Mexican Chicken Soup with Tortillas

Recipe by: Leslie Revsin | from The Simpler the Better: Sensational One-Dish Meals

Cookstr

Course: Main Course

Total Time: Under 2 Hours

Skill Level: Moderate

Cost: Inexpensive

Photo by: Joseph De Leo

Every country in the world must have its own favorite chicken soup, and this one represents the Mexican contingent. It’s chunky with corn and pieces of chicken, with a crunchy topping of crumbled tortillas on each serving—think of them as Mexican croutons.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds chicken thighs
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
One 14½-ounce can diced tomatoes with chiles
One 14½-ounce can chicken broth
2 cups fresh or frozen defrosted corn kernels
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Unsalted corn tortilla chips, for serving

Directions

Prep: Rinse chicken and pat dry. Chop onion into ½-inch dice.

1. Heat olive oil in soup pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until undersides are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn and brown the other side, about 5 minutes more. Transfer chicken to plate.

2. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Return pot to stove and reduce heat to medium. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until onion softens, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to pot. Add tomatoes and chiles with juices, chicken broth, 1 cup water, corn, and oregano. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and partially cover pot. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes.

3. Transfer chicken to cutting board. Cut meat into bite-size pieces, discarding skin and bones. Return meat to pot. Skim fat from surface of soup. Serve hot, topping each serving with a handful of tortilla chips.

Variation:

Spice it up by adding a minced jalapeño and 2 minced garlic cloves to the pot with the onion.

Notes

Simple Tip for Mexican Chicken Soup with Tortillas

I am never without a bag of frozen yellow corn in the freezer. It is so easy to add the defrosted kernels to soups and casseroles (and even pasta, such as the All-American Carbonara with Corn, Bacon, and Jalapeño . To quickly defrost, measure out the corn and place it in a wire sieve. Rinse the corn under warm water for a minute or so. That’s it.