An amazing simple flavorful soup that you can enjoy as a meal
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 onion diced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 6 grilled or sauted chicken tenderloins diced (or you can use 1 cup shredded roast chicken)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil for frying tortillas
- 2 garlic cloves diced (i used the jar kind, because i was out of fresh)
- 1-2 fresh jalapeno peppers diced (depending how spicy you like it)
- 2-3 fresh ripe tomatoes diced
- 1 tablespoons dried oregano if you have mexican oregano - use it!
- 1 pinch cumin
- 6-8 corn tortillas cut into strips
- 1 avocado diced
- 1/2 cup mexican cheeses i used the pre-shredded mix
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- Carbohydrate 28.7035159156223 g
- Cholesterol 94.78 mg
- Fat 24.0149999322832 g
- Fiber 6.73918082446012 g
- Protein 44.0919590321841 g
- Saturated Fat 4.02296459389043 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (640g)
- Sodium 1854.21664322951 mg
- Sugar 21.9643350911622 g
- Trans Fat 5.74306324394815 g
- Calories 514 calories
Step-by-step
- Grill or saute lightly salted and peppered chicken tenders in 1 T olive oil until just done - browned nicely on both sides. It just takes a few minutes. (Don't worry, it will finish cooking in the pot). Set aside reserve juices to be poured into soup later.
- In large stock pot or dutch oven, saute onion and jalapenos in 1 T Olive oil. Once onions become clear, add garlic and saute for a minute or two longer. Careful not to burn the garlic. Add chopped tomato and allow them to heat through. The tomatos will start to get a bit pulpy when heated. That's when you can add the chicken stock and spices. Add salt and pepper to taste keeping in mind that the chicken is also seasoned. You can always add a bit more toward the end. Once incorporated, add diced chicken and reserved chicken juices. I used a touch of the soup stock to de-glaze the pan used for sauteing the chicken. That way you get all those rich flavors in your soup!
- Simmer 10 minutes. While simmering the soup, fry corn tortilla strips in a shallow pan. Start with very hot oil so that corn strips crisp up. Fry in batches and drain on paper towels.
- Taste the soup - if all is well; ladle soup, top with a small handful of cheese, tortillas strips and diced avocado. Serve with wedge of lime. I added a tiny dollop of light sour cream on the top, but that is completely optional.
Standard ingredient lists hide critical preparation thresholds behind vague instructions. Raw chicken tenderloins require precise handling to avoid a rubbery texture, while fresh tomatoes demand thermal breakdown to release their pectin and naturally thicken the broth base.
Mastering Doneness and Heat Management
Visual cues dictate success when cooking poultry without a digital probe. Sauté the chicken tenderloins in olive oil for precisely three minutes per side over medium heat until the exterior develops a golden-brown Maillard crust and the internal flesh transitions from translucent pink to opaque white. Deglaze the searing pan immediately with warm chicken stock while the bottom is still hot to dissolve residual caramelized proteins. Fry corn tortilla strips in canola oil heated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit; monitor the oil closely because overcrowding the pan drops the temperature instantly and yields greasy, soggy strips rather than crisp garnishes.
- Garlic burns in less than thirty seconds over high heat; add it only after onions are fully translucent.
- Shredded roast chicken serves as a viable one-to-one volume swap for fresh tenderloins if pre-cooked meat is substituted.
- Lime wedges should be squeezed directly into the bowl just before eating to preserve volatile citrus aromatics.
