Tex-Mex Chile-Lime Chicken Soup
by Tony Rosenfeld
This south-of-the-border twist of chicken soup features the bright flavors of chiles, corn, cilantro, and lime juice. In place of noodles, hominy; in place of crackers, fried tortilla strips. To make fried tortilla strips, cut corn or flour tortillas into long
strips and fry in 350°F oil until they start to brown, about 2 minutes.
Serves 6-8
1-1/2 Tbs. olive oil or canola oil
4 cups finely chopped onion
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, cut into thin disks
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
3 quarts Homemade Chicken Broth or lower-salt chicken broth
3-1/2 to 4 cups shredded, cooked chicken
3 cups cooked-until-barely-tender hominy
1-1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn
1-1/2 cups drained, diced, canned tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 to 4 Tbs. fresh lime juice
Freshly ground black pepper
Crisped tortilla strips for serving (optional)
Tip: If you made the chicken broth yourself, use the cooked meat from making
the broth; otherwise use the meat from a store-bought rotisserie
chicken.
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large (at least 8-quart), heavy-duty pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, jalapeño, garlic, and 1/2 Tbs. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned in places, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring, until they become fragrant, 30 seconds.
Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are completely tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
Stir in the reserved shredded chicken, hominy, corn, and tomatoes. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until all are tender and the flavors meld, 5 to 10 minutes.
Stir in the cilantro and 1 Tbs. of the lime juice. Taste, and add more lime juice, 1 Tbs. at a time, to taste, up to 4 Tbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish each bowl with a small handful of crisped tortilla strips, if you like.
nutrition information (per serving):
Calories
(kcal):
210;
Fat
(g):
6;
Fat Calories
(kcal):
50;
Saturated Fat
(g):
1.5;
Protein
(g):
12;
Monounsaturated Fat
(g):
3.5;
Carbohydrates
(g):
31;
Polyunsaturated Fat
(g):
1;
Sodium
(mg):
1530;
Cholesterol
(mg):
0;
Fiber
(g):
4;
photo: Scott Phillips
From Fine Cooking 114
, pp. 70-76
October 27, 2011