Mexican Chicken Soup

A friend of mine is hosting a party with a Mexican theme. I typed up this recipe for her from one of my favorite cookbooks. Barefoot Contessa at Home. If I could afford all of the ingredients, I would cook from this book a lot. However, this particular recipe doesn't call for anything fancy. It's my favorite from this particular cookbook. It has great flavor and the white corn tortillas substituting as noodles is awesome. Enjoy!

Mexican Chicken Soup

2 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in skin on
good olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 c chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
1 c chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 c chopped carrots (4 carrots) *sometimes I use the pre-cut matchsticks*
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 ½ qts chicken stock
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (I actually leave these out)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander seed
¼ to ½ c chopped fresh cilantro
6 (6 inch) fresh white corn tortillas

Garnish: sliced avocado, sour cream, lime, grated Cheddar cheese, tortilla chips or fried tortilla strips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 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 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low hear 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, 1 tsp pepper and the cilantro. Cut the tortillas in half and then into ½ 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, lime wedges, grated Cheddar cheese and broken tortilla chips (or if you get really fancy, make your own Café Rio style tortilla chips/strips).