Chicken Tortilla Soup with Avocado Cilantro Jalapeño Crema
Updated: Sep 13, 2023
I'm all about nourishing my body with soups during the winter. It's key to fuel your body with warm seasonal foods if you are living in a cold place of the world like I do! So in order to do so I made this chicken tortilla soup with avocado cilantro jalapeño crema. It was my spin on chicken tortilla soup so I hope you love it! Let's get to it.
Yields: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 2 hours
This recipe is dairy free and gluten free.
Ingredients:
1. 1 shredded boiled chicken breast
2. Mirepoix: 1 carrot, 1 celery, ½ onion
3. 1 finely diced green bell pepper
4. 1 can of washed black beans
5. Handful of spinach
6. ½ cup of basmati rice
7. 1 ½ cups of chicken broth
8. 1 TBSP red pepper paste
9. 1 ½ TBSPs of tomato paste
10. 3 finely diced garlic cloves
11. Extra virgin olive oil
12. Salt
13. Black pepper, red pepper flakes, cumin
14. ½ finely diced jalapeño
15. Garnish with fresh cilantro (optional)
16. Tortilla chips (optional)
Crema:
1. 1 avocado
2. 1/2 bunch of cilantro
3. ½ jalapeño
4. ⅓ cup of extra virgin olive oil
5. 1 garlic clove
6. Salt
7. Dash of black pepper
8. ½ lime
Instructions:
1. First, grab a large pot and have an electric kettle with boiled water.
2. Next, finely dice the carrot, celery, onion, green bell pepper, jalapeño, and garlic.
3. In the pot, add 3 TBSPs of extra virgin olive oil and everything you chopped. Have it on medium heat and keep stirring for 3 minutes.
4. Add in the red pepper paste and tomato paste and stir.
5. Now, fill the pot with 6 cups of boiled water and 1 ½ cups of chicken broth. Stir well for 2 minutes.
6. Add the cooked, shredded chicken breast, black beans, and the rice. Stir.
7. Now, add 1 TBSP of salt, 1 TBSP of cumin, and black pepper to your liking. Add 1/4 TSP of red pepper flakes or more if you want it to be a super spicy soup. Cover and let it simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
8. Keep checking on it and stirring when you can.
9. Now for the crema: in a food processor or blender, add in 1 avocado, ½ bunch of cilantro or more, ½ jalapeño, 1 garlic clove, a dash of black pepper, 1/2 squeezed lime, and 1 TSP of salt. Purée. Do a taste test to see if you want to add anything extra like salt, garlic, jalapeño, or lime. Leave it on the side for later.
10. Keep checking on your soup. It can take up to an hour and 30 minutes to cook well. You want your chicken to be fully cooked and your rice very soft.
11. At the end, add a handful of spinach. Stir it in.
12. Taste test for salt and cumin. Add if necessary. Stir one last time.
13. Pour your soup in bowls, add crushed tortilla chips, a spoonful of crema, and chopped fresh cilantro.
