Chicken (minus the tortilla) Soup

Well, in my last post I promised recipes for yummy soups, and I've been pretty delinquent. There's been plenty of cooking going on in the Maxwell house, just not much time for writing about it! I thought it was finally time to get back on here and tell you about the first soup.

Chicken tortilla soup. Not usually one of my favs, but it sounded good enough to give it a try, and I'm so glad I did! The cheese sauce added in at the end really put this soup over the edge. It kind of reminded me of a chicken enchilada...ya know, only in soup form. Oh, and the title, I don't like tortilla chips in my soup, hence the "minus", but feel free to add them if your little heart desires.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
from Soup Addict

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

Soup:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 serrano, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced*
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 15 ounce can tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pound cooked chicken, shredded (if you made your own broth, you've got chicken, if not, a rotisserie chicken would work great)

*Original recipe called for only 1/2 a jalapeno. I like a little heat so I added in a whole one. Add to taste.

Cheese Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup heavy cream (1/2 and 1/2 or milk if you're feeling less indulgent)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 8 ounces cheese grated (I was able to find a jalapeno Jack cheese, any type of spicy cheese would be great)

Preparation:

Soup:

• Heat oil and butter in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté onions, celery and garlic until soft.
• Add a splash of chicken stock, and then the red bell, serrano and jalapeno peppers. Cook for 2-3 minutes to soften.
• Add all of the spices (salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, sugar, chili powder), and stir until fragrant.
• Add the remaining chicken stock, tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well and bring to boil.
• Add chicken, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or longer, the longer the better!

Cheese Sauce:

• Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in flour to create a paste.
• Slowly add the dairy, stirring constantly, until a thick, creamy sauce is formed. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Add grated cheese and stir to completely incorporate into the sauce.
• Add cheese sauce to the soup, stirring to mix well. The soup should now be creamy, but not necessarily spoon-hugging thick.

Time to eat! I could not stop taste testing this after I made it. I made it on a Sunday night to have for lunch all week, but liked it so much I ended up having it for dinner that very night. Top with sour cream, tortilla chips and/or cilantro. Enjoy!