Recipe: Food Network Favorites – Tortilla Soup

I’ve finally started to unpack my books & hot sauces, which have been in boxes and stored in the spare bedroom since we moved in. Out of sight really is out of mind, but when the cooking bug got into the Ex, I started digging for cookbooks and in one of those boxes I found Food Network Favorites: Recipes from Our All-Star Chefs. The recipe below is not credited to any of the famous food network chefs – all of the credit for this one goes to the folks that work behind the scenes in the Food Network kitchens (whomever they are). the Ex made this recipe before I got home – hence the lack of process pictures.

Directions:
Buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and turn it into tasty soup with this recipe from the Food Network Kitchens chapter. There’s minimal prep and the end result is very tasty.

The original recipe says to defrost the corn if you’re using frozen kernels, but this isn’t really necessary. If you remember to take the corn out of the freezer before you chop the onion and chile, it will be defrosted by the time you add it to the soup. If you don’t remember, it doesn’t matter. You can add the frozen corn right to the hot broth — it will defrost almost instantly.

A few small changes I have made: I have added the instruction to seed the tomato, since I prefer not to have the seeds floating around in the soup. This is optional; if you don’t care about the seeds, don’t worry about it. I have directed the cook to add the chicken, tomato, cilantro, and lime juice, and then heat through, since the original recipe says merely to take the broth off the heat, add those ingredients, then serve, and the chicken wasn’t hot enough that way. I’ve also added a couple of additional garnish ideas to the end of the ingredients list.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp kosher salt
6 cups chicken broth, low-sodium canned
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 ripe tomato, seeded and chopped
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
About a dozen corn tortilla chips, broken a bit
Lime wedges, queso fresco, fresh salsa, avocado slices, optional

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, chipotle, chili powder, and salt and cook until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat slightly, and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add the corn and cook for 5 minutes more.

Stir in the tomato, chicken, cilantro, and lime juice. Heat through, about 5 minutes. Divide the tortilla chips among 4 warmed bowls, ladle the soup on top, and serve with lime wedges and other garnishes, if desired.

All told, this recipe was much easier then our old chicken tortilla soup recipe and tasted just as good, if not better. The corn kernels provide a nice bit of sweetness that’s an great contrast to the hearty broth. I will be adding more heat next time – and don’t forget to try out some grated Parmesan as a garnish. Enjoy!