Chicken Tortilla Soup

Summer is the time to get cooking when it comes to your outdoor garden. This year after a grand battle with cancer I am back in the kitchen and thE garde. We have an over abundance of peppers and this is what brought on the soup thoughts. I have always loved a soup called Albondigas Soup traditional Mexican soup. I have to stay away from the red beef so I am replacing it with chicken. After a long search on websites I did see a few recipes for Mexican Chicken Soup but they all had a lot of the standard ingredients. I like to use what I have without deviating to much from the original taste. so here is my take on this classic soup. 

The more you cook the more you find your taste. I have tweaked so many recipes to be more unique without havng to use standard ingredients. You to have to step outside your comfort zone and experiment with seasonings and ingredients. 

Ingredients

2 boneless chicken breast

Cumin

Garlic Power

Chili Spice

Kosher Salt and ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons cornmeal

2 large carrots chopped 

2 pints (16 oz) Chicken Broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 pint (16 oz) chopped tomatoes

1 pint (16 oz) black beans rinsed and drained

2 roasted corn on the cob - corn removed 

2 to 4 various peppers

* I used 2 Poblano Peppers and 2 Anaheim Peppers

1 Jalapeno pepper chopped 

* Seeds from the jalapeno will make it hotter so use caution

1 onion chopped (I used 2 shallots I had in the pantry)

I get everything out and ready to go so I am not searching rather I am enjoying the process. 

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a cooking vessel with olive oil on the bottom  then take your chicken and sprinkle both sides with the cumin, garlic powder, chili powder and salt. Drizzle a little more olive oil on to your chicken and pop it into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or so. 

Once done take your chicken out and set it aside to cool. Once cooled you can cut it or shred it with 2 forks. 

Meanwhile in you Soup Kettle drizzle olive oil into the bottom and turn on the heat to medium. Add your chopped onions, peppers and garlic. Season your veggies with the same seasonings you used on the chicken don't over do. Stir and cook until they are softened and you get a nice amount of yummy stuff on the bottom of your pot. The yummy will flavor the soup.

Add the shredded chicken, carrots, corn ,beans and tomatoes.

Next pour the chicken stock and tomato paste and bring to a soft boil, then reduce the heat to a soft simmer. Simmer for about 45 minutes uncovered. If the soup seems to thick add a little water. What I do is when I add the tomatoes I use some water to clean the container out and pour it into the soup. 

Last step is to add the cornmeal mix. Mix the cornmeal with a small amount of water to make it easier to incorporate into the soup. Add to your mixture and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check the taste and add more of the seasonings you feel it needs. You will quickly learn as you cook how and when to spice up your food. 

Once you put your soup into bowls set out bowls of cheddar cheese, sour cream, diced avocados and of course tortilla chips.

Enjoy!