Introduction: Chicken Tortilla Soup
I made this soup in an attempt to recreate the tortilla soup from Qdoba. It's not the same, but it's still good.
Ingredients
1/4 bunch cilantro
3 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion
1 jalapeno
1/2 a poblano pepper
1 can tomatoes or equivalent amount fresh
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp cumin
salt to taste
2 tbsp cornstarch or flour dissolved in 1 cup water
2 cups cooked chicken
shredded cheese (whatever kind you want)
crumbled tortilla chips
Step 1: Chop It Up!
Clean the seeds and ribs from your jalapenos. This can be done by slicing them lengthwise then running a knife or spoon along the inside. The seeds and ribs are what carry the heat so if you would like to keep that heat you can skip the cleaning. WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER HANDLING. Rubbing your eyes with pepper hands is not fun.
For the poblano I only use the bottom half since the top half is full of seeds. You can rip out the seeds if you prefer to use the whole pepper.
To obtain leaves only from the cilantro hold the bunch by the stalk, angle a knife away from you onto the leaves, and gentle scrape away. It's a similar motion to peeling a carrot.
Rough chop the garlic, cilantro (leaves only), onion, and peppers then throw them all in a food processor or blender along with the tomatoes.
I like to run the food processor until everything is evenly combined and chopped finely. If you prefer chunkier soup you don't have to grind everything to a pulp.
For the poblano I only use the bottom half since the top half is full of seeds. You can rip out the seeds if you prefer to use the whole pepper.
To obtain leaves only from the cilantro hold the bunch by the stalk, angle a knife away from you onto the leaves, and gentle scrape away. It's a similar motion to peeling a carrot.
Rough chop the garlic, cilantro (leaves only), onion, and peppers then throw them all in a food processor or blender along with the tomatoes.
I like to run the food processor until everything is evenly combined and chopped finely. If you prefer chunkier soup you don't have to grind everything to a pulp.
Step 2: Lay on the Heat.
Combine chicken stock, pureed mixture, cumin, and a pinch of salt to a pot. Bring mixture to a boil then drop to a simmer for 1 hour.
After simmering add the flour mixture to slightly thicken. (optional)
Add your cooked chicken. I'm not going to cover how to cook chicken. You can do that however you want, or you can buy prepared chicken (like me).
If your chicken was refrigerated, allow it to simmer in the soup for 5-10 minutes to warm through.
Step 3: Garnish and Nom Nom Nom.
Put in a bowl (unless you want to eat from the pot).
I garnish with shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and tortilla chips.