 years while getting through high school and college, working as everything from dishwasher to chef, including just about everything in between. At odd intervals I also waited tables and tended bar, which gave me lots of incentive to stay in school and get my engineering degree. During the 33 years since, I have only cooked for pleasure, and it HAS given me a great deal of pleasure. It's been my passion. I love to cook, actually more than I love to eat. I read cookbooks like most people read novels. My wife and I both enjoy cooking, though she isn't quite as adventurous as I am. I keep pushing her in that direction, and she's slowly getting there. We rarely go out to eat, because there are very few restaurants that can serve food as good as we can make at home. When we do go out, it's normally because we are having an emergency junk-food attack. My pet food peeves are (I won't get into other areas): are people who post recipes that they have obviously NEVER fixed; obvious because the recipe can't be made because of bad instructions, or that are obvious because it tastes horrible. I also detest people who don't indicate that a recipe is untried, even when it is a good recipe. Caveat emptor!
 
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