January is soup month and a great reason for those of who live in colder climates like us (think Canada cold) to eat more soup. A healthy and hearty offering, this Chicken Tortilla Soup came together quickly on a Friday night, topped with delicious crisp tortilla strips that my kids could not stop eating out of the bowl, fresh avocado and grated old cheddar cheese. I may be a little bias but it was so delicious. Even my daughter filled her bowl twice.
Our goal this month is to re-make and/or recreate some of our soup recipes, while adding more to our stash of comfort foods. With so many amazing and healthy soups out there, it’s a good way to perhaps be a little healthier.
As you read through the recipe deciding whether or not you have the ingredients to make the soup, you will notice a spice called Epazote. Epazote is an herb used in Mexican cooking to flavour moles, soups, and other dishes. It is popular cooked with beans and said to help relieve some of the bean causing “symptoms” we all know so well. This herb is known to have a pungent, petroleum-like odor. Like cilantro you either like it or you don’t, there is no in-between. People describe the taste to be like a curious combination of turpentine, mint, citrus, pine, oregano, anise, and mustard greens.
We tasted the soup before we added in the Epazote and again after. There was no turpentine smell or taste but there was a slightly noticeable flavour enhancer we picked up on. We have been told not to use to much of this herb as it could over power the dish. A few light pinches in our soup equaling about 1/4 tsp is what we started with.
PRO TIPS:
- use a store bought rotisserie chicken
- substitute regular dried oregano for Mexican oregano
- no epazote, no problem
- do not care for cilantro, use flat leaf parsley instead
- like it spicy? add more of the chipotle in adobo, carefully
- sub in leftover turkey, for the chicken
- the crunchy tortillas added to the top of the soup, stay crunchy – no soggy bits unless kept in soup overnight
- pressed for time, simmer away for 30 minutes and you will be good to go
We highly recommend you give this tasty soup a try. It got four thumbs up here.
If you enjoyed this soup you might also like to try:
