Soup Day

Yesterday afternoon I had a craving for tortilla soup and headed to the grocery store to make it happen. It was such a crowd-pleaser (at least to two hungry toddlers and my hubby) that I thought I'd share it with you. I think they enjoyed it so much because while I was at the grocery store, a realtor called wanting to show our house (with 15 minutes notice which is so NOT cool when it's a Sunday afternoon, you have toddlers, and were out late the night before on date night with friends). Needless to say, my little family had to race around like crazy people picking up our tornado of a house and then drive around forever during what should have been dinner time. My girls are troopers although the Dairy Queen stop helped. The good news is that the couple who looked at the house were interested and sent over a list of questions today. We're keeping our fingers crossed and praying very hard tonight.

Oops, I got a little off track. Here is the recipe - courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed (I used a small can of rotel too and spiced it up a little)
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional
6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas

Directions
For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.