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.

Baked Tortilla Cup Huevos Rancheros

Evan was sick all weekend, so I made him his favorite chipotle chicken tortilla soup. Which meant I had a jar of chipotle peppers in my fridge, along with half a lime, cilantro, cotija, corn tortillas, and of course, sour cream (which, let’s be real, I always have in my fridge). I also had a can of black beans in the cupboard, and a brand new jar of Mel’s homemade salsa.

I went to bed Saturday night planning Sunday’s brunch, those ingredients dancing in my mind (seriously… who needs sugar plums). First I was thinking a scramble, then maybe something like chilaquiles, or maybe a fried egg tostada type deal. But just before I drifted off to sleep, it came to me: baked eggs in tortilla cups, with mashed chipotle black beans. EUREKA!

I woke up super early Sunday morning (ok, like 8am…which because of the time change should have been 9am, but whatever…I’m not an early riser), feeling like a freaking genius for the idea I had come up with. So I decided to just do a real quick search on the ol’ internetz to find some tips for tortilla cups and egg baking… and the Google search “tortilla cup baked eggs” popped up a recipe that was pretty much exactly what I had dreamt up. The top search result.

Like… get out of my head, Bon Appetit! 

So, while I thought this recipe was totally unique and completely my own, it turns out tortilla cups filled with mashed black beans and top with a baked egg exists, outside of my head. They even used chipotle. C’MON, YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!
 

Anyway. These are super easy to throw together, and an awesome brunch party idea, since you can make individual little egg cups for everyone. Or you can make them for breakfast for yourself, then eat all 6 of them throughout the day… that’s also a thing that can happen.

Baked Tortilla Cup Huevos Rancheros
Adapted from this recipe
 

Olive oil 
Six 6-6.5-inch corn tortillas (soft taco size)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo, diced + extra sauce adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin 
Salt
3/4 cup grated cheese (jack, cheddar, etc)
6 large eggs 
Salt & pepper

Toppings:
Sour cream
Cilantro
Salsa
Lime
Crumbled cotija cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Brush six 10-ounce custard cups with oil (or cooking spray), or use large muffin tins (not regular cupcake size). 

Wet and wring out a paper towel, and wrap around stacked tortillas. Microwave until warm and pliable, about 30 seconds. Gently press 1 tortilla into each cup, and brush with oil (or spray).

Add beans, a splash of oil, the chipotle peppers and sauce (add more or less, depending on your heat tolerance), cumin, a pinch of salt, and ¼ of the grated cheese to a bowl, and mash with a fork or pastry blender.

Spoon bean mixture into bottom of each tortilla cup.

Crack 1 egg into each tortilla cup on top of the beans, being careful not to let it spill over the edge. Sprinkle each with salt and pepper, and the remaining grated cheese.

Bake uncovered until whites are set, about 25-27 minutes. Serve with suggested toppings.

Dinner & Movie: Tex Mex Taco Stack

Guys, I’m hardcore daydreaming about Texas right now. I’ve never been (except for some airport layovers, and some Friday Night Lights fantasies), and Austin is for sure on my bucket list. SXSW is just starting, and the press for it makes me crave sunshine, margaritas, and tacos. Seriously, how can you look at this and not be tempted to jump on a plane right this minute!? If you decide to stay put, you can satisfy your cravings with a grindhouse flick and a big plateful of Tex Mex food. (If you’re squeamish, you may want to fill up just before the movie starts).

It's dinner & a movie: Tex Mex Style!

The Movie: Death Proof

My name is Amber and I’m addicted… to Quentin Tarantino films. I love his movies, and Death Proof has to be one of my favorites. If you’re not a Tarantino fan, I still encourage you to watch this movie. I LOVE the way it’s shot, all grainy and gritty, and the soundtrack—out of this world. And the way he builds the characters and focuses on random insignificant details, I’m obsessed. It starts out in Austin, with a group of 20-something gals out for a night on the town, then some crazy stuff happens, and it ends in Tennessee. The scenery—from Texas to Tennessee—makes me long for nothing more than a sunny day and a pair of cowboy boots. Also, did I mention Kurt Russell and Rosario Dawson? Oh yeah, there’s also some bloody violence, I mean, it IS Tarantino, after all. Sometimes though, I forget about the gory parts because I’m so caught up in how awesome everything else in this movie is (but um, I like the gory parts… so, yeah, there’s that).

Photo Credit: This is actually a pic I took of my movie cover

The Dinner: Tex Mex Taco Stack

In the movie, the girls go out in Austin for margs and tacos at Gueros. Ps. they actually filmed at a place in Austin called Gueros Taco Bar, and it looks amazing. Every time I watch this movie (which, um, is often) I get a super craving for Tex Mex. This Tex Mex Taco Stack has layers of chicken, corn, beans, and corn tortillas, drenched in a spicy chipotle chile sauce and melty cheddar and jack cheese. Do I really need to say more? Stir up a batch of these super fresh blood orange margaritas, put out a bowl of tortilla chips and salsa, and turn off the lights: it’s time for dinner & a movie!

Tex Mex Taco Stack

Olive oil

3 chicken breasts, cubed (or thighs, your preference)

1/2 onion, diced

Juice of 1 lime

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups frozen corn

1 cup black olives, sliced

Chipotle chili sauce (see recipe below, or use about 2 cups canned enchilada sauce)

Corn tortillas (about 12)

1.5 cups grated cheddar cheese

1.5 cups grated jack cheese

Sour cream, green onions, and tortilla chips, for serving

Preheat oven to 350. In a large casserole dish, add a spoonful of sauce to coat bottom.

Heat a skillet over medium heat, add a swirl of olive oil. Add chicken and onion, and cook until lightly browned and cooked through. Add lime juice, and cook another couple of minutes, until lime juice is evaporated/soaked up. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Combine beans, corn, olives, and sauce in a large bowl. On top of sauce layer in casserole dish, layer: tortillas (you may have to cut them or overlap them, that's fine), bean/sauce mixture, chicken/onion mixture, cheese. Repeat until ingredients are gone, ending with tortilla covered with cheese as the top layer. Depending on the size of your dish, you may need to make 2 dishes. 

Lightly cover foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, and cook another 10 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before serving, so it can set up. 

Top with sour cream and sliced green onion, and serve alongside tortilla chips. 

Chipotle Chili Sauce

This seems like a lot of ingredients, but it comes together so quickly, it's totally worth making it! 

1 cup tomato sauce

1 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Chipotle peppers in adobo 

2 tablespoons chile powder

1 tablespoon cumin

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 onion, diced

Start with one chipotle pepper plus a spoonful of the adobo sauce, and then blend all ingredients together until smooth. I prefer to do it in a large bowl with my immersion blender, but a regular blender will work too. Add more peppers and blend to get to your preferred spice level. Use in taco stack. 

If you're using canned tomato sauce and chicken stock, you'll have a cup left of each. If you want to use these up, feel free to double the recipe and freeze half for later. Here's a good way to use up extra chipotle peppers. 

Chipotle Chicken Soup

I’m still hyped up about my 2-year-blogiversary, especially with some recent shout-outs from friends. It’s always amazing to hear that people other than my mom, sister, and boyfriend read this. When my favorite blogs have a new post with a great story, a fabulous, stomach-growl-inducing picture, or a must-try recipe, I feel like I received a little gift in the mail, and I can’t wait to open it. I hope that my blog has the same effect, and inspires people to get in the kitchen.

The other day, my friend Jen (Amanda’s realtor), said “Is it me, or are your photos on your blog getting better and better?” So I looked through old posts, back to the beginning, and it’s true, they really are better. Part of it, of course, is the camera. But it’s also the angles, the styling, the lighting, and just a sense of knowing what I, as a viewer, would want to see. And, well, practice makes perfect.

Take, for instance, this soup. Chipotle chicken soup. It was the first recipe I posted on Loves Food, Loves to Eat. I actually spent a long time setting up that photo. I was at Evan’s old apartment (because I needed to job hunt—er, start a blog—and didn’t have internet at my own place). I had to bring everything to his apartment to make that soup—even the pots and pans. I was so excited about having a recipe to share, that I wrote the post before I even made the soup. Then I took about 20 pictures before I would let anyone eat. Evan’s used to this by now, but back in the beginning, he didn’t quite know how to deal. Now he knows not to come to the table until about 15 minutes after hearing “dinner’s ready,” because really, it’s not ready ‘til I get my shot. That picture I posted was the best out of the 20 or so I took that day. While the soup—still the most requested recipe in my household—hasn’t changed much (I did start adding chopped cabbage as a garnish…delish!), my photos of it certainly have. Wouldn’t you agree?

Thanks so much for your continued support and words of encouragement—your comments, shout-outs, and photos of food that I inspired you to make (!) constantly inspire me to take better photos and make more delicious food! Keep it up, friends, and I will too! Love you all!


Mel's Chipotle Chicken Soup 

Olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon marjoram
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt & pepper
1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
Chipotle Peppers in Adobo
4-6 cups chicken broth
Tortillas (flour or corn), sliced thinly in strips and baked for fried until crispy
Avocado
Sour Cream
Lime Wedges
Cilantro
Cheese (grated jack or cotija)

Heat a large stockpot over medium. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil, and chicken. Cook until chicken is cooked through--remove from pot and set aside. Add more oil if necessary, and add onion and carrot to pot. Cook until soft and just starting to brown, and add in thyme, marjoram, and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook another minute or so, until fragrant (but make sure to not burn garlic). Add chicken, chickpeas, and 1-2 tablespoons of adobo sauce from chipotle peppers (and additional chopped chipotles from the can if you like it hot). Add broth, and bring to a boil. Turn to low and let simmer until ready to serve.

Garnish with tortilla strips, avocado, sour cream, lime wedges, cilantro, cheese, and additional chopped chipotle peppers and sauce. 

One Hot Cookie

I've been trying to come up with creative ways to use a jar of chipotles in adobo before they go bad. I notoriously will open up a jar, use 1 little pepper, and then throw out the rest several months later when I discover them in the back of my fridge. Not this time! First I whipped up some chipotle mayo for my sliders, and then...

Chocolate chip..otle? That's right. I said it. And I did it. I made chipotle chocolate chip cookies. I'm a big fan of mixing sweet with spicy and savory, and decided to give it a go with the all-American chocolate chip cookie. I've seen chipotle and chocolate together in desserts before, so I went for it. I mixed up a batch of basic chocolate chip cookies (from my old school Fanny Farmer cookbook...which Mel and Amanda both have as well...which is the one and only cookbook you need to survive... especially Mel's, which has notes in the margins). I scooped half the cookie dough out of my mixer, to save just in case things went awry. Then... hold on to your hats... I added 2 chopped up chipotles plus a little bit of the adobo sauce to the bowl and turned up the speed. The dough became stickier than the original, and also took on a red tint (with festive little specs of chopped up pepper). Into the oven my Frankenstein cookies went. The chipotle cookies spread out quite a bit during the baking process, and came out much flatter than their un-peppered half... but they still had a great chewy texture... and the flavor?

Not bad! They tasted just like a regular delicious chocolate chip cookie, but with a kick so hot it nearly knocked me off my feet! Wow! I was really surprised that they didn't have a weird peppery, savory flavor, but instead tasted sweet and chocolaty and delish. Unfortunately, the hot peppery kick really was so intense that some people couldn't hang... I won't name names that start with an 'A' and end with a 'manda'. Evan, on the other hand, loved them. As a self-proclaimed dessert-hater (I know... it pains me to even think such awful thoughts), Evan doesn't usually eat the cookies I give him (I'll find them hiding months later), but with these hot little ditties he ate them right up, and even went back for more!

The experiment was fun, and with positive results, but I don't know if I'll be whipping up another batch of chipotle chip cookies anytime in the near future. I have, however, been dreaming up a chocolate-raspberry-chipotle sauce...

To Slide or Not to Slide

For quite some time, I've had mixed feelings about sliders. The slider-craze is out of control, with the mini-burgers popping up on menus all over the place, from upscale restaurants, to happy-hour bar menus, even to fast food drive-thrus! What's so special about bite-size burgers, and why are they kicking their king-size big brothers out of the limelight?

After a little investigation, I think I have the answer. Nothing can beat the charred, outdoor grilled, big 'n' juicy BBQ burger (with it's promise of summer, fun, baseball, and beer in every bite)... but there is something delicious, different, and a little bit 'gourmet' about a slider. With approximately 2-bites per burg, one doesn't feel overly full, and the flavor is exciting from start to finish. Also, (some meat-purists out there might disagree) my favorite part of a burger is the charred, grilled, seasoned, sometimes cheesy, sort of crunchy and caramelized outer layer. The slider provides the perfect ratio of flavorful outer layer to juicy inner burger, something that it's plus-size counterpart lacks. The idioms are true when it comes to sliders...'everything is better in moderation,' and 'dynamite comes in small packages.'

How did I arrive at this conjecture? After initial distrust, hesitation, and even trash-talk about the baby-burger revolution, I have officially jumped on the slider bandwagon. It all started last week, at BalMar happy hour, with one little, delicious burst-of-flavor that kept me yearning for more (slider accompanied by fries with truffle aioli) , and was further intensified after I ate one too many full size burgers (on top of one too many full size beers) last weekend. What finally pushed me over the edge, to the slider-side, was the simple act of making (and devouring) my own sliders.

My delectable little beef morsels, sandwiched between toasted baguette slices, were covered in melty, gooey jack cheese, slathered with spicy, smokey chipotle mayo, and piled high with greens, lettuce, avocado, tomato, radishes, and my kick-ass-honey-mustard-caramelized red onions. With so much flavor jammed into such a tiny package, they were 10 times better than the best burger I've ever made. They were fun to make, even more fun to eat, and Evan and I both felt satisfied without being overly full and weighed down.

To make chipotle mayo, simply mix together mayonnaise, chipotle peppers in adobo- add sauce and chopped pepper (more or less depending on how much heat you can handle), and a dash of liquid smoke, which really brings out the smokiness of the chipotles (which are smoked jalapenos). For ooey-gooey, super carameltastic, extra delicious caramelized onions, my secret is to mix in honey and brown mustard right before you take the onions off the heat. It works every time. Now... to REALLY enjoy the mayo and the onions, promptly jump on the slider-train and never look back!

An Offer he Couldn't Refuse

Evan’s been wanting Chipotle lately, and I promised I would go with him (he gets great joy out of watching me eat his favorite foods…which include Chipotle and McDonalds). He took my promise to heart, and wanted to go last night. Don’t get me wrong… I like the occasional burrito-the-size-of-a-two-year-old-child, but on this particular night, after a really good run earlier in the day, I was not jazzed up about getting a week’s worth of caloric intake in one meal. Up against a solid pinky-promise and Evan’s angry protests, I had to think fast to get out of this mess. I made him an offer he could not refuse.

If not Chipotle…then how about Chipotle Chicken Soup!? He bit, hook, line, and sinker! My chipotle soup has become one of Evan’s favorites, next to his mom’s Southwest Tortilla. However, before you go chalking this one up to simply another bowl of chicken tortilla soup, please note- this is no ordinary tortilla soup. My Chipotle Chicken Soup ain’t your mama’s tortilla soup… it’s actually my mama’s! Mel’s been cooking this one up for years, and I’ve never had anything like it. Unlike traditional tortilla soups, this isn’t tomato based, but is more like a spicy, south-of-the-border take on chicken noodle…sans noodles. The beauty of this soup is how simple the preparation is, and how bold the flavors are. A bowl of Chipotle Chicken Soup is the surest way to forget about the gloom of the rainiest Seattle day, and feel the warmth of sunny hot Mexico. We were instantly transported back to Cabo with the first bite! Now…where are 2-for-1 margaritas that we had in Cabo?

Mel’s Chicken Tortilla Soup

Sauté 1-2 cubed chicken breasts, set aside. Heat oil in large pot, enough to cover bottom. Add 1 chopped onion, 1 large chopped carrot, and 3-4 cloves of chopped garlic to the hot pot. Douse liberally with thyme and marjoram. Salt and pepper to taste. When carrots and onions are tender, add chicken, 1 can garbanzo beans, 1-2 tablespoons of sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo (and additional chopped chipotles from the can if you like it hot), and as much chicken broth as desired (adding rice is also optional). Bring to a boil and let simmer until deliciousness ensues. Garnish with tortilla strips (prepared in oven, I like to use both corn and flour), avocado, sour cream, lime wedges, cilantro, cheese (I used grated jack last night, but cojita would probably be fanstatic), and additional chopped chipotle peppers and sauce. Enjoy!