Chicken and Grilled Corn Tortilla Soup

 

I love tortilla soup and I have a really tasty version of Ina Garten's soup that I love to make.  We were recently dining at a local Mexican restaurant and I really enjoyed the way they made their tortilla soup.  It was very simple with chunks of chicken, grilled corn, creamy bites of avocado, and crispy tortilla strips.  The star of the dish was the flavorful broth.  I decided to re-create it at home by simmering a leftover roasted chicken carcass with some chicken bouillon, cilantro, an Anaheim pepper, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, and spices.  I let it cook for 6 hours covered then boiled it for 10 minutes uncovered to help reduce it down and make it even more flavorful.  I strained the broth then added bits of chicken, grilled corn, tortilla strips, cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro.  The soup was a huge hit in my house and we all devoured it.  I had the leftovers today and it was just as tasty!

Chicken and Grilled Corn Tortilla Soup:

Inspired by Chevy's

• 7 cups of water
• 1 chicken carcass, skin removed (I left some of the thigh meat on for more flavor)
• 2-3 tbsp chicken bouillon granules
• Handful of cilantro
• 1 Anaheim pepper, seeds removed and chopped
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-2 tsp cumin, to taste
• 1/2 - 1 tsp dried oregano, to taste
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Combine all of the ingredients together in a large Dutch oven over medium low heat.  Cover and simmer for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.  Taste and re-season with seasonings if needed/desired. Strain the broth through a very fine mesh strainer.  Let the broth cool for 10-15 minutes then remove the layer of fat off of the top of the broth.

Other Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 6 corn tortillas
• 1 cup of frozen corn
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• Leftover roasted chicken breasts, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• Cotija cheese, grated
• Fresh cilantro, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray both sides of each corn tortilla with cooking spray.  Lay them on top of each other then carefully cut them into thin strips.  Spread them out on a tin foil lined baking sheet that is coated in cooking spray.  Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.  Place into the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let them cool.

While the tortilla strips are baking, heat a grill pan over medium high heat.  Coat with cooking spray and once the pan is really hot, add the corn.  Let the corn sit for 2-3 minutes without stirring;  season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste then stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the corn is cooked through and has grill marks.

Ladle the broth into a bowl.  Add some leftover roasted chicken breast, grilled corn, and diced avocado to the soup then top with tortilla strips, cotija cheese, and cilantro.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy.