Tortilla Soup

This soup enables me to use cheaper cuts of chicken and the plethora of tomatoes coming out of the garden at this time of year...yum! Thanks to a friend who asked for the recipe...here it is!


1 dried ancho chile (can be found almost anywhere, especially at a Mexican grocery store)
1/2 c. boiling water
2 T. olive oil
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 large onion (I use half), diced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch coins
2 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch slices
3 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
2 t. ground cumin
6 c. chicken broth
6-8 roma tomatoes, diced (or 2-14.5 oz. cans chopped tomatoes)
1/2 c. loosely packed cilantro leaves
6 corn tortillas (I use white corn tortillas)
Vegetable or canola oil, for frying

For garnish (all optional): Sliced avocado, crumbled queso fresco, sour cream, salsa, lime, and/or cilantro, crispy tortilla strips (made by frying sliced tortillas)

Place chile in bowl, pour boiling water over and let soak 30 minutes. Drain, remove stem and seeds. Slice into 1/2 inch strips and set aside.

In a heavy Dutch oven or soup pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken; season with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Add onion, carrots and celery. Continue to cook about 8 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and cumin and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add broth, reserved chile, tomatoes and cilantro and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes. Tear 3 tortillas into strips and add to soup. Continue to simmer about 15 more minutes.

With a slotted spoon, remove chicken to a cutting board. Remove soup from heat and puree with an immersion blender (or in small batches in a food processor). With two forks, shred chicken and return to pureed soup. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!