The real beauty of this soup is that it’s a hearty and complete meal in a single bowl. You won’t need to serve anything else on a weeknight and it leaves you with very few dishes to clean up.
Southwestern Corn and Chicken Chowder
3 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Nonstick cooking spray
2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided use
½ teaspoon chili powder
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
½ pound red bliss or Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
4 cups chicken broth
3 cups chopped or shredded rotisserie chicken
1 cup any salsa
1 to 2 tablespoons lime juice
Chopped fresh cilantro or basil, to garnish (optional)
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the corn tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet, then mist them with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine ½ teaspoon of the cumin, the chili powder and a pinch of salt.
Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the tortillas. Using a pizza cutter, cut the tortillas into thin strips.
Bake on center rack until golden and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a large saucepan over medium, heat the vegetable oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons cumin and cook, stirring, for another minute.
Add the potatoes, corn and chicken broth, bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes, or until the potato is tender. Transfer 1 ½ cups of the mixture (mostly solids) to a blender and carefully blend until smooth. Return the mixture to the saucepan, add the chicken and salsa and cook until just heated through. Add salt and lime juice, to taste, and water, if necessary, to achieve the desired consistency.
Divide between 4 serving bowls and garnish each portion with some of the tortilla strips and cilantro, if desired.
Makes 4 servings.
Food, Pages 35 on 01/01/2014