Chicken Tortilla Soup

First of all, sorry for the lack of a picture. I could take a picture of the empty stockpot, but that would do us no good. Yes, this disappeared as quickly as it was made, if that's any testament to just how good this version of Mexican tortilla soup is. Forget any sorry excuses of this soup you've had in the past—this is where it's at. Serves 6-8



Ingredients

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 cups chicken broth (4 cans or 2 boxes)
1 large onion, half quartered, half finely chopped
4 peeled garlic cloves (2 of them minced)
8 to 10 sprigs fresh cilantro
1 sprig fresh oregano (1-2 teaspoons dried)
Salt
2 tomatoes (or 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes), cored and minced
1/2 jalapeno chile, minced
1 tablespoon (basically 2 chiles) minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 can black beans
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup frozen yellow corn

Garnishes:
Crunched tortilla chips
Sour cream
Shredded monterrey jack cheese
Diced avocado
Lime wedges
Fresh cilantro

Bring chicken, broth, 2 cups water, 2 onion quarters, 2 garlic cloves, cilantro and oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to boil over medium-high heat in large pot. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until chicken is just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate. Pour broth through a fine mesh strainer and discard solids. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken into bite-size pieces.

Chop and combine in a bowl, the rest of the onion, tomatoes, remaining garlic, jalapeno, and chipotle. Heat oil in the now-empty pot over high heat until shimmering. Add the ingredients from the bowl plus 1/8 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture has darkened—about 10 minutes.

Stir broth into the pot, corn, beans, and rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes to blend flavors. Add shredded chicken simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Portion soup in bowls. Top with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream for sure—everything else is optional.