Chicken Tortilla Soup

• 12 ozs. uncooked chicken breast
• 3 cups chicken broth (saved from when you cooked the chicken)
• 2 lbs. roma tomatoes
• 1 medium white onion (about 5-6 ozs.)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 morita chile
• 2 small avocados or one large, ripe but not mushy
• 8 ozs. sour cream
• 8 corn tortillas to make tortilla strips or 2 cups of pre-made tortilla strips
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp. salt + to taste

1. PREPARING THE CHICKEN BREAST
2. Place your chicken breast in a pot with 4 cups cold water with 1/2 of the white onion and 2 cloves of garlic.
3. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken is just cooked through.
4. Remove the chicken from the cooking liquid and allow to cool.
5. Shred the chicken into thin strips about 1 to 1 1/2 inches long.
6. PREPARING THE BROTH
7. First, remove the stem and the seeds from the morita chile and then soak it in a few ounces of hot water to soften it (10 to 15 minutes) You can do this while you are preparing the chicken.
8. Blend the roma tomatoes, onion, morita chile and 3 cups chicken broth. Blend in 2 batches.
9. After you have blended the ingredients, heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil in a pot. Pour the soup base into the hot oil.
10. Cook the broth for 30 minutes at a low boil until it takes on a deep red color and has reduced approximately 1 inch.
11. Add the salt and adjust as needed. The broth should seem slightly salty. When you add all of the other soup ingredients it will reduce the saltiness a bit.
12. ASSEMBLING THE SOUP
13. Pour approximately 1 cup of the tomato broth into a wide shallow bowl.
14. Add 1/4 of the tortilla strips in the center of the broth.
15. On top of the tortilla strips add 1/4 of the shredded chicken.
16. Top with one generous dollop of sour cream.
17. Add one ounce of shredded ranchero cheese and 4 avocado wedges.
18. Garnish with a few tortilla strips.
19. Serve immediately.

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