One more soup recipe for the season before the spring weather arrives and we all start thinking about salads and grilled meat. That and I’ve been having serious cravings for hot spicy food lately.
I decided to switch the heat source this week to jalapeño peppers since my family has mentioned several times they’re concerned about my supposed Sriracha “addiction.” (This is not a cry for help, by the way. No way am I giving up my Sriracha!)
To make this a delicious, hearty lunch even better, serve the soup with a pan roasted jalapeño and bacon cornbread. Yum!
Ingredients:
3 cups chicken stock
3 garlic cloves, roasted and finely chopped
2 cups pureed tomatoes
2 cups rotisserie cooked chicken breast, shredded
2 corn tortillas cut into thin strips
2 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled and chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 tomatillos, roasted and chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup jicama, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh diced tomato
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1 bay leaf
Juice from one fresh lime
Directions:
1) Heat your oven to broil and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2) Place the whole cloves of garlic, tomatillos, poblano, and jalapeño peppers on the foil and roast the vegetables in the oven until charred on all sides.
3) Remove the pan from the oven, place the vegetables in a bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Steam the vegetables for 15-20 minutes until the skins have wrinkled and pulled away from the flesh.
4) Gently peel away the skins from the vegetables and remove the seeds from the peppers. Roughly chop the vegetables and set aside.
5) Add the oil to a large soup pot and heat on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Stir in the roasted vegetables and continue to cook until heated through, about 5-7 minutes.
6) Add the tomato puree and the chicken stock and increase the heat.
7) Season the broth with the salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander, cilantro, and bay leaf.
8) Once the broth comes to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 40 to 45 minutes.
9) Meanwhile, place the sliced tortillas on a baking pan and place them in a pre-heated 350-degree oven. Bake the strips until they crisp. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the strips to cool.
10) Remove the bay leave from the soup and using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Adjust any seasonings as needed to taste. Stir in the half and half.
11) Add the shredded chicken to the soup and heat it through.
To serve, ladle the soup into deep bowls and top with the sliced jicama, tortilla strips, avocado, tomato, cheese and cilantro. Finish with a squeeze of the fresh lime juice.
