Stephanie's Meals

 
This is a really delicious recipe that my husband found in The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook (2010) and we made our own. My family and I love it!! The recipe serves about 6, and it doubles nicely, too. The soup can be made as mild or as spicy as you want. Since we have little ones and I am a spice-wimp, we tend to only use a half of a chipotle chile. Serve this soup with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, chunky bits of avocado, a few chopped cilantro leaves, a squeeze from a wedge of lime, and a dollop of sour cream. It’s a fun-to-assemble meal all by itself!!

Here’s what you need:

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 onion, peeled and quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled
8 to 10 fresh cilantro sprigs
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
½ to 2 canned chipotle chile(s) in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup frozen corn kernels

For garnish:

1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut into chunks
Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Tortilla chips, broken
1 fresh jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, chopped
Sour cream
Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Lime wedges

Here’s what you do:

Bring the broth, chicken breasts, 2 of the onion quarters, 2 of the garlic cloves, cilantro sprigs, and oregano to a simmer in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the chicken registers 160-165 degrees on an instant meat thermometer. If the pieces are small, it shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes.

Remove chicken from the broth and pulse in food processor until it’s VERY roughly chopped. If you don’t have a food processor, use a blender. (We have found that shredding the chicken with two forks takes FOREVER. This method takes literally 5 seconds!) Strain the broth, discarding the solid pieces. Set broth aside.

Process the remaining 2 onion quarters, remaining 2 garlic cloves, tomatoes, and chipotle peppers until smooth. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat, until oil starts to smoke. Add the pureed onion-tomato mixture and cook until tomato juice is mostly evaporated and the mixture has slightly darkened in color, at least 10 minutes. Stir often. You’ll also know when it’s about ready for the next step when the mixture starts sticking to the bottom of the Dutch oven You’ll want that caramelization for the subtle smoky flavor.

Stir in the broth and corn kernels, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in the shredded chicken and simmer another 5 minutes, until it is heated through.

Ladle soup into bowls, add desired garnishes, and ENJOY!!