One of our favorite things is when summer suddenly waves it's last goodbye and the temps fall. The briskness in the air excites everyone in our neighborhood! This week we had a little cold snap and everyone rejoiced! I decided it was the perfect night to make a pot of our favorite soup. I threw on my sweats and ran to the store. To my amazement it was packed with women in sweats! I guess we are all wanting the seasons to change! I love the changing of the seasons. It reminds me that God never gives up on us and when things seem the darkest we can be surprised by a sudden change that only He can give. It's the good little things in life that bring joy. For our family this soup does that. My newly wedded daughter Bekah loves to make this for her new hubby, and he appreciates it. Although the ingredients seem far from authentic, the taste you get with this is the real deal. It's all about the preparation. Follow closely for some really good soup- that taste just like they make it down in my homeland of VeraCruz. So Kim, thank you for planting the idea of making this! Hubby is coming home today to finish the last little bit at lunch.
Here are your cast of ingredients. I didn't add chopped avocado but the soup does require it..I just didn't remember to pull it out. It smelled so good I got distracted!
Ingredients
1.5 pound chicken breast tenderloins
1/4 white onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cans Hatch Fire Roasted Tomato Enchilada Sauce. if not available any red sauce will work
1 quart boxed chicken broth
1 quart boxed beef broth ( yes it needs this)
1 can Mexican Stewed tomatoes
1/8 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 lime
Baked tortilla strips or corn chips
Mexican Cheese, cilantro, cubed avocado, sour cream, skiced limes
In a large pot, add the olive oil and heat on medium. Saute your onion and garlic in oil til soft but not brown. Raise the heat to high and add the cans of enchilada sauce. Fry it in the oil about 4 -5 minutes until the color is darker and it boils. This is called a sofrito and is the key to this recipe. After 5 minutes add the 2 quarts of broth. Bust up the tomatoes with a knife so they aren't whole. I do this in the can. Add to soup. Add 1 1/2 cans of water to the soup. Add the spices. Bring to a boil then turn to medium heat. The longer this simmers the better it is but basically after 15 minutes you can add your chicken if you are in a hurry. Let the chicken cook for about 15 minutes or until it's done then remove and cool to shred. At this point squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lime in the broth and let simmer another 5-10 minutes.
Shred your chicken. If you want to bake your own tortilla strips turn oven on 400. Brush the front and back of each corn tortilla with olive oil then slice into strips. Bake on a cookie sheet for 10-15 or browned. Watch them cause they burn easily. I used to do this but now we just crush some corn chips in our bowl. It's the same thing. Not as healty but easier.
Prepare your garnishes, mexican cheese, chopped cilantro, sliced limes, cubed avocado, and sour cream.
To serve, Add tortilla chips to the bowl, a serving of chicken and ladle broth over. Add garnishes as desired. I love cheese, lime, cilantro and sour cream. Eat and be amazed at how delectable this dish is. This is the real version, not americanized
Step by step photo tutorial
Saute the veggies and fry the enchilada sauce. Fry the sauce for 5 minutes then add the broths and all the spices.
Next you need to bust up the Mexican stewed tomatoes. I do this with a knife in the can. If they are still too big I use my spoon in the pot to bash em up a bit!
Just throw them into the pot. Now at this point you have to make a decision. 1. Am I in a hurry? 2. Do I want the best soup?? This can be finished quickly but if you have time to simmer this broth for about an hour or more it will make a better soup. The slow long simmer gives it time to mingle and meld. But if you are in a hurry it's still fantastic . So you decide which option and follow it. Bring soup back to a boil and add the chicken tenderloins. Don't over cook them . 15 minutes should be enough. Take them out of the soup and set aside.
Get your garnishes ready. Wash and chop the cilantro, cube the avocado, slice the limes while the chicken is cooling. Get the table set and pull out your bowls. You must add cheese to this soup! It's obligatory! I prefer the authentic Mexican cheese, white blend. But the Colby/jack Mexican blend works. All a matter of taste. Of course, you need a dab of sourcream. MMM. that makes its smooth and velvety! In Mexico they add crema, but you can't find that here. So sour cream works! Now let's continue on. The smell of this simmering makes me weak in the knees!
Now is the moment you take that half of a lime and squeeze it into the soup broth. This needs about 10-15 minutes so this is the perfect point to get that lime in there.
The chicken should be cool by now. You want to shred it in bite size pieces. You decide the size of your bites. Our's look like this ( see the picture) I keep the chicken out of the soup. I just hate it getting rubbery. Now get your bowls. The moment you've been waiting for is here. Crunch up some tortilla chips or strips in your bowl. Pile in the chicken to your liking. Add the broth. Add garnishes, cheese, sour cream, avocado, lime, cilantro. You gotta hurry cause you don't want soggy soup. So be ready to sit down and eat immediately once you serve it. Say the blessin' and enjoy this. It's one of the finest things in life. I love the Aztecs for this one thing! Let me know how you like it. BTW, if you are traveling in Mexico this soup is called different names in various places. Look for sopa de tortilla, caldo tlapeno or sopa azteca. And then get back with me on how close to the original mine is! Provecho! Happy Eating!
