Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe: Charred Tomato, Pasilla and Crisp Corn Tortillas

A bowl of chicken tortilla soup is back on a fast-food menu this month. Sporked's roundup of Chick-fil-A's holiday menu, published on 9 November, lists the chain's Chicken Tortilla Soup among the returning items, says it had already turned up at select restaurants, and reports, citing an Instagram account, that the rest of the holiday lineup reaches participating locations nationwide from Monday 16 November.

The timing suits the weather. Pinterest's weekly trend report for 23 October showed searches for cold weather recipes up 200 per cent. This is a home version of the soup built from the Mexican original, not a copy of any chain's recipe.

According to Wikipedia's entry on tortilla soup, the exact origin of sopa de tortilla is unknown, though it is especially common around Mexico City. The traditional version is a chicken broth with roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic and chiles, with fried corn tortilla strips in the bowl and garnishes such as avocado, queso panela, lime and crema. Pasilla is the chile most often used, and some cooks reach for ancho instead.

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6. Total time about 1 hour 15 minutes.

• 700 g bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1.5 litres chicken stock, or water with 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 white onion, peeled, half cut into thick slices and half left whole
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 600 g ripe tomatoes (or a 400 g tin of whole tomatoes, drained)
• 3 dried pasilla chiles (or ancho), stems and seeds removed
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil for the soup
• 1 to 1.5 teaspoons fine salt, to taste
• 8 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
• About 200 ml neutral oil for frying the strips
• 2 ripe avocados, diced
• 150 g queso fresco or queso panela, crumbled
• 4 tablespoons Mexican crema or soured cream
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• A handful of fresh coriander, chopped

Method

1. Put the chicken, stock and the whole half onion in a large pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, skim off any foam and cook for 25 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
2. Lift out the chicken and discard the skin and bones. Shred the meat with two forks. Strain the stock and measure out about 1.2 litres, discarding the poached onion.
3. Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat and toast the chiles for 15 to 20 seconds per side until fragrant and slightly puffed, taking care not to burn them or the soup will be bitter. Tear them into pieces and soak in 250 ml of hot water for 15 minutes.
4. Heat the grill to high. Grill the tomatoes, sliced onion and unpeeled garlic on a tray for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until blistered and blackened in spots. Peel the garlic.
5. Blend the tomatoes, onion, garlic and the drained chiles with 100 ml of the chile soaking water until completely smooth.
6. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in the soup pot over medium-high heat. Pour in the puree, which will spit, and fry for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring, until it darkens and thickens into a paste.
7. Add the 1.2 litres of strained stock, stir well and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and add salt as needed.
8. While the soup simmers, heat 1 cm of oil in a small pan until a strip sizzles at once. Fry the tortilla strips in batches for 1 to 2 minutes until golden and crisp, drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
9. Stir the shredded chicken into the soup and warm through for 3 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with the tortilla strips, avocado, cheese, crema and coriander, with lime wedges at the table.

Tips, swaps and storage

Add the tortilla strips at the table, never in the pot, or they turn to mush within minutes. If you would rather not fry, brush the strips with oil, spread them on a tray and bake at 200 C for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once.

For a spicier soup, add a dried chile de arbol to the soaking water. Many American versions add sweetcorn and black beans, and a handful of either added with the chicken works well. A squeeze of lime at the end brightens the whole bowl.

The soup base, without chicken or garnishes, keeps for 4 days in the fridge and freezes for up to 3 months. Reheat gently, add the chicken, and fry fresh tortilla strips just before serving. It is a recipe that earns its place all winter.