Makeshift "Sopa de Tortilla"
I say “makeshift” because you can’t yell at me for being inauthentic if I never claimed it were authentic. In truth, I’ve got no idea what traditional Sopa de Tortilla is like, but I do know that I watched a rad vid of someone making a clearly Mexican-inspired soup and got inspired myself. So here we have a weeknight Mexican soup that will warm up any chill with its spice and quench that mole craving. The flavors here are perf and if you go the extra mile to top it with crunch and fresh, you won’t regret it. Fair warning: this soup is SPICY! Happy Winter!
🌮🌮🌮
what you need
2 chicken breasts or 4 chicken thighs
6 cups chicken broth
Salt, Pepper, and Olive Oil
2 poblano peppers
2 jalapeno peppers
1 white onion
4 cloves garlic
4 roma tomatoes
2 cups fresh or frozen yellow corn
1 can black beans
1 tablespoon: cumin, paprika, chili powder, crushed red peppers, dried oregano, & dried cilantro
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
For serving: 2 portions: 1 avocado, fresh cilantro, 1/2 diced red onion, 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2 plain corn tortillas, 1 cup shredded white cheese (I use Oaxaca cheese)
*Note: if you have dried Mexican chipotles or anchos, by all means, go ahead. You can rehydrate the dried peppers in the soup and blend them up with the tomatoes for a deeper, mole-style taste.
how to make it
Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides (if your chicken breasts are super thick, you may want to cut each breast in 3-4 thinner pieces).
In a large soup pot, add 1-2 tablespoons or olive oil and brown the chicken on both sides. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside. Scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, add a few more glugs of olive oil, and send in the diced white onion, poblano peppers, jalapeno peppers (with seeds), and garlic. A thick dice is just fine.
Once the veggies are slightly soft, send in the spices. Stir thoroughly. After ~2 minutes over medium heat, add about 1/2 cup of water to completely deglaze followed by all the chicken broth. Add back in the large pieces of chicken along with the cacao powder, stir thoroughly, and simmer gently for 1 hour or until chicken is tender.
Remove chicken from pot to a plate and shred it thoroughly using a fork and knife. Halve the roma tomatoes and add to a blender along with ~3 cups of soup liquid. Blend until well combined and return the puree to the soup pot on the stove.
Add the shredded chicken, corn, and drained black beans into the soup, stir, and simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes on low. Taste for flavor adjustments. While the soup simmers, cut the plain tortillas into strips, fry them up in some oil, and toss them with salt to create little crispies.
Once the soup is ready, place a small pile of tortilla crispies in the bottom of a soup bowl topped with some shredded white cheese. Ladle soup into bowl.
Top with more crispies, more cheese, half an avocado diced, a dollop of yogurt, and fresh cilantro.
Enjoy the heat! 🔥
