Mexican Chicken Soup with Lime

Prep Methods/Techniques: ,
Cuisine:
Course: ,
Servings: 6
Description
This soup is an all time favorite at my house.
Noted on 2/14/2012
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 lb pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, lightly pounded to an even thickness
  • 2 lb plum tomatoes
  • 10 cup rich chicken stock
  • 4 clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 6 serrano chiles, thinly sliced
  • 2 bunch cilantro, washed and tied
  • 1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
  • 4 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and cut into strips
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 tbsp crushed Mexican oregano
  • 8 tortillas, sliced into 1/4- x 3-inch strips and deep fried (optional, but good if you can afford the calories)
  • 6 lime wedges
Method
  1. 1
    Grill or sauté the chicken until it takes on some color, don't over cook. Cut it into 1/4- x 2-inch strips and reserve. Grill the onions (or sauté in a very hot pan) until they are tender and blackened in spots. Add them to the chicken.
  2. 2
    In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, cook the tomatoes without any oil until blackened in spots all over and roughly chop. Add the tomatoes to a saucepan along with the stock, garlic, serranos and cilantro. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Remove the cilantro.
  3. 3
    Add the poblano chile, chicken and onion to the broth and heat through, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lime juice. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle a pinch of oregano over each bowl, along with some tortilla strips (if using) and a lime wedge.
Cook's Notes
This is one of those light brothy soups that really benefit from a good homemade chicken stock.