Good soup!

Made a kick ass soup earlier this week. Had some chicken breasts and chicken thighs in the freezer that I thawed out, and decided to poach in water and beer, to which I also added a whole jalapeno, a big onion, a head of garlic, and a dried branch (with plenty of seeds) of coriander/cilantro.

Here's the jalapeno I'd just picked that went into the soup, plus the very first green beans from the pots out back (and no, there really aren't very many).


After poaching, I tasted the resulting broth and, wow, it was GOOD! So I decided the "who knows what this'll turn into" chicken was going to be chicken tortilla soup! I'd just seen Ina Garten on Barefoot Contessa make something similar, so that was a big influence I think. I also had some great smoked chipotle montery jack cheese that Andy at work brought me to try (yum!) - more influence!

So the soup got thrown together while the chicken cooled. Strained the broth, and sauteed onion, carrots, celery, garlic and jalapeno (yes, another jalapeno). Added the broth back in, and some of the cooked salsa I'd made the week before that we weren't really using. Also chopped up a bunch of fresh tomatoes and dumped those in. Added some ground coriander, cumin and a touch of chili powder. Brett thought it needed even more kick, so another jalapeno was tossed in fresh - no sauteeing, so it added a different flavor/texture than the first. Oh, and what the heck - may as well use those beans I picked from the garden - too few to have as a side for anything!

While all that was going I thinly sliced some corn tortillas, tossed them in a little salt and oil, and baked til crispy. Also made cornbread using the chipotle cheese Andy gave us.


So the soup, topped with the crunchy tortillas, shredded cheese, and freshly snipped cilantro, with a side of cornbread, was REALLY good! I only wish I'd had a little sour cream and avocado to really make it primo!