Tortilla Soup

I don't recall ever eating Tortilla Soup. I've heard of it, I've seen recipes for it, and I decided that I must try this. I gave it a shot, and it was really good! I don't have any other recipes to compare this one to, so this is the best you'll get from me now. I do have one and only one complaint... the soggy tortillas on the bottom of the bowl. I like soggy bread-type stuff as much as I like five minutes of uninterrupted eye contact. *shudder* Next time I make it, I'll skip the layer of tortilla chips on the bottom and add some more to the top so it's not like eating tortilla chips that have the texture of a folded wet paper towel.

Honestly though- other than that, the soup was great, and I'll make it again. :)

Tortilla Soup:

source: America's Test Kitchen Cookbook

1 T vegetable oil

1 onion, minced

1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and diced

1 T chili powder

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 c chicken both

1 lb cooked, shredded chicken breasts

2 T fresh lime juice

crushed tortilla chips

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 ripe avocados, cut into 1/4 inch chunks

1/2 c cilantro, chopped

tortilla strips, optional

sour cream, optional

green onions, optional

Heat the oil in a large pot and add the onion, jalapeno, chili powder, and garlic. Saute it until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes.

Turn off the heat, and add the lime juice.

In your bowl, place some tortilla chips- if you want to do it the way that book suggests. Me? This step shall henceforth be pushed aside in honor of crunchy tortilla strips atop the flavorful broth.

Add a layer of shredded chicken.
Add some diced avocado and tomato. Yes, those pathetic, light orange chunks are supposed to be tomatoes. They are the only ones I had on hand, and they were no bueno! Next time, I'm going to take the ten minute drive to go to the store to get some decent tomatoes.
Add some broth, a dollop of sour cream, chopped cilantro, and tortilla strips.
This way, by the end of the soup, the tortilla strips are still mostly crunchy, whereas they don't stand a chance for crunch from the get-go when you plop a bunch at the bottom of the bowl.

Three cheers for non-soggy tortilla chips!