Heller's Kitchen: Tortilla Soup

The first time I had (good) tortilla soup was at a little Mexican restaurant on the beach in San Diego. It was the type of restaurant where you knew that the seafood they were serving was caught that morning and on a Saturday afternoon, you would see the owner's grandmother making homemade tortillas at a table in the corner. It was at this little restaurant that I first learned that there was more to Mexican food than gloppy refried beans. (Of course, my foodie-crush on Rick Bayless came much later...) The tortilla soup at this little restaurant was hands-down the best I've ever had. I will never forget how the server placed a bowl of perfectly-crisp tortilla strips, bright green avocado, ruby-red tomatoes, and delicately shredded chicken in front of me. At first I was confused by the utter lack of soup, until I saw the steaming pitcher of broth in the server's other hand. She poured the savory, heaven-scented broth tableside while I looked on and drooled.

For years, I have tried to duplicate that luscious soup at home. The recipe that follows is based on a Food Network recipe that I've doctored accordingly to try to mimic that magical broth. While nothing can compare to tortilla soup on a beach in San Diego, the recipe that follows is good enough to satisfy my cravings.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

(Serves 6)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1-2 chipotle peppers in adodo, minced (add more or less depending on how much heat you're after)

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 tomato, chopped

1 cup fresh or frozen corn

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (1-2 limes)

Garnishes:

Tortilla chips, broken into bite-sized pieces

Avocado

Shredded cheese

More cilantro

Heat olive oil in a medium dutch oven. Add the onions and sprinkle with a big pinch of kosher salt. Saute the onions until tender and translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another minute or so, until you can just smell the garlic. Next, add the chipotles and ancho chili powder. Stir until the chipotles and chili powder melt into the onions and garlic. Then, add the chicken broth. Bring the broth to a boil, then simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Add the corn, tomatoes, and chicken and continue to simmer until the veggies and chicken are just heated through (you want them to still be fresh-tasting). Finally, remove the soup from the heat and stir in the lime juice and cilantro. At this point, taste the broth and add salt as needed. Keep in mind that you're going to pour this soup over salty tortilla chips, so you may want to season a bit conservatively.

To serve, break some tortilla chips into your bowl. I also like to add some chunks of avocado to the bowl too.