Chicken Tortilla Soup

Love, love, love Mexican food!  It’s my absolute favorite type of “ethnic” food.

I first fell in love with Chicken Tortilla soup when my husband and I were in Sedona, Arizona at a place called Javelina’s.  I had their soup, and loved it so much, I insisted we eat there again the next day.  When we returned home, I was dreaming of this soup and would order it when I saw it on the menu.  I was surprised by the lackluster and boring versions that constantly disappointed me in restaurants. They never measured up to the soup I was craving, so, I invented this soup one day and couldn’t believe how close it was to my memory.  It’s an easy and satisfying soup to make, and eat, that I don’t worry about ordering when I go out for dinner anymore!

1 large chopped onion

1 chopped red or orange bell pepper

1-2 minced jalapeno pepper (optional)

1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced (optional, but recommended)

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

2 qt chicken stock

2-3 cups of chopped cooked chicken

1- 15oz. can diced tomatoes with jalapenos

1- 15oz can white beans, or chili beans

12 small corn tortillas,

     -Half cut up in 1” pieces and IN the soup while cooking

     -Half cut up in strips and fried crisp, set aside for garnish

1 cup frozen corn

1-2 Tbsp lime juice

½ cup chopped cilantro

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. chili powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sauté onions and peppers in olive oil until soft.  Add broth and all the other ingredients… simmer until the chopped tortillas have fallen apart and thickened the soup.

Condiments for topping at the table: 

• Cubes of avocado
• Shredded pepper jack cheese
• Fresh chopped Cilantro
• Chipotle Sour Cream (recipe follows)
• 
  

  Strips of fried tortillas, or tortilla chips (See below for some ideas of how I did it!)

  

Chipotle Sour Cream

2-3 chipotle peppers with sauce

1-16oz tub of sour cream

1 tsp. salt

Add the chipotle peppers in the bottom of the blender, add in the sour cream and salt.  Blend until it’s a nice soft peachy color.

Give it a taste test… if you like it hotter, go ahead and add another chipotle pepper. Best to warn others when serving this… as not every likes it spicy and this can really pack a punch.  So easy, we have this on hand in the fridge at most times.  Try this on your eggs, or even on your sandwich instead of mayonnaise!

Side Dish Inspirations

I’m sure you can think of a million things to serve this with, but here are some ideas if you are feeling low on inspiration today. It doesn’t really need much more, I mistakenly served this as a first course when friends were over, they insisted on seconds, and therefore, no one really wanted the main course. This soup is hearty enough to just serve with:

Green Salad

Southwestern cole slaw

Round Two cooking… make more and use it for:

If you plan it right, you could make a double batch to have enough leftovers for another meal, and it’s definitely great to take to work for lunches!

What else would this technique work on???

You could easily use this technique on any kind of leftover chicken, or Turkey! My favorite way is to use a roasted chicken from Costco (or the grocery store) and shred up the chicken and make chicken stock with the leftover bones. My absolute favorite chicken stock is made from the roasted chicken carcass, which gives more flavor as the bones are already “browned”.

Chicken Saltimbocca

I hear that saltimbocca means "to jump into the mouth", and from the first time I tried this dish at Bucca di Beppo I loved it and wanted it to jump into mine.  It’s so simple but still an elegant and special feeling dinner.  It has so many of the tastes that I love with the salty proscuitto, tangy artichoke hearts and capers.  ***My photo shows it served with sautéed swiss chard and vermincelli con aglio e olio (fancy for 'garlic and olive oil')!

I've read a bunch of recipes online, all claiming to be the same as the restaurant serves, but there are some differences that I noticed. I rarely have fresh sage on hand, so my recipe doesn't call for it, nor have I really noticed the sage when we order in the restaurant. The restaurant version definitely used to include the provolone cheese, but I've noticed they don't serve it that way anymore. I never used to buy provolone but I did for my original version.  I wouldn't make this stuff up... now would I? I 'invented' my version of this dish over 5 years ago and it has been popular with my family for just as long.  I had never written it down before today, but here we go!

4 chicken breasts, pounded to about 1/2 inch.
1 can 15 oz. artichoke hearts, drained
2-3 Tbsp of capers
1/4 cup white wine
2-3 Tbsp of cold butter
4 slices of proscuitto ham
4 slices of provolone cheese
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Parsley, chopped for the garnish
Salt & pepper to taste

Pound each chicken breast to about 1/2 inch in thickness.  Salt & pepper each side and  place into a medium hot pan with olive oil.  Brown on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side, but cooking time will vary with the thickness.

(Whew, sorry about that bad photo, you can tell it was pretty hot and steamy over that chicken! )  Remove the chicken to a serving platter. Add the proscuitto to the pan and quickly brown, about 1 minute each side.  Top each chicken breast with proscuitto and a thin slice of provolone.  Cover the serving platter with loosely tented foil so the heat is retained, and the cheese should melt.  Deglaze the pan by pouring in the 1/4 cup of white wine, stir loosenly all the browned bits leftover from the chicken. Add the drained artichoke hearts and stir to heat through, add the capers and the cold butter stirring constantly. The cold butter will add some body and some creaminess to your sauce, immediately cover your chicken breasts with the sauce covering the melted provolone and proscuitto. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with a wedge of lemon.

Side Dish Inspirations

I’m sure you can think of a million things to serve this with, but here are some ideas if you are feeling low on inspiration today:

• Plain spaghetti tossed with olive oil and garlic
• Serve it on a crusty slice of rustic bread to soak up the juices!
• Steamed broccoli
• Sautéed spinach
• French bread

Round Two cooking… make more and use it for:

If you plan it right, you could make a double batch to have enough leftovers to make any of the following for another meal.  Here's some ideas:

• You could cut up any leftovers and toss with hot pasta and chopped tomatoes for a main dish pasta dinner
• Very nice for brown bag lunches too!

What else would this technique work on???

You could easily use this technique on:

• Pork tenderloins medallions
• Veal
• Fish, like Salmon or tilapia, but I might skip the cheese... somehow it just doesn't go together.

Southwestern Edamame Salad

This is a great salad for any Mexican food, but also works well as something to take to a picnic or a potluck.  I like it because it has so many colorful and healthy vegetables and has some zippy flavors too.  This is such an easy salad to make and stores nicely too.  This is a great salad for your vegetarian (or Vegan) friends and family too!

I usually buy the 8 pack of canned black beans at Costco… they are about half the price of the grocery store, usually about .45 cents a can.  Stock up, you can definitely use these up.

I also buy the 6 pack of bell peppers in red, yellow and orange (I really hate those green ones!).  I have noticed that you do have to make an effort to use the peppers or you will have them spoil.  Plan ahead… use them in salads, spaghetti sauces, stews and even sliced and eaten raw.  NOTE: You may notice that Kidney beans are pictured.... imagine my surprise when I opened the can to make this salad! Whoops! Should have shown Black beans, but either would work!

1 cup of frozen edamame, thawed

1 cup of frozen petite corn, thawed

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 yellow or orange bell pepper

8-10 small cherry tomatoes

Juice of 1 lime

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 jalapeno, minced after seeds & pith are removed*** optional

1 Tbsp. Cumin

1-2 Tbsp. Olive oil

½ tsp. Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Combine all ingredients and toss.  It’s best if you let it sit for 30 minutes or so to meld the flavors! Usually I combine the salad while the corn and edamame is still frozen and let the salad sit and thaw/combine flavors before dinner.  It would also be a great way to transport the salad to a picnic with a built-in “cooler”.

Side Dish Inspirations

Even though this is a side dish already…

• You could actually make a nice lunch or dinner with it by adding shredded chicken or even shrimp and topping a bed of salad greens with it.
• You could also add cooled rice, brown or white, which would make a more substantial dish and make a complete protein by combining beans, edamame soy protein and the rice together.

Round Two cooking… make more and use it for:

Make a double batch, put in small lunch size containers for your work week lunch. It keeps very well and is very satisfying too.

What else would this technique work on???

You could easily change up the ingredients to your liking:

• If you don’t have any edamame on hand, you could use 2 different beans.
• Jicama is a nice crunchy addition but it doesn’t seem to keep as well for lunches.

Sticky Coconut Chicken

From the first time I made this recipe it was a hit with everyone who had it.  I’ve made some changes, and suggest tweaking the recipe to your tastes. When I make this for young kids, I reduce, or altogether omit the red peppers flakes so it’s not too spicy. If you want an easy make ahead dinner, throw the frozen thighs into a gallon Ziploc bags and make the marinade right into the bag.  The chicken thaws and marinates at the same time.  I’ve also got this ready to go in the Ziploc and brought it to the beach, or even camping! Easy AND yummy.

6-8 boned, skinned chicken thighs (approx 1-1 ½ lbs)

¾ c. canned coconut milk

1 Tbsp. Minced fresh ginger

1 tsp. Fresh ground pepper

1 tsp. red pepper chili flakes

1 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds, toasted

4-5 green onions, sliced on the diagonal

Rinse chicken and pat dry.  In a bowl, or large Ziploc bag, mix coconut milk and spices with chicken.  Marinate 1 hour, or up to 1 day.

Lift chicken from marinade, reserve liquid.  Barbecue thighs over greased grill over high heat, both sides, until cooked through.  Serve drizzled with glaze, green onions and sesame seeds.

Chili Glaze:

¾ c. rice vinegar

½ c. sugar

3-Tbsp. Soy sauce

1 tsp. Chili pepper flakes

Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until mixture is reduced to a ½ cup, about 5-8 minutes.  Stir constantly or it will burn.

Drizzle the glaze over the chicken, and serve the extra for the steamed rice!  Yum!

Side Dish Inspirations

I’m sure you can think of a million things to serve this with, but here are some ideas if you are feeling low on inspiration today:

• Steamed sticky Rice
• Yakisoba noodles
• Cabbage Salad

Round Two cooking… make more and use it for:

If you plan it right, you could make a double batch to have enough leftover to make any of the following for another meal.  You could even slice up the leftovers and freeze them if you wanted!  Here’s some ideas:

• Chicken Fried Rice
• Chinese chicken salad
• Chinese chicken wraps (tortillas, cabbage, chicken, cilantro, shredded veggies, cellophane noodles).

What else would this technique work on???

While I think you can use this technique on chicken breasts or tenderloins, I do think the moist chicken thighs are the best. Try others if you prefer them, or if they are the ones you seem to have on hand!  I have not tried this technique with Pork tenderloin, but I do think it could be very good!  Let me know if you try it.

(adapted from Sunset Magazine June 2001)

Cilantro Chicken

I really can’t get enough cilantro… I adore it. 

I hear that a percentage of people think cilantro tastes like soap, but thankfully, I am not one of those people.   Any kind of Mexican inspired food is always a hit with me, and my family too and I use cilantro like there is no tomorrow.  But, hey, if you don't like, this is probably not the chicken for you.  I suppose you could try this with parsley... I mean, if you really wanted to!  

This really is the perfect recipe for Costco Kirkland Brand frozen chicken breasts, but of course, fresh works too! I usually take out 3-4 frozen chicken breasts and put into a ziploc bag on Sunday nights... that way, the chicken breasts are nicely doing their part towards making meal time easier and thawing during my work week.

4-6 Chicken breasts

¼ cup lime juice

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1-2 Tbsp chopped garlic

1 Tbsp. Honey (you can omit this, sometimes I do!)

1 Tbsp. Cumin

1 Tbsp. Olive oil

½ tsp. Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Pound* the chicken to an even thickness about ½ inch and place in a ziploc bag or shallow baking pan. In a small bowl, mix all other ingredients and pour over chicken, turning pieces to coat.  Chill and let marinade for at least 30 minutes, but I prefer to let it marinate longer, even if you let it sit overnight.

Lay chicken on medium grill and cook turning once until no longer pink in the center. 4-6 minutes per side.

*You don't have to pound the chicken, but your chicken will take longer to grill and it could cook unevenly.  Being the lazy girl I am, I've done this recipe many times without pounding it, but you do need to watch it to make sure that you don't over cook it, or under cook it!

*When I do pound the chicken, I usually use a ziploc bag to protect it from splattering about.  Just use the ziploc bag that you used to defrost your chicken in... though I gotta tell you, you might not be able to use it again when you marinade it, if you are an especially enthusiastic smacker!

Side Dish Inspirations

I’m sure you can think of a million things to serve this with, but here are some ideas if you are feeling low on inspiration today:

• Brown rice or Spanish Rice
• Refried beans with melted cheese 
• Green salad with black beans, corn and tomatoes… maybe slice that chicken onto the top and make it a main dish salad dinner or lunch.
• Southwestern Edamame Salad, shown in picture

Round Two cooking… make more and use it for:

If you plan it right, you could make a double batch to have enough leftovers to make any of the following for another meal.  You could even slice up the leftovers and freeze them if you wanted!  Here’s some ideas:

• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Chicken enchiladas
• Southwestern submarine sandwiches

What else would this technique work on???

You could easily use this technique on any kind of chicken- breasts, tenderloins, thighs, drumsticks… whatever makes you happy, or seems to be the only kind that you have on hand right now! I have even used this on:

• Frozen tilapia
• Frozen Salmon
• Pork tenderloin
• Beef Flank Steak
• Beef Tri-tips