Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Mexican Chicken Soup (Barefoot Contessa)

This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe and is really, really good. I cooked the chicken the way she described but that will add some extra fat. If you want to avoid that you could wrap skinless (and boneless if you want) chicken breasts in aluminum foil and bake at abut 375 for 45 minutes. You could also probably cut the chicken into roughly bite-size chunks and brown them with the onions, celery, and carrots.

I halved this recipe and got 5 servings out of so it makes a *lot* of soup. The recipe says use 2-4 jalapenos. I used 1 in my half-recipe and could have used more heat so I'll bump it up next time. The white corn tortillas you add to the soup just melt into and disappear - I guess they're there to thicken it. I don't much care for white corn tortillas so - since I had leftovers - I'll try yellow corn ones next time.

I'm not sure why she wants us to use a can of whole tomatoes with puree and crush the tomatoes ourselves. Next time I'm going to use half tomato puree, half crushed tomatoes. I did use the cilantro and I think it makes a big difference in the recipe.

To saute the vegetables, the recipe called for 3 Tablespoons of olive oil which seems like a lot but works out to just about 1 teaspoon of oil per serving. I used less than that - 1 Tablespoon for a half-recipe and you could certainly use less still - or just use Pam.

She suggests topping the soup with sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips. I didn't try the cheese but I did try the other toppings. Neither the sour cream (soy, of course) nor the avocado did anything for me but the broken tortilla chips were wonderful - and it's a great use-up for the stems and pieces at the bottom of a bag of Baked Tostitos.

I served this with warmed tortillas on the side but I bet it would be fabulous with Heather's Sweet Simple Cornbread.

It gets even better as it's reheated. Enjoy!

Mexican Chicken Soup
Copyright 2006, Barefoot Contessa at Home, All Rights Reserved
Show: Barefoot Contessa; Episode: The Cat's Away

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade {yup, that's ten (10) cups}
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional
6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas

For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.

Other Recipes from this Episode
Chocolate Orange Fondue
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
Pineapple Margarita
Roasted Asparagus with Scrambled Eggs

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