Smoky Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup | Recipe Revisited

Hi! It’s me! The gal who hasn’t posted anything in five months and then comes in hot with a recipe I’ve already posted twice in the past. Killing the game! I wanted to revisit this chipotle chicken soup recipe for a couple reasons. The first, being that it’s the best and you might need a reminder. It was the first recipe I ever posted on this blog almost ten years ago (next month!!) and then I shared it again in 2011, but it’s kind of gotten lost deep in the archives (and the photos needed a refresh!).

But the main reason I want to share it is that this has become Evan’s go-to recipe (and since it’s lost in the archives, he can never find it to make it)! He cooks now!! With a baby on the way, I not-so-subtly hinted that he needed to improve his kitchen skills beyond frozen pizza, and… dare I say it… a hot dog boiled in a bowl of water in the microwave. Yeah, that happened. So he took to the challenge, starting with his favorite soup. He can now fully make this chipotle chicken soup on his own without any support or guidance. He also makes a mean fried egg sandwich and even dry-brined and roasted a chicken once. If this doesn’t sound like a huge victory, see above sentence about the microwaved hot dog. Very proud wife over here.

My mom started making this soup a million years ago, and it’s been through many iterations since. Unlike the standard Southwest-style tomato-based tortilla soup, this is essentially a chicken noodle (sans noods) soup, spiced up with smoky chipotle peppers in adobo, and topped with crunchy tortilla strips, avocado, lime, and sour cream. It’s super simple but feels like a big deal. And it’s easily customizable. I think everyone in my family has their own little tweaks—my mom and sister add rice and marjoram, I leave both out. Evan and I go a little lighter on the onion and garlic (both tend to disagree with us in our old age), so I’ve written it as we make it, but feel free to add a whole onion and more garlic if you want more of that fragrant allium goodness. If you’re a spice lord like Evan, you can adjust the heat and smokiness depending on how many peppers and how much adobo sauce you add. You can also adjust the toppings to your liking, adding jack or cotija cheese, throwing on some sliced radishes or cabbage for crunch, and serving with or without the sour cream (I’m Team Cream, Evan is not).

Maybe I'll come back in another 8 to 10 years and post this recipe again. Lullll. Enjoy!

Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup

Serves 2-4

1 Tablespoon olive oil 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces ½ medium-sized yellow onion, diced 1 carrot, diced 1 teaspoon dried thyme 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt & pepper to taste 1 can chickpeas, approx. 2 cups (drained and rinsed) Chipotle peppers in adobo (we like this brand) 6 cups chicken broth 8-10 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch wide strips Olive oil spray A pinch of salt, to taste Avocado Sour Cream Lime Wedges Cilantro Cheese (grated jack or cotija)

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add chicken, and cook until browned, then add onion and carrot. Cook until chicken is cooked through and onion is soft and starting to brown, stirring often to avoid burning. Add in thyme, marjoram, and garlic, and cook for another minute until garlic is fragrant. Salt and pepper to taste. Add chickpeas, and 1-2 tablespoons of adobo sauce from chipotle peppers (and additional chopped chipotles from the can if you like it hot). Stir to coat chicken and onions.  Add broth and bring to a boil. Turn to low and let simmer until ready to serve, at least 10 minutes. While the soup is simmering, make the tortilla strips. You can either bake them in the oven (preheat to 350) or crisp them up under the broiler. For both methods, line a baking sheet with foil, and arrange the tortilla strips in an even layer. Spray with olive oil spray, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or on the top rack under the broiler for about 5 minutes until crispy, checking often to avoid burning, and flipping halfway through.  Serve soup with tortilla strips, avocado, sour cream, lime wedges, cilantro, cheese, and additional chopped chipotle peppers and sauce.

Thanksgiving Menu Ideas for 2018

Thanksgiving is next week! Of course I love gathering in the kitchen and around the table with my friends and fam and being all thankful and all that... but I really, really love the menu planning leading up to the event. We went way overboard last year with a trillion different side dishes, which was fun and tasty but overwhelming, so this year we’re cutting it way back and keeping it pretty simple (but still delicious, obv). We're not even doing yams/sweet potatoes! My sister and I both eat various forms of sweet potatoes weekly, so we axed them from the Thanksgiving menu! Controversial! 

Fall Queso with Pumpkin and Chorizo #virtualpumpkinparty

It’s Sara’s annual Virtual Pumpkin Party! So, in the name of all things pumpkin, here’s a very bastardized queso dip.

I started out with a classic American style queso dip. You know, runny melty cheese, peppers, spices, yadda yadda. You dip chips in it. Basic. But then I wanted to make it even more basic with pumpkin and all the fall flavors. Chorizo is an obvious addition to queso, and that had me thinking about all those Thanksgiving recipes out there for stuffing with chorizo, pecans, and dried cherries. Fall! So there you have it. It’s cheesy queso, with pumpkin puree and chorizo mixed in, and topped with more chorizo, pecans, dried cherries, and green onions. It would be so good served at a fall dinner party or to nosh on before Thanksgiving!

We’re using a half cup of pumpkin puree, so you'll have some leftover...but luckily there a lot of other savory and sweet pumpkin recipes out there for #virtualpumpkinparty, so head over to Cake Over Steak to check them out!

Fall queso dip with pumpkin and chorizo 

Splash olive oil 2 tablespoons diced white onion 1 jalapeño, diced ¼ lb fresh chorizo (Mexican fresh style, not cured Spanish style) ¼ teaspoon garlic powder Pinch salt, pepper, and cinnamon ½ cup pureed pumpkin ¾ cup half and half (1/4 cup of it set aside) 1 teaspoon cornstarch 2 cups shredded cheese (I used Trader Joe’s Mexican blend) For topping: Toasted pecans Dried cherries Sliced green onion

Heat olive oil in a medium to large pot over medium heat. Add onion and jalapeño, and sauté until onion is translucent. Add chorizo and cook through. If desired, remove a little bit of the chorizo to reserve for topping and set aside. Add garlic powder and a pinch of salt, black pepper, and cinnamon. Add pumpkin puree and stir to combine. Turn heat down to medium low. In a small bowl, mix reserved ¼ cup half and half with cornstarch until cornstarch is dissolved, set aside. Stir remaining half and half into pot until combined, then add cornstarch slurry, stirring until mixed. Add cheese, and stir until melted. Add more salt, pepper, and cinnamon to taste, and more half and half or cheese to adjust consistency as desired. Top with toasted pecans, dried cherries, sliced green onion, and reserved chorizo. Serve with tortilla chips.

CLASSIC THIN CHEWY GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (WRINKLY FANNIES)

This month marks one year since I stopped eating gluten! Let’s celebrate with cookies!

When I first kicked the gluten, I heard so many horror stories about how hard good gluten free baking is, that it took me at least three months to even try. I’m here to tell you it’s totally possible and easy (albeit not always inexpensive) to make tasty gluten free baked goods (bread notwithstanding, because that still eludes me). In general, I’ve found that swapping Cup 4 Cup flour (my fave all-purpose GF blend) for regular AP flour works most of the time, with great results. For example, Smitten Kitchen’s all butter pie crust with Cup 4 Cup is a gluten free revelation. I’ve also learned the joys of mixing a few different flours, like millet, oat, and brown rice, in recipes from The Bojon Gourmet and Snixy Kitchen, particularly some dense, moist, amazing cakes.

Watermelon Float Popsicles | #popsicleweek

June is basically the best month of the year:

1. My birthday
2. Summer solstice
3. Popsicle week
4. See number one

While my birthday (which I now share with my friends’ new little guy, Henry!) and the start of summer are for sure reason enough to crown this month a winner, Billy of Wit & Vinegar guilds the lily year after year by adding #popsicleweek into the June lineup. 

Zucchini Quesadillas

A strong case of seasonal nostalgia sits in these warmer days and long, sun-lingering evenings. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about summers growing up at my childhood home. There are, of course, lots of paths I could take down memory lane, but one thing that strikes me most right now, is that we always had people over. 

The Long Goodnight

Hi, hello! It’s me! I’ve been quiet on here for a variety of reasons, but the main one is that I gave up gluten last August. I just haven’t really found inspiration in my newly gluten-free kitchen, and I’ve been leaning heavily on recipes from experts who’ve been doing this gluten free life a lot longer than I have.